Originally appeared on E! Online
The brother of the late Princess of Wales is speaking out on the current situation surrounding the current Princess of Wales.
In a new interview, Earl Charles Spencer compared the media scrutiny of Princess Diana prior to her 1997 death to the recent online discourse surrounding her daughter-in-law Kate Middleton, who has been the target of conspiracy theories amid her hiatus from public duties, which began in January after Kensington Palace announced she had undergone abdominal surgery.
When asked about his thoughts on the recent rumors about Middleton, Spencer told BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, in an interview released March 17, “I do worry about what happened to the truth.”
Diana, mother of Middleton’s husband Prince William and Prince Harry, ex-wife of King Charles III and one of the most beloved philanthropists in the world, died at age 36 in a car crash in Paris. Just before the accident, the princess’ vehicle was pursued by paparazzi.
7 Ways Princess Diana Forever Changed What it Means to Be a Royal
“I think it was more dangerous back in the day,” Spencer said, speaking about the media scrutiny of his sister. “If I look back to ’97 and Diana’s death, I think that was so shocking, the circumstance of her death was so shocking, that it did make the industry that supports the paparazzi really consider more carefully what it could and couldn’t do. Not because they had a moral judgment, but because it was unacceptable to the public.”
While Middleton is no stranger to media attention, conspiracy theories—and jokes—about her and her absence have been fueled even further in recent days after major photo and news agencies removed from their databases an edited pic of her posing with her and William’s three children—Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, Prince Louis, 5— that Kensington Palace had released March 10. The companies had said the image, the first official photo of the princess since her surgery was announced, did not meet their editorial standards.
Prince William brought up his wife Kate Middleton while out at a royal engagement on Thursday. The Prince of Wales made a visit to WEST, a new youth zone by the charity OnSide. Will got a chance to decorate some cookies with the kids, and when someone complimented his work, he turned the praise to Kate, saying she’s the one with the skills. “It’s really not my impressive work. My wife is the arty one. And my children are more arty than I am, I’ll tell you that,” he said. William’s remark about Kate comes as she’s been a major topic of interest amid her absence from public duties.
The Palace later released a statement from Middleton, which read, “Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing. I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused.”
While Middleton’s immediate family members have not commented on the photo controversy, her maternal uncle Gary Goldsmith, who recently appeared on “Celebrity Big Brother UK,” shared his thoughts about it last week.
“When it came out I said there’s not a chance in hell that Catherine would have photoshopped that herself,” he said on GB News’ “Talking Pints with Nigel Farage” March 14. “And then she says she did. My inside track absolutely went sideways there.”
Kensington Palace had said in their announcement about Middleton’s surgery that she was not expected to return to public duties until after the March 31 Easter holiday, which her rep reiterated Feb. 29. In his interview, Goldsmith defended the Palace, adding they have been “very clear and transparent” about the timeline of his niece’s return. He also reiterated his past comments about her support system.
“I think she’s got the best support infrastructure on the planet,” he added, “and she’s got the best people looking after her.”