Home / Arts and Entertainment / Diana's Title: A Posthumous Offer and a Brother's Decision
Diana's Title: A Posthumous Offer and a Brother's Decision
18 Sep
Summary
- Queen Elizabeth offered Princess Diana's HRH title back posthumously.
- Earl Spencer declined the offer, feeling it was too late for Diana.
- The decision reflects on past treatment and current royal styling debates.
In the days following Princess Diana's death on August 31, 1997, Queen Elizabeth II offered to reinstate her HRH title. Earl Spencer, Diana's brother, recounts being approached by the Queen's Private Secretary, Robert Fellowes, with this offer while traveling on the Royal Train. Diana had lost her HRH styling after her 1996 divorce from Prince Charles, a decision that had deeply wounded her.
Spencer ultimately declined the Queen's posthumous offer, reflecting that Diana would likely have found it pointless after her death. He questioned if he made the right choice, considering her sons might have valued the gesture. However, he felt protective of his sister and believed the title's removal during her lifetime made the offer to her in death a hollow consolation.
The issue of royal titles and HRH styling remains a topic of discussion, notably with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's decision to step back as working royals. The current King has iterated that their HRH styles remain in abeyance. Spencer's memoir, 'Swan Song: Diana, My Sister,' aims to tell Diana's truth from a brother's perspective.
