'Cancerous influence in their life': Princess Diana's brother on Harry-Meghan media coverage

Harry and Meghan's return to the UK comes after the royal couple stepped back from their royal duties in 2020 and moved to California in the United States.

Published on: Sep 20, 2026, 14:34:17 IST

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Earl Spencer, the brother of the late Princess of Wales, Diana, has stated that the media coverage of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle is an "echo" of what happened to his sister.

In an interview with the BBC, Spencer stated that the coverage of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex has a "cancerous influence in their life."

"If you look at an article in a tabloid about Diana or the couple that you were mentioning, Harry and Meghan, you know, they can be really, really unpleasant," he replied, adding that the tabloids and press must learn from Diana's example.

Princess Diana, often known as the most photographed woman in the world, was subject to huge press interest up until her death in a car crash in Paris on August 31, 1997.

"I'm not here to speak for Harry and Meghan, but for anyone who's being destroyed in this way daily, it must be such a cancerous influence in their life," he further told the BBC.

Recalling his sister's days in the Royal Family, Earl Spencer stated that Diana was "really brought low by all the criticism," adding that he sees "echoes" of that in the treatment of Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan.

Harry and Meghan return to the UK

In August, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex moved back to the United Kingdom. The couple, who moved with their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, will not resume their royal duties but will live in Britain as "non-working royals."

The Sussexes' return to the UK comes after the royal couple stepped back from their royal duties in 2020 and moved to California in the United States.

Following their return, the Duke was spotted at the inaugural Invictus Spirit Awards in London, which are linked to the Invictus Games, the sporting competition for ​wounded, injured and sick military veterans that ​he founded.

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