Ken Wharfe, who served as Princess Diana's royal protection officer from 1988 to 1993, has defended Earl Spencer over his memoir Swan Song. Appearing on The Royals Uncensored, Wharfe said he cannot be critical of Spencer, who he believes has a point to make.
Wharfe's Defence of Spencer's Memoir
Asked if the memoir had any merit, Wharfe told Jo Elvin: "I think Spencer has a point to make here, and he himself has admitted that the reason for this book was an extension, a continuation of his eulogy at Diana's funeral."
"I cannot be critical of him. I would say that he got things very badly wrong in terms of the Piers Morgan case; that was his fault," Wharfe pointed out, referring to Morgan's legal threats after being falsely named as Editor of The Daily Mirror in 1993, when intrusive photos of Diana at the gym were published.
"The checker should really have sorted that out. But he's admitted a mistake, and hopefully, through the courts, maybe this will resolve itself."
Diana's Close Relationship With Her Brother
Arguing that Spencer has "every right to write what he wants about his sister," Wharfe shed light on her relationship with the Earl.
"[The memoir] comes from a brother who cares for her. I've met Spencer many times. In the early times, when Diana invited him on holiday in the late '80s, I got to know him very well," Wharfe noted.
"Diana was very close to Spencer. Towards the end of her life, maybe they did have a fallout, I mean, she did that quite a lot of the time with her mother as well…"
Plans for a House at Althorp
Wharfe recounted a visit to Althorp with Diana and Spencer to look at a house on the periphery of the estate. "Spencer was very happy for this to happen," he said, but the plan fell through due to police requirements.
"In the end, of course, the local police wanted to put another six feet on the perimeter wall at a tremendous cost. And Diana was very sympathetic and said, 'Look, I'm not going to put my brother to that expense'. And the house, never was," Wharfe explained.
"But of course, the media had a complete and total frenzy on that, saying that Althorp was disgustingly not approving Diana's request. So that in itself was something that displeased him, but it is a story."
Wharfe has previously spoken in Spencer's defence and recently appeared on Good Morning Britain. "He was passionate about his sister and really concerned about the dilemma she was in, in her life. She was married to someone at that time, [and] that was going very badly wrong," the ex Metropolitan police officer said.
Disagreeing with the notion that Spencer had been "cashing in" on Diana's death, Wharfe pointed out: "He's not a poor man. I think he was so passionate about his sister, and clearly wants to put what he perceives to be a lot of wrongs in her life [right]."
