Prince Harry has been warned that his reported plans to mark his late mother's death risk being the "opposite of what she would have wanted". The Duke of Sussex, who moved back to Britain with his wife and children last month, is understood to be in talks to make a documentary commemorating the 30th anniversary of Princess Diana's death next year.
Expert warns of deeper rift
Former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond warned that while Harry "has every right to mark the anniversary of his mother's death in any way he sees fit", moving ahead with the documentary could further estrange him from Prince William.
"If Harry does go ahead with a new film, William, I'm sure, will maintain the dignified silence he has kept through all the bitterness of the past few years, including the incendiary claims in Earl Spencer's book," she told The Mirror. "But I'm afraid it would deepen the rift between the brothers, which is surely the exact opposite of what their mother would have wished."
Palace concerns and family tensions
Ms Bond added: "It could also make difficult viewing for the Palace, especially after Earl Spencer's broadsides against King Charles and the Palace machine." Diana's brother has made a series of damning claims about King Charles in a new memoir chronicling her life, including that the monarch said "we'll forget her soon enough" after his ex-wife's death.
Earl Spencer said Harry was "completely fine" with the book, adding that he did "not really" have any fear about writing so candidly about Charles. A prospective documentary produced by Harry would likely be created by his company, Archewell Productions, and could debut on Netflix as part of a first-look deal.
Brothers' estrangement and family return
Ms Bond said the move could create more distance between the brothers, who are not thought to be on speaking terms, by breaking with William's pledge that they wouldn't speak as openly about Diana again following a documentary to mark 20 years since her death in 2017.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's return to Britain hasn't been smooth sailing, already involving a public spat with the Palace about their status and a change of schools for their children amid security concerns. Harry told Canadian network CTV that things are going "great" after completing a skydive outside Toronto to honour a promise made to a 102-year-old WW2 veteran, however. He added that Archie, seven, and Lilibet, three, are "happy in school" but did not elaborate on why the family had moved back from the US beyond citing "lots of reasons".
