Diana's Brother Spencer Says Harry, Meghan Need Protection From Media

Charles Spencer, Princess Diana's brother, stated that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle need protection to avoid an ordeal similar to Diana's.

Spencer told the BBC that the media's treatment of Prince Harry and Meghan is cancerous and on par with what his late sister faced. He warned that lessons needed to be learned from that period. Spencer also commented on Prince Harry's security row with the Home Office, admitting he would veer towards protection for his nephew.

He expressed personal worry about the fifth-in-line to the throne who's served in the military not having any police protection. Spencer's comments come as his new book, "Swan Song: Diana, My Sister," is set to be released on Tuesday. In the book, Spencer recalls King Charles's behavior in the hours and days after Diana died, claiming Charles said they'll forget about Diana soon enough.

Spencer suggested that Prince William and Prince Harry already knew about this claim. Buckingham Palace released a forceful statement Wednesday ahead of the book's release, and Spencer has accused King Charles of gaslighting him in the dispute over the book's claims. Prince Harry was stripped of his automatic high-level security protections when he left the UK and stepped down from royal duties in 2020.

The committee overseeing royal and VIP security, RAVEC, decided his protections would be handled on a case-by-case basis. Harry's legal battle to reinstate these protections resulted in a loss last May, which he described as a good old fashioned establishment stitch up. Royal historian Andrew Lownie claims King Charles offers more compassionate treatment to Harry and Meghan to avoid mistakes made with the Duke of Windsor, who abdicated the throne in 1936.

Charles reportedly hosted the Sussexes and their children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, at Highgrove House in July, marking the first time he had seen his grandchildren in person for more than four years.