# Queen offered to restore Diana's HRH title after death

> Queen Elizabeth proposed restoring Princess Diana's HRH title posthumously, sparking a royal feud with Earl Spencer.
- Title: Queen offered to restore Diana's HRH title after death
- Summary: Queen Elizabeth proposed restoring Princess Diana's HRH title posthumously, sparking a royal feud with Earl Spencer. Queen Elizabeth offered to restore…
- Keywords: queen elizabeth, princess diana, earl spencer, royal family, swan song, diana's death, hrh title, royal feud, prince charles, diana divorce, news, entertainment
- Source: Dailymail — https://dailymail.com/news/royals/article-16140413/Queen-offered-restore-Dianas-HRH-died-book.html?ito=1490&ns_campaign=1490&ns_mchannel=rss
- Published: 2026-09-17T22:00:19+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: queen elizabeth, princess diana, earl spencer, royal family, swan song, diana's death, hrh title, royal feud, prince charles, diana divorce, news, entertainment
## Queen's posthumous HRH offer
Queen Elizabeth proposed restoring Princess Diana's royal title on the day of her funeral.

> Queen Elizabeth proposed handing back his sister's Her Royal Highness title
## Earl Spencer's memoir
Earl Spencer describes Queen's offer in his memoir Swan Song: Diana, My Sister.

> Swan Song: Diana, My Sister
## Queen's offer details
Queen offered the title via Robert Fellowes, her Private Secretary and Spencer's brother-in-law.

> Robert Fellowes, the Queen's Private Secretary and his brother-in-law
## Spencer's rejection
Spencer rejected the offer, stating Diana would 'dreadfully hurt' by the title removal.

> Diana was 'dreadfully hurt' by the 'petty and vindictive' removal of her HRH title
## Spencer's view on offer
Spencer felt the Queen's gesture was 'hollow' despite being 'well-meaning'.

> The consolation prize was hollow, however well-meaning the Queen's gesture
## Spencer's memoir context
Spencer wrote the memoir ahead of Diana's 30th death anniversary.

> ahead of the 30th anniversary of Diana's death next year
## Spencer's marriage claims
Spencer claims Diana told her father she couldn't go through with marriage to Prince Charles.

> Diana told her father she could not go through with the marriage to Prince Charles
## Spencer's marriage claims
Spencer claims Prince Charles said he was 'not in love' with Diana.

> Charles told Diana that while he was happy to marry her, he was not in love with her
## Spencer's suicide claims
Spencer claims Diana considered suicide and drove to Beachy Head cliffs.

> Diana was so unhappy that she considered suicide and drove herself 'more than once' to Beachy Head cliffs
## Spencer's posthumous title
Spencer claims Diana lost HRH title after divorce in August 1996.

> Diana lost her HRH title after her divorce in August 1996
## Spencer's title rejection
Spencer rejected Queen's offer, saying title should never have been removed during life.

> The title should never have been removed during her life, in which case it would not have been necessary to offer it to her in death
## Royal Palace response
Palace questioned Spencer's account, saying grief can 'cloud reason, affect judgment'.

> grief can 'cloud reason, affect judgment and colour memory'
## Spencer's memoir impact
Spencer's memoir sparked war of words between King and Earl Spencer.

> The book has sent shockwaves through the Royal Family
## Spencer's title claim
Spencer claims Queen offered title just hours after delivering eulogy.

> When we had gone some miles, Robert beckoned me to follow him into a quiet corner of the carriage. I have just received a call from Her Majesty …and she would like to offer Diana her HRH title back
## Spencer's title doubt
Spencer wondered if he was right to reject the offer.

> he later wondered whether he was right to reject the offer
## Spencer's tombstone thought
Spencer considered if Diana would see value in HRH on tombstone.

> maybe Diana would have seen some point in having HRH carved on her tombstone
## Key takeaway

Queen Elizabeth offered to restore Princess Diana's royal title after her death, but Earl Spencer rejected it as 'hollow' consolation.