Princess Diana’s brother hosted Harry, Meghan and their kids at the Spencer’s ancestral home, Althorp, over the summer
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NEED TO KNOW
- Charles Spencer says he’s “realistic” about his relationships with Prince William and Prince Harry
- Princess Diana’s brother wrote about defending the young princes following their mother’s death in his new book, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister
- Now that William and Harry are adults, Charles said, “I’m there if needed”
Charles Spencer is sharing where he stands with nephews Prince William and Prince Harry.
The 9th Earl Spencer appeared on CNN’s The Source with Kaitlan Collins on Monday, Sept. 28, to discuss his new memoir, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, and his current relationship with his late sister’s sons.
“It’s pretty consistent in that I’ve always just been an uncle,” said Spencer, 62. “And I think when you lose someone in your family, and they have children, you sort of are there for them.”
“But I’m very realistic. They’re men in their 40s now. I’m there if needed,” he added. “It’s public record that Harry came to stay with me with his family in July. So if I’m needed, I’m there, but I’m not in anyone’s way.”
Credit: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty; David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty; Karwai Tang/WireImage
Though William, 44, and Harry, 42, have had a strained relationship for years, Spencer told PEOPLE this month that he informed both of them about the book at “exactly the same time” following its completion.
He added, “I can say that Harry is completely fine about it.”
Spencer added that the Duke of Sussex hoped there was “nothing embarrassing” about him in it.
“I said, ‘There isn’t.’ ” he recounted. “I think it’s natural that people so in the public eye are concerned how they will come across in the book. But I could reassure both of them that they’re, of course, in the book, but really as examples of two little boys who had the most exceptional mother; I’m not in any way compromising their privacy at all.”
In Swan Song, Spencer wrote about his opposition to the royal family’s plan for William and Harry, then 15 and 12, to walk in Princess Diana’s public funeral procession through the streets of London. His defense of his nephews caused a heated exchange with then-Prince Charles, but Spencer told PEOPLE that he relented when he was told the brothers had “decided that they wanted to” take part in the walk.
“I remember saying, ‘Well, as long as they haven’t been dragooned into it.’ Obviously they shouldn’t have walked. Nobody now can possibly think that was the right thing to do,” he said.
When asked if he felt guilty for not doing more to stop William and Harry from taking part in the funeral procession, Spencer said, “Yeah, I have actually. And about 10 years ago, well, on the 20th anniversary, we sort of chatted a bit about it, but I don’t think there’s anyone alive who thinks that was a good idea now.”
Credit: JEFF J MITCHELL/AFP/Getty
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Spencer told Collins that he wrote Swan Song in part as a reaction to requests for his participation in interviews and projects tied to the 30th anniversary of Princess Diana’s death, which is approaching in summer 2027.
“I thought, well, actually, I think it’s time for me just to write this down while I still have my mind and my memories,” he said. “It was very easy to write… This really flowed because it was ready to hatch, I guess.”
At its core, Spencer said, his goal was to “bring a sort of global celebration to this fabulous woman who happened to be my sister.”
“It’s easy to reconnect people of my generation with Diana because they remember her,” he noted. “Half my job in this book is bringing her alive for people under 40 because they — they still have some connection with her, but it’s through maybe a glamorous photograph or the tragedy of the circumstance of her death. I want to bring, in this book, the whole life alive, this extraordinary life that I witnessed up close.”
Credit: Penguin
Prince William and Prince Harry — who have both avoided questions about the book during recent public appearances — have not announced any plans for how they will honor their mother for the upcoming anniversary.
PEOPLE understands that the Duke of Sussex has been exploring various ideas for how he can most meaningfully honor his mother and her legacy ahead of the milestone on Aug. 31, 2027. One possibility is a documentary, although PEOPLE understands that no documentary project has been finalized or confirmed. As part of his preparations for the anniversary year, Harry has also reached out to family members and friends connected to his late mother, multiple sources tell PEOPLE.
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