Earl Spencer Claims Queen Elizabeth II Offered to Restore Princess Diana’s HRH Title

A newly published memoir by Earl Charles Spencer has reignited debate over one of the British monarchy’s most sensitive chapters, claiming Queen Elizabeth II privately offered to restore Princess Diana’s Her Royal Highness (HRH) title on the day of her funeral in September 1997. The revelation, first published in extracts by the Daily Mail, is presented as Spencer’s personal recollection and has not been independently verified by Buckingham Palace.

According to Spencer’s memoir, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, the Queen’s offer was relayed by Lord Robert Fellowes—her Private Secretary and Spencer’s brother-in-law, as they travelled aboard the Royal Train to Althorp, the Spencer family estate in Northamptonshire, where Diana was laid to rest in a private burial.

Spencer writes that Diana had been “dreadfully hurt” by losing her HRH title following her 1996 divorce from the then-Prince Charles, describing its removal as “petty and vindictive.” He says Queen Elizabeth’s gesture was well-intentioned, but he rejected it because he believed his sister would never have wanted a royal honour restored only after her death. Recalling his response to Fellowes, Spencer writes: “That’s very kind of the Queen, of course. But what’s the point, Robert? Now? I mean—Diana’s dead.”

A royal title lost after divorce

When Diana divorced Prince Charles in August 1996, she retained the title Diana, Princess of Wales but lost the formal style of Her Royal Highness, marking a significant constitutional and symbolic change to her status within the Royal Family. The decision has remained one of the most debated aspects of the divorce settlement, with historians offering differing interpretations of how and why it was made.

The memoir’s publication has also generated controversy over another claim involving the Royal Family. Spencer alleges that, in the days following Diana’s fatal car crash in Paris, Prince Charles remarked that “we’ll forget her soon enough.” The allegation prompted an unusually direct response from palace aides, who questioned the accuracy of the account and said grief can “cloud reason, affect judgment and colour memory.”

Buckingham Palace has not publicly commented on the reported HRH offer itself, and the claims remain those of Earl Spencer’s memoir rather than independently confirmed historical fact. Nevertheless, the revelations have renewed public interest in the complex relationship between Diana, the late Queen and the institution of the monarchy during one of its most turbulent eras.

Nearly three decades after her death, Princess Diana continues to shape conversations about the modern Royal Family. Whether future archival records corroborate Spencer’s account or not, the memoir underscores how deeply personal decisions made behind palace walls continue to influence public understanding of one of Britain’s most enduring royal legacies.