Prince William's Betrayal: Uncle's Revelations Stir Royal Tensions
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Prince William is tangled up in another royal family feud after his uncle — Princess Diana’s brother, Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer — reopened deep emotional wounds in his bombshell new book.“With Prince William, there is an additional sense of betrayal because this is coming from his own uncle,” royal commentator Kinsey Schofield exclusively told Page Six. In the book “Swan Song: Diana, My Sister,” which was released last week, Spencer wrote that he strongly opposed King Charles III’s wish for William and Prince Harry to walk behind their mother’s casket during the 1997 funeral procession. Prince William (seen here in February) feels betrayed by his uncle, Charles Spencer, after the brother of Princess Diana released his bombshell book, Kinsey Schofield told Page Six. UK Press via Getty ImagesSpencer (seen here in 2024) released “Swan Song: Diana, My Sister” last week. Getty ImagesSpencer, 62, claimed he fought with Charles in a “stream of anger,” but to no avail, and Harry and William ended up joining their dad behind Diana’s casket from Kensington Palace to Westminster Abbey.“Charles Spencer stood at Diana’s funeral and publicly promised that her blood family would protect William and Harry,” Schofield said. “Nearly three decades later, William is watching that same uncle reopen some of the most traumatic events of his childhood while making very damaging allegations about his father,” she added. The wider issue for William, Schofield said, is that he isn’t just Charles’ son, but the future king of England.“The institution being damaged by another round of Charles and Diana warfare is the institution William will eventually inherit,” she said. “I think there is a very real question within William’s orbit about how resurrecting disputed private conversations from 1997, attacking the current King, and reopening one of the ugliest periods in the family’s history is supposed to benefit either of Diana’s sons.”Spencer wrote about being against William and Prince Harry walking with King Charles III at Diana’s funeral processional (seen here in 1997). Getty ImagesSpencer wrote that he got into an argument with Charles about them walking behind her casket (seen here in 1997). WireImageThe “Kinsey Schofield Unfiltered” podcast host believes Spencer isn’t exposing family secrets for his late sister’s benefit.“Does anyone really believe that Diana would sacrifice the peace of her adult children to have this one sentence out in the world?” she asked rhetorically.William, 44, has spent much of his adult life trying to “draw a boundary” around his mom’s memory, Schofield said.He has also attempted to “resist the endless excavation and commercialization of her life and death,” she added. “For that boundary to now be crossed by Diana’s own brother makes this particularly painful for William,” she said. “With Prince William, there is an additional sense of betrayal because this is coming from his own uncle,” Schofield said of Spencer (seen above on Sept. 28). Roger Wong/INSTARimagesSchofield said Spencer (seen on CBS Mornings this week) reopened “some of the most traumatic events” of William’s childhood in the book. CBSSchofield is also hearing from sources that there is “considerable frustration and anger” for both William and Charles, but for “different reasons.”“For the King, there is genuine anger at what is seen as character assassination based on an alleged private conversation from almost 30 years ago,” she said. “But Charles has also spent decades living with being cast as the villain in the Diana story.”“He endured the hostility of the 1990s, the collapse of his marriage, and the brutal public reaction following Diana’s death,” Schofield continued. “Being portrayed as the villain in somebody else’s retelling of that period is, unfortunately, familiar territory for him.”As for Harry, Page Six exclusively reported that the Duke of Sussex is allegedly staying on Spencer’s good side. Royal journalist Tom Sykes exclusively told Page Six last week that he believes Harry has been “wooing” Spencer amid rumors that he and Meghan Markle are producing a documentary about Diana.“There is no denying [Spencer] is a big name, and he will give the documentary credibility. So [the Sussexes] need to woo him and get him onside,” Sykes claimed. “What Harry and Meghan are actually doing back in the UK is finally revealed — they are making a Diana film, and Spencer is likely being lined up as its star.”William (seen her with his wife and kids in 2025) has already been feuding with his brother Prince Harry. Josh Shinner / @KensingtonRoyalHarry and William (seen here with their respective wives in 2022) have been feuding since at least 2020. Getty ImagesWilliam and Harry have not seen eye to eye for some time now. The brothers began feuding in 2020 when Harry and Markle resigned from their royal duties and moved to the United States — only to go on several public rants ripping into the British monarchy. The “Spare” author and his wife shocked the world when they decided to move back to the UK last month after living in Montecito, Calif., for six years.Despite their return, Harry and William have yet to make amends — though the ice is slowly thawing between the renegade royal and his dad.Page Six has reached out to William’s rep for comment.
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