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    1. Celebrity
    2. Royals

    Earl Spencer Says Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Are "Being Destroyed Daily" by the Tabloids, and No One's Learned From Princess Diana's "Example"

    "They can be really, really unpleasant."

    Amy Mackelden#039;s avatar
    By Amy Mackelden
    Published 20 September 2026 In News

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    Princess Diana has bouffant blonde hair and cradles Prince Harry, who has bright red hair.
    (Image credit: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images/Georges De Keerle/Getty Images)
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    Earl Spencer, Princess Diana's brother, has written a new book—Swan Song: Diana, My Sister—about his sister's relationship with the Royal Family, the general public, and the tabloid press. In a new interview with the BBC, Charles Spencer, the 9th Earl Spencer, is set to discuss the treatment his nephew Prince Harry has received in the public eye.

    In his interview with the BBC, which will air on September 20, Earl Spencer shared (via Hello! magazine), "If you look at an article in a tabloid about Diana or the couple that you were mentioning, [Prince] Harry and Meghan [Markle], you know, they can be really, really unpleasant."

    The earl continued, "And I think it would be really beholden on people to learn from Diana's example."

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    As for why he wanted to speak up about press intrusion, Earl Spencer explained, "I'm not here to speak for Harry and Meghan, but for anyone who's being destroyed in this way daily, it must be such a cancerous influence in their life."

    Swan Song: Diana, My Sister

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    Earl Spencer reading a copy of his book Swan Song by a window

    "I think it would be really beholden on people to learn from Diana's example."

    (Image credit: Earl Spencer/Instagram)

    Spencer also wanted to make it clear that he supports both Prince Harry and Prince William.

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    "I'm on my deceased sister's sons' side, both of them and if either of them wanted anything, then I'd be equally there for them," he told the BBC.

    As for how Harry and William might be feeling regarding the release of Earl Spencer's new book, royal expert Katie Nicholl told Hello! magazine, "It's hard to know how [William and Harry are] feeling because ultimately, [Earl Spencer's book bombshell is happening...] at a moment in time nearly 30 years on, when they want their mother's memory laid to rest, they want her legacy honored, and continued in their charity work."

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    Prince Philip, Prince William, Charles Spencer, Prince Harry and Prince Charles walk behind Princess Diana#039;s coffin at her funeral

    Prince Philip, Prince William, Charles Spencer, Prince Harry, and Prince Charles walking behind Princess Diana's coffin in September 1997.

    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Nicholl continued, "To have it overshadowed with arguments, fallouts, rifts...that are now resurfacing three decades on, can surely not be what any of them want."

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    Weekend Editor

    Amy Mackelden is the weekend editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.

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