Princess Diana’s brother Charles Spencer reveals his position on Prince William and Prince Harry royal rift

Princess Diana’s brother Charles Spencer has revealed where he stands in the bitter rift between Prince William and Prince Harry, insisting he refuses to take sides between his nephews.

The 9th Earl Spencer addressed the brothers’ fractured relationship during an interview with the BBC ahead of the release of his new memoir, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, on September 22.

Mr Spencer, 62, rejected perceptions that he had aligned himself more closely with Prince Harry since the Duke of Sussex’s split from the Royal Family.

“I think there is a perception in the media that I am on Harry’s side. Well, 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. And I never get involved in one camp or the other, except as a benign figure, I hope,” he continued.

Prince William, 44, and Prince Harry, 42, remain estranged, with reports suggesting there is still no direct contact between the brothers.

Mr Spencer acknowledged there were a “lot of reasons on both sides” behind the deterioration of their relationship but said he hoped they would eventually reconcile, People revealed.

“I hope one day it’s resolved.”

“But I don’t know all,” he added.

“I certainly don’t know what’s been done in the finer detail and so I would feel intrusive if I got more involved than to say of course a mother would want her two sons to be happy together and love each other.”

Princess Diana died aged 36 following a car crash in Paris in August 1997, when Prince William was 15 and Prince Harry was 12.

Prince Harry has publicly expressed a desire for reconciliation with his family, although sources close to Prince William and his wife Catherine, Princess of Wales, have suggested significant tensions remain.

“It was very hard on them, and I wouldn’t blame William for being cautious,” one palace source said.

While the relationship between the brothers remains fractured, Harry has taken steps towards repairing his relationship with his father, King Charles.

The King, 77, reunited with Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and their children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet during the Sussexes’ visit to the UK in July.

King Charles and Prince Harry have reportedly also spoken at least once since the Sussex family returned to Britain in August, although they have not met again in person.

Mr Spencer’s comments about Prince William and Prince Harry come as revelations from his highly personal memoir generate fresh controversy for the Royal Family.

Among his most explosive claims is that King Charles sounded “giddily elated” during a telephone conversation in the hours after Princess Diana’s death.

Mr Spencer has also detailed an alleged heated exchange with the then-Prince Charles over whether Prince William and Prince Harry should walk behind their mother’s coffin at her funeral.

Buckingham Palace issued a rare response following publication of early excerpts from the memoir.

“While we do not comment on books as a matter of principle, His Majesty is mindful that the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgment and color memory in ways others do not recognize, even many years after such a loss.”

During his BBC interview, Mr Spencer pushed back against the palace response.

“But they haven’t actually, Laura. They’ve sort of smudged that one, haven’t they? They’ve said that recollections may vary,” he told interviewer Laura Kuenssberg.

When Ms Kuenssberg suggested the King was “plainly furious” about the claims, Mr Spencer questioned whether another emotion was behind the response.

“Well, is he furious? Is he furious or is he embarrassed?” Mr Spencer replied. “Because I can tell you here and now, those are exactly the words he said.”

He doubled down on his recollection of the conversation.

“I’ve only ever had two calls on the line with Prince Charles at any stage of my life. I was hyper alert to what he was saying, and those are precisely the words that he said, and I promise that to you now. Genuinely, that is what he said. I don’t hear him saying he didn’t say that.”

Asked whether he had evidence supporting the allegation, Mr Spencer said he told family and friends “straight away,” “because it was so monstrous.”

Mr Spencer has described Swan Song as the “most personal” book he has written.

“At heart, this is a brother’s simple tribute to an extraordinary sister,” he wrote on Instagram.

“When I finished the recording, I thought: ‘That is exactly what I wanted and needed to say — and she would, I reckon, have approved of every word.’ ”