‘Spare’: Prince Harry & William were ‘talked out of’ reopening Diana’s case

Just before Prince Harry’s Spare was officially released, People Magazine did release an exclusive excerpt, one which kind of got ignored. It was from the section of Harry in his early 20s, and being asked to attend the 2007 Rugby World Cup semifinal in Paris. He went with his bodyguards and he asked the driver to take him to Pont de l’Alma, the tunnel where his mother crashed in a car with Dodi al-Fayed, Henri Paul and Trevor Rees-Jones (Rees-Jones was the only survivor). This was Harry’s first journey to Paris since his mother died. He asked the driver to go through l’Alma twice, trying to understand how Henri Paul “lost control of the car,” which was always the official explanation. This was the moment in Harry’s life when he realized Diana was really dead, that she wasn’t hiding, that she didn’t run away. After the journey through the tunnel, Harry went to his hotel room and waited until his bodyguards were asleep. Then, in the dead of night, he went out in Paris alone, without security, and he contemplated Diana’s death. Hours later, he returned to his hotel, slept and then called his brother:

Later, after I’d had a sleep, I rang Willy, told him about my night. None of it came as news to him. Turned out, he’d driven the tunnel too.

He was coming to Paris for the rugby final. We decided to do it together. Afterwards, we talked about the crash, for the first time ever. We talked about the recent inquest. A joke, we both agreed. The final written report was an insult. Fanciful, riddled with basic factual errors and gaping logical holes. It raised more questions than it answered.

After all these years, we said, and all that money—how? Above all, the summary conclusion, that Mummy’s driver was drunk and thereby the sole cause of the crash, was convenient and absurd. Even if the man had been drinking, even if he was sh-t-faced, he wouldn’t have had any trouble navigating that short tunnel. Unless paps had chased and blinded him. Why were those paps not more roundly blamed? Why were they not in jail? Who sent them? And why were they not in jail? Why indeed—unless corruption and cover-ups were the order of the day?

We were united on all these points, and also on next steps. We’d issue a statement, jointly call for the inquiry to be reopened. Maybe hold a press conference. We were talked out of it by the powers that be.

[From Spare by Prince Harry]

This part made my blood run cold. The fact that at this point in time – 2007, ten years after Diana’s death – William and Harry were completely on the same page about the inquest’s conclusions not making any sense, and they both wanted the case reopened. And they were persuaded to stop asking questions and stop demanding accountability by “the powers that be.” Harry’s right. It was a coverup. At a very high level too.

While Harry’s 60 Minutes interview was full of interesting quotes, I thought his answers on Diana’s death were fascinating. He told Anderson that: “William and I had already been told, the event was like a bicycle chain, if you remove one of those chains the event would not have happened. The paparazzi chasing was part of that. Yet everybody got away with it. William and I considered reopening the inquest because there were so many gaps and so many holes in it, because it didn’t add up, it didn’t make any sense.” Anderson asked him if he would still like to reopen the investigation into Diana’s death and he said, “Truth be known, no. Do I need any more than I already know? No, I don’t think it would change much.” He’s right – at this point in his life, would pursuing this further fundamentally change anything? Especially since his father removed his security and left Harry, Meghan and Archie to die?

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

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63 Responses to “‘Spare’: Prince Harry & William were ‘talked out of’ reopening Diana’s case”

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  1. ThatsNotOkay says:

    Tragic. As much of a prick William has always been, he once seemed reasonable and sane. He’s lost his mind since Meghan, as Harry forged his own path. William now needs introspection and some serious help.

    • Steph says:

      I’ve got mixed feelings about that. Can therapy turn someone who is fundamentally bad into a decent person? Also, even though these traits seemed to have started really young with Pegs, can I really call him fundamentally bad considering the family he was born into? It was an unhealthy environment from birth.

      • Cee says:

        I would argue yes, he can change. There are glimmers of a William that’s decent (or at least not fundamentally horrible) in the book-him not hesitating to hand over Diana’s diamonds for Meghan’s ring, him being charmed over Meghan, the brothers confronting Charles, him being suspicious of the staffer Harry told him about..

        I don’t like him based on what we hear, but I don’t think he’s this Mr Villain that cannot be redeemed. This man probably needs ”The Moment” for him to even want to change. He has his own grief and resentment he needs to let go off, but who knows if he will.

      • Tessa says:

        I thought Diana left her property to her sons to share. I did not think William had to let him have some of Diana’s possessions. They were to be divided between them. According to the will.

      • CherHorowitz says:

        Steph, interesting you say about a lot of William’s traits starting young. I just saw this on twitter, a video of Harry and William being interviewed together in their twenties and… well it is interesting to see after Spare.

        https://mobile.twitter.com/sa_squaddie/status/1615025067653464079

    • Emily says:

      I second this. William once seemed to be on the same page as Harry on a lot of things. Once he became closer to the throne, I think he realized how precarious his position is, or was let in on things Harry doesn’t know. William has been more about the monarchy game than Diana’s son for awhile now.

      • Julia K says:

        @emily, I think the presence of Kate and her fanning the flames of jealousy and hate has something to do with the person Wm is today. I have stated before that Kate builds the fire, lights the match, then sits back and enjoys watching Wm and others go scorched earth.

      • Steph says:

        @Emily but how precarious can his position be? He’s the heir. Nothing is changing that.

      • Bonnie says:

        @emily I do think Kate isn’t helping. Instead of a Lady MacBeth she’s more like a Lady MacNugget, tho.

      • Isabella says:

        When William started cheating on his wife, then he had something to hide. And he started selling Harry out at that point. That’s my theory.

    • Tessa says:

      William scapegoated harry years before.meghan came along. Imo

    • Snuffles says:

      William has had it drilled into him from birth that he is superior to everyone minus the Queen. Like many in his family, he has a nasty temper. Combine that with his deeply ingrained sense of genetic superiority is a toxic brew.

      Throw in the constant cognitive dissonance when he constantly sees everyone around him liking Harry more (even the Queen). Seeing Harry being more naturally athletic one and Harry naturally being the most like Diana is personality and spirit. The most industrious and hard working. The most entrepreneurial. William may have looked the most like Diana physically when he was younger, but that has faded over time and he knows it.

      William deep down is freaking out. If I’m supposed to be the superior one, then how come Harry has all of these natural gifts and I don’t!? So, his reaction is to lord the only thing he truly has over Harry – hierarchy and control. And for the longest time, Harry didn’t care and just played along.

      Then Meghan the miracle came along and suddenly William didn’t come first in the one area he thought he had over Harry. And not only that, Harry bagged a better woman than Kate AND it’s someone he was a huge fan of!? Probably had a crush on!?

      He snapped. He absolutely snapped. I don’t know if therapy can unravel any of that because it would completely destroy his identity and he has nothing else going for himself.

      At bare minimum, they he can work on anger management, but if that requires digging deep into why he’s so angry, he won’t go there.

      • Duch says:

        “Meghan the miracle” sounds about right!!

      • Gina2 says:

        Brilliant analysis! 👍
        I’m afraid the sense of superiority and jealosy are ingrained in Willy too deep for therapy to unravel this. If he’d understand the real picture, it will destroy him, so he won’t accept it because of self preservation.
        Maybe therapy can help him to conduct his aggression? Though we know, a person has to want to do therapy in order for therapy to be effective. Not Willy’s cup of tea.

      • Brassy Rebel says:

        As I said the other day, for anyone to be better at anything than a future king (let alone his own brother) undermines the entire premise of royalty–that they, and, especially, the future monarchs, are naturally superior to everyone else. It’s like white supremacy to which it is strongly related. Where the two meet is called colonialism.

      • antipodean says:

        @Snuffles this is one of the best, and I believe, most accurate summations of the Windsor dynamic I have ever read. You have put it in a nutshell. As Harry has said, they are in actuality all trapped in these roles which have remained on an inexorable track for the much vaunted “thousand years”! I can only imagine how relieved Harry is that the miracle of Meghan came along and gave him the incentive to slip those chains, and begin to live a happier, healthier, less pre-ordained, life. William, and sadly his children, have no choice, unless they do likewise, and reject their poisoned birthright.

  2. Steph says:

    I’m glad he’s at peace with this. I don’t know if I would be. I think the questions would cause paranoia in me. For him, it seems he understands that even if his questions are answered, there won’t be any consequences so he needs to move on. I think I’d be permanently scared.

  3. Digital Unicorn says:

    The paps most def got away with their part in the accident – as others have said Henri Paul was a very experienced driver and possibly a highly functioning alcoholic. The company who owned the car and those who did the repair work also got away with it as the car was not road worthy and should NEVER have been on the road.

    Its clear that the British and French gov’s wanted to hide something but I don’t think it has anything to do with the RF being ‘involved’, its something bigger than that.

    • Milo's Mom says:

      If Henri Paul was as drunk as his blood tests alleged, he wouldn’t have been able to stand up straight. I’ve always believed there was a cover up. As you say, covering up of what exactly, we’ll never know.

    • Moxylady says:

      I’m very curious. What could be bigger than the royal family being involved? Like if they ordered or green lighted a hit on her… their world truly explodes.

      • Blue Nails Betty says:

        If the British government ordered a hit it would be even bigger than if the royals ordered it.

        At the time, my mom was convinced this was a State sanctioned hit because they were terrified of the implications of Diana marrying a Muslim/Arab and bringing those cultures into personal close proximity of William aka Future Future King of England (despite the business relations of the BRF and the leaders of the Arab world because it’s okay for Betty or Chuckles to be bribed but God forbid Diana be happy).

        Mom also believed Elizabeth and Charles were informed of the hit (before or immediately after, who knows?) and that is one of the reasons they flubbed the reaction to Diana’s death. They may have been genuinely shocked themselves and genuinely flummoxed about how to proceed especially when you factor in not wanting to be involved with Diana in any way.

        But obviously, that’s all just speculation.

  4. Brassy Rebel says:

    I always accepted the explanation that Henri Paul was indeed sh*t faced, was going 100 mph, and lost control in the winding tunnel. But I could never understand his apparent sobriety on the hotel security cams just moments before the crash. Then I heard from a reputable media source about the toxic levels of carbon monoxide in the blood sample used to determine his blood alcohol levels. This raised the likelihood that the blood sample was switched with someone’s who had committed suicide by carbon monoxide. Now, like Harry, I have endless questions. Conspiracy theories are stupid but questions are not.

    • Emily_C says:

      Some conspiracies are true. All the flat earth, no moon landing, antivaxx conspiracy theories are garbage. But the Gulf of Tonkin conspiracy is true, as well as a conspiracy of lies to get the American people onboard with invading Iraq.

      A conspiracy to kill Diana like this would not take very many people, and those people would have extremely good reasons to cover it up. And there are massive holes in the official explanation — unlike, say, in the evidence for the moon landing or against vaccines.

    • Duch says:

      Yes and apparently 65mph not 100. Even the seatbelts – her always wearing a seatbelt yet they weren’t working in the back. Strange, strange.

      The proximate cause of that crash were the paps.

    • Steph says:

      @brassy in the interviews Harry talks about the tunnel and they provide pics of it. It’s not winding at all. It’s really short and straight forward. He argues that even shit faced most would be able to navigate it.

      • Brassy Rebel says:

        I saw that too. But he is correct that the tunnel is always presented as a particularly treacherous place. It may have been treacherous but not because it was poorly engineered.

      • MissM says:

        Also it’s been 25 years since the crash and that tunnel remains exactly as it did on that August night in 1997. If it was so treacherous, why hasn’t it been renovated to improve safety?

  5. dee(2) says:

    I think Harry realizes that even if he did get confirmation that it was a coverup, it wouldn’t change much. It’s pretty clear that the BRF, BM, and Tory Government are all working with handshake agreements and it wouldn’t see any real accountability being taken. His mother is gone, and it wont take away the hurt and pain he experienced around that for his teens and 20’s. It must be awful to realize that you can never get real truth from your family, and that they may have not had a direct hand in your mother’s death, but likely buried any real truth around it and subsequent accountability.

  6. Chantal says:

    He’s right though. I think after C-Rex let it publicly be known that he removed the Sussex’ security and their exact location in Canada mysteriously leaked, a lot of missing pieces fell into place for PH. Writing his memoir undoubtedly gave him much more clarity and probably answered more questions for him. Esp re TPTB.

    • Laura D says:

      What is interesting about Charles taking away Harry’s security is that people who aren’t by any stretch of the imagination still don’t understand why it was removed. I was surprised when in separate conversations about Harry is how shocked people were by it. Both conversations said what Harry has been saying “the threat doesn’t go away just because his security has been removed.” The media and the de-rangers may hark on about “tax-payers” but, it was still an own goal by the RF to remove his security especially, when the taxpayer were still paying for Andrew.

    • JD says:

      On this point alone, I would refuse to ever reconcile w Charles if I was Harry. Charles thought Harry would come running back and get back under his thumb. Their lives were in danger. We should have a coronation for Tyler Perry.

      • JanetDR says:

        Seriously yes! 👑

      • Sue Denim says:

        I think it was even worse — I think Charles and others in the BRF assumed Harry would either coming running back, possibly alone, chastened and forever after under their control, or…he (and possibly his family) would be killed, not necessarily by direct BRF design but just by creating the conditions for either an accident or an assault to happen. Either way, I think it all has shed a new light on Diana’s situation, and I hope Harry never trusts them again…

      • JD says:

        I absolutely agree. The only thing that worried me about Harry writing about the 25 kills in Afghanistan is that it would give the BRF a cover if BRF wanted to kill Harry and his family.

  7. Deedlebug says:

    There are so many weird things about her death, the events leading up to it, and the investigation itself that it’s hard not to come to the conclusion that there is something off. The drunk drivers blood being full of carbon monoxide among other things. I actually think that it feels like a coverup because it’s a coverup of a bad investigation. I just don’t see how it could have been some kind of coordinated murder given the impulsiveness of their leaving the hotel that night.

  8. Emily_C says:

    Harry pursuing it would also endanger him. This is a job for someone else — like an investigative journalist. Though the journalist who exposed the Panama Papers, and the BRF’s involvement in the massive grift there, ended up dying by car bomb. It takes a lot of bravery to investigate the criminals at the top.

  9. Tessa says:

    Why did the police not disperse the paparazzi poised to give chase outside of the hotel. Which would have allowed the car not to be part of a speed chase.

  10. HeyKay says:

    OK, here comes my conspiracy theory for the day.
    The Firm, The PTB, MI-6, The Govt., and whoever the people behind the scenes are that have the actual power probably control what goes on.
    Remember the K/Q are figure heads, they have zero actual power. Churchill ran the UK during WWII but kept TQ as a PR figure. I often wonder just how many decisions Liz made, I think Phillip and the PtB did a lot of behind the scenes controlling and she presented it.
    #1. What if Diana was killed, not an accident.
    #2. I wonder if William has been brought to heel by a threat to him or his children?
    Do as you are told or an accident could happen. And yes, I bet William knows things that Harry does not, under the old “Need to Know” rule.
    #3. William really is trapped by his role as FK.
    William and Harry were close for most of their younger years.
    #4. Harry has legit reasons to worry about his security and his families.
    #5. I hope H&M are going to have some quiet family time soon, this PR tour for Spare has got to be stressful, tiring, and I’m sure Harry misses M, A, L.

    The Pope, JFK, RFK, MLK, Malcolm X, Ronald Regan, Lord Mountbatten all came to a violent end, security is never fool proof.
    I know it’s not a popular statement but, at some point could Will and Harry not meet up in secret anyplace and try to make peace?
    What will happen if Charles dies while the family is this split?
    Would William step to the world stage and Decline to be King? “I will not accept, nor will my children the roles in the Monarchy that have been set for us. Harry was right about everything. I am OUT. I am taking all the money I can with me!” Good Luck to whoever is next in line, ya gonna need it.
    THAT would be a GREAT day in history. 👍👍
    I’m just tossing it out there, please don’t feel the need to kick me on this, I’m just spitballing ideas.

    • Tessa says:

      Reagan survived. Interestingly his survival depended on his getting to the hospital fast. His injuries turned out to be more severe than was thought. Diana may well have survived if she had gotten by ambulance to hospital ten minutes away.

      • HeyKay says:

        True, RR did survive. But my point was look how even the SS could not protect him. The people I listed were all internationally known but all it takes is one unhinged person to get close enough.

        I’m always surprised when I see Mick Jagger or Paul McCartney in public on their own.

    • Gina2 says:

      IMHO, William would never relinquish his title and his role. He is now fully “morphed” into “future King”. Also, he would never say “Harry was right”. It goes against his basic belief that he is better, entitled, knows better, smarter and so on.
      Tiny detail that caught my attention (among the others) – in what different material conditions they lived all their lives. Maybe Willy got this as something obvious when they were kids. But in their twenties? Thirties? Only a person that feels entitled to the highest degree, can get it as if it goes without saying. He was always thinking Harry is beneath him.

      • Surly Gale says:

        Early in the book H describes a bedroom he and w shared. w’s side had a double bed, carpeting, etc. H’s side was much more sparse and much more uncomfortable. Harry says “I didn’t care” so it didn’t matter. But if they were that specific about dividing one room into (a) w’s nice and comfy side and (b) H’s sparse and basic side when they were boys, I can only imagine how w was propped up in each and every way. No wonder his head explodes. He’s ALWAYS had the upper hand, he’s ALWAYS been treated better, received better things, etc. So the FACT that he is not better than Harry at so very many things; I can see the cognitive dissonance being entrenched and difficult to overcome.

  11. Lucy says:

    I just finished the audio book, and his description of how the paps drove around Meghan in the ice in Canada was terrifying. It made it plausible that a group of people coordinating with cars or motorcycles could crash a car and then zoom off.

    I don’t know if there was a conspiracy, but there’s enough very large holes that is a reasonable possibility.

  12. Rnot says:

    I suspect that like the memory wall he references in the book, his mind is still protecting him from making those last few connections. He’s worked through losing his mother but he’s still in the denial phase about losing his living family. I really hope he’s in a safe place with a lot of loving support when it fully clicks.

  13. Layla says:

    Laura PB got security before the wedding in 2005

    Stalker fears for Camilla’s girl, Laura
    Adam Helliker

    Last updated at 10:40 13 April 2004

    Laura Parker Bowles, the daughter of Prince Charles’s consort, has been given police protection following threats from a deranged stalker with a fixation for women connected to the Royal Family.

    Armed officers from Scotland Yard’s elite SO14 Royalty Protection Group were alerted after receiving intelligence that Leo Snoeckx, a 49-year-old Belgian, was determined to meet the blonde 24-year-old, who runs an art gallery in London’s Belgravia.

  14. Mslove says:

    I think there is a good chance that Harry has info about his mums death & he is holding it back. Maybe about her security.

  15. AnneL says:

    I’m sorry that this is kind of OT, but it has to do with the relationship between Harry and William.

    Harry mentioned in his book that he and Will were interviewed when they were briefly living together while Will was training to be a S&R pilot and Harry was in the Army. How William said Harry “snored and was messy” and Harry as a bit hurt because neither was true.

    Someone on Twitter who is a Sussex fan and goes by “Ariel The Mermaid” posted a video of the interview, and it is worse than Harry remembered or mentioned. William keeps hijacking the interview, boasting, not-so-subtly belittling Harry. It’s infuriating and sad to watch.

    The vide is on Tik Tok. I wasn’t able to link it and wasn’t sure it was allowed.

    If anyone else watches it, I’d be curious to know your take. I thought it was very revealing.

    • Little Red says:

      Just watched that clip. Good grief, the sheer weight of the put downs flying towards Harry. One or two I could believe as good natured ribbing between two brothers but this was very bad. No wonder, Harry’s face shows his deflated expression by the end.

    • Yikes says:

      Whoa. The clip is even worse than I imagined. Sad how much abuse Harry endured. https://twitter.com/sa_squaddie/status/1615025067653464079?s=20

      • BeanieBean says:

        All joint interviews these two have done–OK, not that many, but I do remember one with Matt Lauer–were like this. Will is horrible to his brother, privately & publicly.

    • Yikes says:

      Not only does Willie insult Harry about snoring and being a slob (both untrue), but Willie flat-out minimizes Harry’s time fighting the war in Afghanistan, and says, if Harry can do something, so can I. What a petty, insecure, sad, small-d-energy little man Willie is. Harry’s deflated face at the end — not fighting back or in defense of himself — makes it very clear that this abuse dynamic was in play his entire life, and he had no recourse whatsoever. And anyone who says this is just normal brother banter is in a toxic family situation and doesn’t see it. This is abuse, and the whole family and system enabled it. Thank goodness Harry got himself and his beautiful family the hell out of there.

      • AnneL says:

        I didn’t think there was anything normal about it. Any time two adults are doing a joint interview, they should let each other speak and be respectful. It doesn’t matter that they’re siblings. Some gentle ribbing is fine, but not outright insulting.

        And the way Will had to bang on about being the “future head of the Armed Forces.” Always, always pulling rank.

        I half expected Will to grab Harry by the head and start calling him “McFly.”

  16. QuiteContrary says:

    William is just a thoroughly terrible, irredeemable person. I cannot imagine being OK with my younger sibling being given shoddy accommodations — even when at Sandringham for Christmas, Harry writes of being tucked away in a tiny, sparse bedroom near the offices. He ended up being grateful because the obscurity of his room offered him an escape from the family bickering over the court circular.

    But William clearly never gave it a thought. More appallingly, William was angry because Harry created Invictus without clearing it with him. I couldn’t get over that part of “Spare.”

    • AnneL says:

      I was also struck by the fact that Harry said after Will and Kate married and were living very near him on the estate, he thought they would see each other regularly. But it didn’t happen.

      That can’t have been because of Kate. We know Kate enjoyed Harry’s company. Maybe William thought she enjoyed it a little too much.

      And wow, there wasn’t another bedroom he could use at Sandringham? A house with about a hundred bedrooms? That’s nuts.

      In the end spending so much time with regular people, in the Army and elsewhere, was very good for Harry. But it doesn’t excuse the way they treated him as an afterthought.

    • Kate’s Jeggings says:

      William and Harry were the classic Golden Child/Scapegoat pairing within a dysfunctional family. William was a twat towards him beginning in his teenage years, but you can see clearly that Harry growing confident, improving himself, and marrying Meg were INTOLERABLE to William. He reacts so badly and insultingly any time Harry tries to rise above the role assigned to him as perpetually single 3rd wheel family fuckup. The dynamic is devastating and so recognizable to a lot of people.

      Like when William says Diana is watching over him and his family and Harry says that he feels Diana brought Meg into his life and is looking out for him, too. William says something like “well, now, I’m not so sure about that, Harold.” The fuck? You gatekeeping Diana’s blessings for her sons??

    • cws says:

      I think William would have liked to take credit for Invictus as well

  17. Beech says:

    For many years, I went with the investigation’s conclusions. My aunt firmly believed it was not an accident, not the speeding, not the blood work. Her daughter-in-law is from the UK and I thought my aunt was going with some conspiracy wack thinking from her son’s wife. I no longer believe it was an accident.

  18. j.ferber says:

    The British don’t ever want that case re-opened. And they have their reasons, I’m sure.

  19. JMoney says:

    Putting my conspiracy theory hat on I think the heir gets “training” on the things the heir and only the heir gets access to notably the relationship with the media barons and those in government. It’s no coincidence so many that worked for the BRF worked in govt and Vice versa. While I think the media played a much bigger role they essentially got away with zero repercussion.

  20. Ann hewett says:

    Do you really think an investigation in Liz’s name would find any of her family guilty? They wouldn’t even investigate Andrew and that’s easy peasy one.

  21. MissBooBoo says:

    It really makes you question if Diana had indeed declined Royal Protection….