Princess Diana’s former bodyguard has spoken out in support of Charles Spencer, whose controversial memoir has landed the author at the center of a bitter row with King Charles.
Speaking to Vanity Fair, Ken Wharfe—who served as a protection officer first for Prince William and Prince Harry in 1986 and then for Princess Diana from 1987 to 1993—said that Diana would “have welcomed” her younger brother’s speaking out about how she was treated by the royal family and his decision not to allow the late Queen Elizabeth II to reinstate Diana’s HRH title after her death.
Following the release of his memoir Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, Spencer has been criticized for claiming that King Charles, who was then the Prince of Wales, sounded “giddily elated—like a lottery winner,” following Diana’s death in 1997. (“While we do not comment on books as a matter of principle, His Majesty is mindful that the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgment, and color memory in ways others do not recognize, even many years after such a loss,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement.)
Princess Diana and Ken Wharfe during a visit to Ipswich, Suffolk, England on February 1, 1990.
Tim Graham/Getty Images
As the book continues to make headlines, Princess Diana’s butler Paul Burrell is among former courtiers who have spoken out in defense of King Charles. Last week, Burrell told Piers Morgan that the then Prince Charles was “a broken man” after his ex-wife’s death.
However, Wharfe says that Spencer clearly wanted to tell his side of the story and had every right to do so.
“Is he settling scores? Yes, probably. As a brother, I think he has every right to,” Wharfe told Vanity Fair. “I believe him and his version of events. I don’t see why he would make it up.”
According to Wharfe, Spencer wrote the book “as a continuation” of the eulogy he delivered at his sister’s September 1997 funeral, in which he described the Spencer family as her “blood family” and accused the media of hounding Diana to her death.
“I don’t think Charles Spencer was ever going to be friends with the Prince of Wales, and there’s clearly no love lost. Spencer blamed Charles for the downfall of the marriage because of [Charles’s] affair with Camilla, and I saw firsthand how much pain that caused Diana,” Wharfe explained.
“Everyone from Charles to the palace men in gray suits were trying to tell Diana she was wrong, but I witnessed it myself. Camilla was very much on the scene and that was so hard for Diana.
“What sent her over the top was the collapse of the marriage at the end of the ’80s. I was with her at Camilla’s sister Annabel Elliot’s 40th birthday, and it was horrendous for her. The prince left her to go and sit with Camilla in the basement, leaving Diana alone. It was an unforgivable act. Everyone knew what was going on, and I felt very sorry for her.
Ken Wharfe and Princess Diana on November 14, 1989 in London.
Julian Parker/Getty Images
“Spencer was her sounding board. This all went back to him. As a brother he was protective of her,” he said.
While William and Harry have so far declined to comment on their uncle’s book, Wharfe said there was an expectation that the 30-year anniversary of their mother’s death would inevitably thrust her into the spotlight once again.
“I don’t think William has an acrimonious relationship with Charles Spencer, but they don’t spend a lot of time together. Harry is closer [to his uncle]. I always predicted Harry would come back [from the United States]. I think Diana would have wanted him to come back to Britain. More than that, she’d have wanted him to be happy.”
-
A new Theory in an 84 Year-Old Royal Mystery About Prince George, Duke of Kent
-
A Close-Up Look at Some of the Most Spectacular Royal Fashion Plates
