Earl Spencer’s Book Rocked the Royals, But the Bigger PR Challenge Is Still Ahead

As we emerge out of the other side of wall-to-wall coverage of Earl Spencer’s Princess Diana book, the damage from the war of words can be surveyed. From the initial blow to King Charles in the Daily Mail’s first serialized extract, to the way that the Earl doubled down in the face of Palace pushback, the monarchy has taken something of a battering from the book’s claims.

Yet, in this particular PR battle, the Palace has also been declared victorious. The admission of a factual inaccuracy in relation to Piers Morgan has opened the floodgates to debates over Swan Song’s credibility. In addition to the Palace’s statement, allies of the King have come forward to very publicly declare the allegations about how he reacted to Diana’s death just not within his character. Earl Spencer has also been branded a “hypocrite” for selling the book after previously saying he would not profit from Diana’s death.

So far so murky. Initial polling shows the public were divided over whether to believe what the King was accused of saying. In the absence of evidence (and from the King’s perspective, how would you prove a negative), there is little chance of the focus on this taking on new resonance.

But as the news agenda moves on there is a bigger PR challenge looming for the King and Queen in the upcoming 30th anniversary of Diana’s death. With still almost a whole year to go, talk has already turned in earnest to how the moment might be marked. It is unlikely to go without significant fanfare. And while it is one thing for the Palace to be in a PR battle with Earl Spencer over his particular style of brotherly tribute, it is quite another for them to be in one with Princess Diana and her legacy.

You only have to see what happened during season four of The Crown back in 2020 to understand the potential impact of the resurrection of Diana’s story and her unhappiness within the royal fold. Clarence House, representing then Prince Charles and Camilla, had to turn off the comments on their Instagram feed after the real-life royals were on the receiving end of trolling over the Netflix drama. The Crown is fictional, but non-fiction accounts from that era pose just as many challenges for the royals.

Queen Camilla and King Charles in early September.

Camilla’s image has been successfully transformed from a vilified figure seen as the “other woman” to being accepted as Queen. Scandals like “Camillagate”—if you need to look it up, then do—are mostly confined to history (well, and the internet). The King and Queen go about their important day to day work with little evidence of the past looming large. Today, honoring Diana does not have to mean pitting yourself against Charles and Camilla.

But could the current status quo be more fragile than we think? Polls show us that the British public is sold but not totally sold on the current monarch and his consort. Some 62% have a positive view of King Charles and 31% have a negative view. For Queen Camilla, it’s almost 50/50 either way, with 43% saying they view her positively and 44% negatively. It’s a far cry from the popularity ratings that Queen Elizabeth enjoyed and those held by Prince William and Kate.

Charles and his sons look at floral tributes to Diana, Princess of Wales outside Kensington Palace, September 1997.

The 30th anniversary of Diana’s death is next August, but as we have seen with Earl Spencer’s book, tributes could come at any time in the run-up. Prince Harry has, I am told, discussed a number of projects and is still considering the most meaningful way to honor her. William may well take a different view and feel that he said everything he wanted to say ten years ago at the 20th anniversary. “We won’t be doing this again—we won’t speak as openly or publicly about her again,” William said for an ITV documentary both Princes made in 2017 about their mother.

Yet even without those closest to her choosing to speak out, there can be no getting away from the fact that an abundance of coverage will be launched in media and online for the anniversary. In an increasingly sophisticated internet age, interest in Diana and her story has the potential to reach more and more people of all generations instantly and repeatedly in the run-up to this milestone.

One potent take was recently provided by a piece by UK TV host Lorraine Kelly, who interviewed Earl Spencer about his book. The headline read, “Diana remains utterly unforgettable – it’s her greatest revenge.”

Town & Country Contributing Editor Victoria Murphy has reported on the British Royal Family since 2010. She has interviewed Prince Harry and has travelled the world covering several royal tours. She is a frequent contributor to Good Morning America. Victoria authored Town & Country book The Queen: A Life in Pictures, released in 2021.