# Earl Spencer draws Diana parallel in Harry and Meghan row

> Diana's brother says press treatment of the Sussexes echoes the media's destructive coverage of his sister, and warns of risks to Harry without police protection.
- Title: Earl Spencer draws Diana parallel in Harry and Meghan row
- Summary: Diana's brother says press treatment of the Sussexes echoes the media's destructive coverage of his sister, and warns of risks to Harry without police…
- Keywords: earl spencer, harry and meghan, diana princess of wales, king charles iii, media criticism, buckingham palace, memoir, news, world, Earl, Spencer, draws
- Source: the Guardian — https://theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/sep/20/earl-spencer-media-treatment-harry-and-meghan-echoes-diana
- Published: 2026-09-20T07:55:52+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: earl spencer, harry and meghan, diana princess of wales, king charles iii, media criticism, buckingham palace, memoir, news, world
## Spencer sees Diana echoes in Sussex coverage
Earl Spencer, Diana's brother, told the BBC that press treatment of Harry and Meghan echoes the way media treated his sister. He called the coverage a cancerous influence and said people should learn from Diana's example.

> If you look at an article in a tabloid about Diana or the couple that you were mentioning, Harry and Meghan, you know, they can be really, really unpleasant.
## Diana was destroyed by media criticism
Spencer said his sister was really brought low by criticism from the media. He expressed concern about seeing echoes of that destructive pattern in current press coverage of Harry and Meghan.
## Spencer worries about Harry's safety
Spencer said he personally worries about Harry, the fifth in line to the throne and a military veteran, not having any police protection. As an uncle who saw his sister die in preventable circumstances, he said he would veer towards protection.

> I would say that I personally worry about the fifth in line to the throne who's served in the military not having any police protection.
## Spencer accuses king of gaslighting
Spencer accused King Charles of gaslighting him after Buckingham Palace responded to claims in Spencer's new memoir that Charles said we'll forget her soon enough after Diana's death. Spencer called the palace response astonishingly provocative and below the belt.

> It was astonishingly provocative and below the belt because it was essentially trying to say I'd lied without the king being able to deny what I'd said.
## Palace says grief can cloud memory
Buckingham Palace responded to Spencer's memoir claims by saying His Majesty is mindful that the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgment and colour memory in ways others do not recognise, even many years after such a loss.

> His Majesty is mindful that the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgment and colour memory in ways others do not recognise.
## Spencer says he told friends immediately
Asked whether he had evidence of the king's comments, Spencer told the BBC he told close friends and family straight away about what had been said, because it was so monstrous. The Sussexes returned to the UK from the US on twenty-sixth August.

> I told friends and family straight away, close friends and family, about what had been said, because it was so monstrous.
## Key takeaway

Earl Spencer compared media treatment of Harry and Meghan to coverage of his sister Diana, calling it a cancerous influence and expressing concern for Harry's safety without police protection.