Prince Harry is reportedly in talks to produce a documentary about his late mother, Princess Diana, ahead of the 30th anniversary of her death. The Duke of Sussex is believed to be exploring ways to honour Diana’s legacy “in the most meaningful way”, with sources claiming he has reached out to a number of her friends and relatives to take part in the programme.
A source close to Harry told the Mirror: “The Duke has discussed a number of possible projects to mark the 30th anniversary of his mother Diana, Princess of Wales’s passing, and is still considering the most meaningful way to honour her legacy.”
Anniversary and production plans
The 30th anniversary of Diana’s death will be marked on August 31 2027, three decades after she was killed in a fatal car crash in a tunnel in Paris. When Diana died, Prince William was 15 years old while Harry was just 12.
Any documentary would be expected to be produced through Harry and his wife Meghan’s company Archewell Productions, which has a first-look deal with Netflix.
Reactions and criticism
Speaking on the Mirror's YouTube show Pod Save The King, the Mirror’s royal editor Russell Myers said Harry’s decision to create such a documentary goes ‘beyond the pale’ and questioned if the Duke ‘has the right’ to mark the poignant anniversary in such a commercial way.
Myers said: “Of course it is the 30th anniversary of her tragic death next year, everybody has been trying to have their say and they will be of course next year. Archewell productions are apparently going to produce it, as they've got this sort of first look deal with Netflix.
“I mean the rest of the things they've been producing haven't done too well. We had the Invictus documentary, we had the Polo documentary that absolutely bombed. And I just think this is beyond the pale for Harry to be saying ‘Well I'm going to do this now’.
Russell questioned: “So, realistically, does Harry have a right to do this? I can tell you now that William will be absolutely furious about it.”
Previous documentaries and family input
It would not be the first documentary about Diana that Harry has had a hand in, as he and his brother William worked together on two documentaries about their mother to mark the 20th anniversary of her death in 2017.
One person believed to not be taking part in the project is Diana’s brother Earl Spencer, who revealed in his new memoir, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, that he deliberately chose to write a book rather than appear as what he described as a “talking head” in one of the many productions being planned about his sister.
The Earl, whose memoir is published on Tuesday, said he feared documentaries could be driven by a “flawed” agenda set by producers, as he revealed that he had turned down “endless, repeated” requests to appear in documentaries about his sister. Instead, he said he wanted to “tell things how I remember them” rather than follow “an agenda set by some TV producer I will never meet”.
Harry's commitment to Diana's memory
Harry has long spoken about keeping his mother’s memory alive. In his memoir Spare, he wrote about the devastating impact of her death and the events surrounding her funeral, including the decision for him and William to walk behind their mother’s coffin.
Speaking to People magazine in 2022, Prince Harry said that he always hoped to make his mother proud. “I certainly hope and believe everything I do makes her proud.
“In the 12 short years I was lucky enough to have with her, I saw and felt the energy and lift she got from helping others, no matter their background, ailment or status. Her life and theirs was better for it, however short theirs or hers was. I honor my mother in everything I do. I am my mother’s son,”
