Monday marks 29 years since the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, coming just days after her youngest son, the Duke of Sussex, returned to live in the UK with his family.
Six years after the Megxit crisis, Harry and the Duchess of Sussex have relocated from California with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. During a brief summer stay, Harry took both children, who are now enrolled in British schools, to visit Diana’s resting place for the first time.
Diana’s Althorp resting place
Diana is buried on a small island in the Round Oval Lake at Northamptonshire’s Althorp estate, the ancestral home of the Spencer family now cared for by her brother, Earl Spencer.
Next year will mark the 30th anniversary of the princess’s sudden death following a car crash in Paris. Harry revealed over the summer that he bakes a lemon drizzle cake annually to mark the date as a “sweet” way to remember his mother.
Diana, Princess of Wales, died in a Paris car crash in 1997 (John Stillwell/PA).
Diana, the former wife of the now-King, was killed on August 31, 1997, when her sons, Princes Harry and William, were just 12 and 15.
Charles Spencer memoir to revisit Diana’s life
The anniversary comes just three weeks before Charles Spencer is due to release a deeply personal memoir addressing what he describes as “untruths” about his sister’s life.
Earl Spencer, Prince William, Prince Harry and the then-Prince of Wales on the day of Diana’s funeral (Fiona Hanson/PA).
His new book, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, is due to be published on September 22 and is expected to contain “many revelations that will draw considerable attention”, according to its publisher.
The earl delivered a passionate eulogy at Diana’s funeral, pledging that the princess’ “blood family” would protect William and Harry “so that their souls are not simply immersed by duty and tradition, but can sing openly as you planned”.
He said of writing the memoir:
“With the 30th anniversary of Diana’s tragic death on the skyline, I’ve been inundated yet again with requests for interviews about my sister.
“This has convinced me to write down my own thoughts and memories, once and for all, rather than having the discomfort of again reading the opinions of others, many of which are based on untruths that have become accepted over time.”
Earl Spencer delivers his eulogy at Diana’s funeral in Westminster Abbey (John Stillwell/PA).
Daniel Bunyard, publishing director at Penguin Random House UK, said:
“While these pages contain many revelations that will draw considerable attention, readers will find, for the first time, but also for all time, a fitting tribute to the beloved woman who was Princess Diana.”
William and Harry’s relationship after Diana’s death
Devoted fans of the princess usually gather each year at the gates of her former London home, Kensington Palace, to leave flowers and other tributes.
The Palace’s Sunken Garden contains the bronze statue of Diana commissioned by the now-Prince of Wales and Harry. The estranged brothers unveiled it together in 2021.
The then-Duke of Cambridge and Duke of Sussex look at the statue they commissioned of their mother in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace in 2021 (Dominic Lipinski/PA).
The pair put on a united front despite their rift, revealing the sculpture on what would have been their mother’s 60th birthday.
Their fallout dates back to before Harry’s 2018 wedding to Meghan, the American-born former Suits actress. The duke was apparently angered by what he perceived to be his brother’s “snobbish” attitude towards his bride after William questioned whether he should rush into the relationship.
William and Harry speak to the crowd at Wembley Stadium during the Concert for Diana in 2007 (Stephen Hird/PA).
Their relationship deteriorated further during Megxit and after Harry made accusations against William and other family members in his Oprah interview, Netflix documentary and memoir, Spare.
William and the Princess of Wales have yet to comment on Harry and Meghan’s return.
In 2007, William and Harry commemorated 10 years since their mother’s death together. They staged a pop concert at Wembley on what would have been her 46th birthday, followed by an emotional memorial service in London on the actual anniversary.
William leaves flowers as he and Harry look at tributes to Diana, Princess of Wales, attached to the gates of Kensington Palace ahead of the 20th anniversary in 2017.
The day before the 20th anniversary in 2017, the siblings stood side by side as they viewed tributes left for the princess outside Kensington Palace.
The brothers are expected to mark this year’s anniversary separately, with a reunion on the 30th anniversary looking unlikely at this stage.
