Princess Diana's Brother: Watching Lilibet & Archie Play At The Spencer Estate Was 'Sad'

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A lot has happened in the nearly 30 years since the tragic death of Princess Diana. Her ex-husband, King Charles III, has taken the throne, while her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, have carried on the People's Princess's legacy of charity and social justice. Sad as it is to think of all the continued good the beloved royal might have done if she'd lived, it's even sadder to consider that Diana's five grandchildren call her "Grandma" without actually having any memories of their famous grandmother. Charles Spencer, the 9th Earl Spencer and brother of the late princess, mused about this and other related issues in an interview on the British talk show "Lorraine." 

The earl was promoting his new bombshell memoir, "Swan Song: Diana, My Sister." And, while speaking to host Lorraine Kelly, the outspoken aristocrat reiterated his long-held position that William and Harry, just 15 and 12 years old at the time, should never have been tasked with walking behind their mother's coffin at her funeral. "I can't think there's anyone alive today who thinks that was a good decision," he asserted (via Instagram). Spencer also strongly disputed accounts claiming the two young boys had asked to be a part of the procession. 

The earl recalled that his younger nephew's family stayed with him at Althorp Estate during their July 2026 trip across the pond, shortly before Harry and Meghan Markle returned to the U.K. proper. "Although when I look, you know, it's so sad. I saw the two little kids running around and the sadness of not having... " Spencer mused, stopping his thought before mentioning his late sister's name. "Can you imagine what a great grandmother Diana would have been?" he went on. "Spoiling them rotten."

Evidently, Charles Spencer was on target with his assessment of his beloved late sister's abilities as a grandparent. Determined not to deprive her two sons of bonding moments and simple pleasures, the People's Princess took every opportunity to let Prince William and Prince Harry just be boys, despite their privileged lifestyle. In fact, Princess Diana had so many relatable mom moments that it boosted her reputation as someone who stood out from the rest of her stuffy in-laws. Now that they're parents themselves, William and Harry share their uncle's opinion that their mother would have been an awesome grandma — for the most part, anyway.

In the documentary "Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy" the Princes of Wales joked that Diana would have caused major headaches for the adults in the house. "She'd be a nightmare grandmother," he quipped. "She'd love the children to bits, but she'd be an absolute nightmare. She'd come in probably at bath time, cause an amazing amount of scene — bubbles everywhere, bathwater all over the place, and then leave," (via Vogue). Still, the heir apparent obviously wishes his mum could be there for his three children.

In fact, he talks to them about her often. "[I]t's important that they know who she was and that she existed," William argued, per Newsweek. In 2016, well before his own kids were born, Harry sweetly told "Good Morning America" that Diana would've loved his brother's children, and "I'm sure she's longing for me to have kids so she can be a grandmother again," (via WUSA9). Now, Harry and his wife Meghan Markle celebrate Diana with their two kids by making her favorite lemon loaf cake on the princess's birthday every year.