Sept. 23, 2026

Harry’s Diana Documentary, and the Security Decision That Could Drive Him Back to America LLM

Show Notes
Transcript

Is Prince Harry making a documentary about Princess Diana, and could he leave Britain if his police protection is denied? Harry is exploring an Archewell production for the 30th anniversary of Diana’s death and has reportedly approached her friends and relatives, including Earl Spencer, although no project has been confirmed. We also examine why Harry became emotional at the WellChild Awards, what he revealed about Archie and Lilibet, why the Sussexes changed their children’s school and how Britain’s security review could determine whether the family remains in the UK.

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Palace Intrigue is a daily British royal family podcast covering King Charles, Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, Kate Middleton and the House of Windsor. New episodes every day. Follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. Part of the Caloroga Shark Media network.

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Caloroga Shark Media. Hello and welcome to Palace Intrigue. I

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am your host, Mark Francis. It appears Prince Harry is

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exploring a documentary about Diana to mark the 30th anniversary

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of her death next year. The Telegraph reports that he

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has approached several of his mother's friends and relatives, including

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Charles Spencer, about taking part. A program would be made

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through Archwell Productions with Netflix. considered the likely home under

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its first-look arrangement with the Sussexes. A source close to

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Harry told The Telegraph, The Duke has discussed a number

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of possible projects to mark the 30th anniversary of his

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mother Diana, Princess of Wales, passing. Nothing has been finalised

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or confirmed, and he is still considering the most meaningful

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way to honour her legacy during this important anniversary year.

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The anniversary falls on August 31, 2027. For the 20th anniversary,

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William and Harry both contributed to documentaries about their mother.

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This time, the Telegraph describes a project being explored by

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Harry with no joint production announced. Kensington Palace has not

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commented on Williams' plans. Spencer's involvement is also an open question.

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He says repeated approaches from documentary makers helped persuade him

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to write his own account instead. He told the Telegraph,

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I don't want to reach the end of my own

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life having left my sister's story to be told by

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people who never knew her. I did not consult any

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members of my family about the content of the book

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as I did not want to implicate them in any

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authorial decisions or to be constrained by them. Harry's proposed

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documentary would offer a different perspective, Diana remembered by her son,

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potentially alongside the people who knew her. The choice of

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contributors and the balance between the public work and private

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life would shape what that program becomes. Meanwhile, Harry was

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speaking about his own children at the Well Child Awards

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in London on Monday evening. He told Hello that Archie

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and Lilibet had been enjoying family walks and Marmite on crumpets.

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He also described using that morning's breakfast to explain the

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awards and the experiences of children living with complex medical needs.

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At breakfast this morning, I decided, you know what, you're

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being a little bit tricky, so I'm going to tell

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you exactly what I'm doing tonight. He said, and they

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were genuinely fascinated in asking all sorts of questions. So,

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like with all of my work and their mum's work

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as well, whatever we can do to try to instill

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some of that awareness I think is absolutely crucial. Harry

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became emotional as he paid tribute to parents caring for

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children with complex medical needs, pausing while acknowledging the daily

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pressures family face. To all the mums and dads, most

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of us will never truly know the emotional ups and

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downs of your day. Host Gabby Roslin stepped in to

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support him, echoing a moment at the 2019 Awards when

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Harry also struggled to hold back tears. It's happening again,

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he said, before laughing as she took his arm. That

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doesn't help. That makes it worse. Harry then completed his

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message to the parents. But I sincerely hope that you

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take strength from nights like this. And while we may

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not know the detail of your day in this room

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and beyond, we recognise the commitment of your care and

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all that comes with it. Harry has been Wellchild's patron

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since 2007. Speaking to Hello, he explained how becoming a

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father had changed his understanding of the families he meets.

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Once you become a parent, it does change everything. It's

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not the fact that for all the years that I

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wasn't a parent, meeting the kids didn't matter as much,

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but you suddenly realize how grateful you are to have

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kids that aren't sick. The ceremony also marked 20 years

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of Wellchild's specialist nursing program. Harry asked the nurses in

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the room to stand and the audience gave them a

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standing ovation. Before the awards, he met six-year-old Margot Jones Billington,

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who received the Inspirational Child Award for children aged four

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to six. Margot sustained a brain injury following a bleed

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on the brain when she was just 10 months old.

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Her sparkly outfit prompted Harry to share a detail about

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life with Archie and Lilibet. You obviously love sparkles. I

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have a boy and a girl who are seven and five.

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My little girl loves sparkles and she loves pink. That's

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her favourite colour. Margot gave him a belated birthday card

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and another from her younger sister Adelaide, who later hugged

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him on stage. Harry had also spoken to his own

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children that morning about where he was going and the

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families he would meet. I decided, you know what, you're

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being a little bit tricky, so I'm going to tell

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you exactly what I'm doing tonight, and they were genuinely

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fascinated and asking all sorts of questions. He said meeting

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the well-child families gave him perspective on the everyday challenges

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of parenting. The inspiration that I get from these guys,

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not just the kids, but the parents themselves, It fills

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me up for a whole year. More palace in just

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a moment. Buckingham Palace risks making the Spencer dispute worse

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if defending the king turns into a series of personal attacks,

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according to royal watcher Jenny Bond, who argues that the

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tone of the response matters as much as the decision

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to respond. Bond writes in the iPaper, trading insults has

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never been part of palace etiquette, but this strong, colourful

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language risks a tit-for-tat brawl, something the royals have always

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tried to avoid, and it's also deeply unsavoury. Bond's assessment

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of Spencer is more sympathetic than some of the reaction

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to his book. She finds his explanation for writing it persuasive.

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At 62, conscious that both his parents died in their 60s,

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he wanted to record his memories of Diana. In his

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various interviews publishing his book, the Earl is far more

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measured than some of the more sensational quotes from it

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would suggest. He says he's not vengeful or bitter, but

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his words are lethal. She points to another recollection Spencer

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had shared concerning the death of his father. Spencer says

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Charles described him as lucky to inherit his title at 27.

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Spencer called that a very peculiar response to a bereavement.

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Taken together, these stories present a harsh picture of Charles.

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The Palace's challenge is how to dispute that picture without

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prolonging the publicity around it. Harry and Meghan have denied

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claims that they removed Archie and Lilibet from their new

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school after failing to receive special treatment. The Sussexes say

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the decision followed advice from their security team about the

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practical difficulties of the daily journey, but a competing account

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appeared in Rob Shooter's Naughty But Nice newsletter. An unnamed

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source alleged the traffic was only part of the problem.

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This wasn't just about traffic, it was about treatment. Harry

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and Meghan expected accommodations because of who they are. The

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school treated them like parents, not visiting heads of state,

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and that became a problem. Harry and Meghan don't see

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themselves as ordinary private citizens. They still expect the machinery

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around them to move because they're VIPs. They say they

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want normality, but normality means traffic, WhatsApp groups, and waiting

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your turn. You can't ask for a private life while

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expecting a royal motorcade. They want normal with exceptions. The

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Sussex's spokesperson described the allegations as totally inaccurate. The decision

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for the children to move school was taken following a

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discussion with the family security team about the practicalities of

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their current arrangements, the spokesperson said. The parents remain extremely

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grateful to all the teachers and staff for the love,

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care and effort they have shown their family. This decision

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should in no way be interpreted as a reflection on

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the school or the exceptional care the children have received there.

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A former royal bodyguard is warning Prince Harry and Meghan

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to keep a low profile following their reported return to Britain.

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Simon Morgan, who previously worked in royal protection for the

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Metropolitan Police, told Page Six, The threat to the UK

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and its assets, of which the royal family is one,

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is currently severe. Being discreet and unobtrusive is really important.

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You don't want to unsettle the environment as that causes problems.

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You can't just create a plan and stick with it

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no matter what. That plan needs to be evaluated and

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it needs to evolve. The higher the profile, the more

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factors to consider, the more resources that are needed. Harry

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and Meghan's stay in Britain could be cut short by

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the decision over their police protection. A friend told the

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Daily Mail, If he doesn't get security, then I believe

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he will go back to Montecito for good, and that

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could be as soon as half-term. The view is that

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if they don't get security, then it will have to

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mean that Ravek has been nobbled. The need is so clear,

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what else could be the explanation? So if he doesn't

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get it, then he will take that as a sign

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that there are deeper elements at play. In that case,

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he will be safer in the US than in the UK,

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so he will return. And there you have it. Try

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to email us or address us at thepalaceintrigue at gmail.com.

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uninterrupted and get the show commercial free for just five

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bucks a month. We appreciate your support. I'm Mark Francis.

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My thanks to John McDermott. This is Palace Intrigue. Good times.

Harry’s Diana Documentary, and the Security Decision That Could Drive Him Back to America LLM

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