Lord Robert Fellowes passed away one week ago. Fellowes was well-connected to the Windsors and he was QEII’s private secretary in the ‘90s. He was also married to Lady Jane Spencer, one of Princess Diana’s two sisters. Meaning, Robert Fellowes was Prince Harry and William’s uncle. It took maybe 24 hours after Fellowes’ passing for the royalist media to speculate about whether Harry would come back to the UK for his uncle’s funeral. It’s been a week – surely, the funeral has already happened? Well, the Mail has an update on whether Fellowes’ death will lead to reconciliation between Harry and William (spoiler: nope).
Prince Harry has spoken to his aunt Lady Jane Fellowes following the death of her husband Robert Fellowes. The royal, who has remained close to his late mother’s side of the family, is said to have reached out to Princess Diana’s older sister, according to US media. Harry, 39, has also spoken to his uncle Charles Spencer as well as his cousins, according to Us Weekly.
Lord Robert Fellowes, who was Princess Diana ‘s brother-in-law and Queen Elizabeth II ‘s private secretary died this week aged 82. It’s believed Harry may return to the UK for his uncle’s funeral, which will likely see him coming face-to-face with Prince William.
One friend of the royal told the Daily Beast: ‘In normal times it would be unimaginable that Harry would not be there to support Jane. Of course he would want to be there. It will be a huge gathering of the Spencer clan. But these are not normal times and it may well be that everyone feels Harry’s attendance would just create too much drama. It will be very sad for him if he can’t make it’.
Another royal expert told the Mail that the death is unlikely to bring the feuding brothers together. Royal commentator Michael Cole told MailOnline that the loss of their uncle will not be enough to bring the warring princes back together.
‘Robert Fellowes’ death will not affect family dynamics,’ he said. ‘Prince William and Prince Harry have always been on good terms with their late mother’s sisters and brother. Apart from offering what will undoubtedly be their heartfelt condolences to their aunt Jane, the two royal princes will experience little if any effect from their uncle’s death.’
Mr Cole added: ‘And it is certain that they will express their sympathies separately, and strictly so, such is the gulf that has opened up between them in recent years, compared with which the Gulf of Mexico is a mere puddle.’
It’s actually notable to me that the royalist media has given no energy to “how did William react to Fellowes’ death?” It’s been all about Harry, will Harry go to the funeral, did Harry contact his Spencer relatives, will Harry “use” his uncle’s death to reconcile with William, etc. If William couldn’t even make it to his godfather’s memorial service IN WINDSOR, my guess is that William won’t attend his uncle’s funeral. Please, William would have to take a day out of his summer holiday. He would never! Unless Harry is coming back for the funeral, in which case William would absolutely make a huge stink about “ordering” Harry to stay away.
Photos courtesy of Getty, Avalon Red.
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- The Duke of Cambridge and Duke of Sussex arrive for the unveiling of a statue they commissioned of their mother Diana, Princess of Wales in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace, London, on what would have been her 60th birthday. Picture date: Thursday July 1, 2021. .,Image: 619024523, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon sales@Avalon.red London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533 42 89, Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon.red / Avalon
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- The Duke of Cambridge and Duke of Sussex arrive for the unveiling of a statue they commissioned of their mother Diana, Princess of Wales in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace, London, on what would have been her 60th birthday. Picture date: Thursday July 1, 2021. .,Image: 619024523, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon sales@Avalon.red London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533 42 89, Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon.red / Avalon
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- (left to right) Guy Monson, a member of the statue committee, the Duke of Sussex, the Duke of Cambridge and garden designer Pip Morrison, during the unveiling of a statue they commissioned of the Dukes’ mother Diana, Princess of Wales, in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace, London, on what would have been her 60th birthday. Picture date: Thursday July 1, 2021. .,Image: 619024558, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon sales@Avalon.red London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533 42 89, Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon.red / Avalon
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- (left to right) The Duke of Sussex, the Duke of Cambridge and garden designer Pip Morrison, during the unveiling of a statue they commissioned of the Dukes’ mother Diana, Princess of Wales, in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace, London, on what would have been her 60th birthday. Picture date: Thursday July 1, 2021. .,Image: 619024585, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon sales@Avalon.red London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533 42 89, Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon.red / Avalon
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- Earl Spencer is greeted by his nephews the Duke of Cambridge (right) and Duke of Sussex (left) as he arrives for unveiling of a statue they commissioned of their mother Diana, Princess of Wales, in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace, London, on what would have been her 60th birthday. Picture date: Thursday July 1, 2021. .,Image: 619024740, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon sales@Avalon.red London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533 42 89, Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon.red / Avalon
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- The Duke of Sussex with his uncle Earl Spencer, at the unveiling of a statue of his mother Diana, Princess of Wales, in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace, London, on what would have been her 60th birthday.,Image: 619146847, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon sales@Avalon.red London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533 42 89, Model Release: no, Credit line: Dominic Lipinski / Avalon
They know nothing. They will know something if Harry in stealth mode arrives to the funeral. I’m sure Peg won’t be bothered to leave his vacation because he is a selfish putz.
Just how long do they wait to have funerals over there, I honestly thought they already had his. They have sure made this, like every thing, all about Prince Harry.. must truly suck for that irrelevant heir.
It can be weeks.
I mean that’s the interesting part. Is William actually close with the Spencers? I think he’s only close with a very few people. The ones who keep his secrets. And those people prob have their own secrets along with him so it’s a mutual protection.
The narrative so far has been that William forces people to choose. I don’t think the Spencers have necessarily chosen a “side” they just have refused to exile Harry from their lives. So to William, that’s a choice. He’s really a very sad person.
I think Charles Spencer’s pretty twin daughters are close to William, because they don’t get along with their father (who wasn’t at their weddings). Seems like a case of hurt ex (the mom) who alienated her kids against their father (perhaps, we not know). Charles Spencer is in his third wife.
More likely peg would create the drama
They’re quoting US Weekly? Did someone in the bm call them with the scoop?
Anything to keep the Sussexes in the press, right? Harry will do what Harry decides to do. I can’t imagine anyone on his side is talking to US Weekly. It never occurred to me that Billy Idle would go to the funeral, but we’ll see.
The sources that US Weekly usually quote are people working in the British media and doubt that they are going to any great lengths to verify whether the royal correspondent is telling them the truth.
I always enjoy seeing how relevant Harry and Meghan still are, almost as though the King and his heir don’t exist. lmao!
There’s something fundamentally wrong with Pegs, both intellectually and emotionally. Perhaps it’s due to the head injury he survived as a child. But he isn’t right. I used to think his jealousy and vitriol towards the Sussexes was due to racism and misogyny but it’s beginning to look like he needs medication and extensive talk therapy. He doesn’t behave as any future king should. He seems hellbent on destroying his brother and his wife and god dammit, he really doesn’t care if he brings down the whole House of Windsor in the process.
Will-not doesn’t GAF about the family business, except that he wants the wealth, status, and power that goes with it. If he could inherit all the wealth of the Crown without doing his duty, he absolutely would.
We’re witnessing the decline and collapse of the British monarchy in real time! Good job, Pegs,
Agreed. He’s a stunted man. But, so is Charles.
They’re just so….weird. When my uncle died, my cousins and I all expressed our sympathies separately. And we’re all on good terms. Were they expecting a condolences card signed by both?
There’s no energy for William because the press know that he doesn’t have any relationship with the Spencer’s.
@ Amy Bee, bingo!!!! Pegs blocked the Spencer’s the moment that they showed the slightest bit of support to Harry after one of his many, many, monumental tantrums. As far as Pegs is concerned the Spencer’s are dead to him until he needs them for some public stunt otherwise he has no use for any of them.
The 2 funerals in the uk i attended this year still allowed people to attend virtually. So really no need for Harry to step foot on uk soil.
This is so true.
Good point
They really have no insider information anymore and it shows. It’s hardly a stretch for them to state that Harry has been in touch with his Aunt Jane and other Spencer relatives. I mean this comes under the heading of “water is wet”. Honestly this isn’t even speculation. More proof that the royal reporters have nothing to talk about…well correction, nothing they are actually prepared to talk about.
Yes. I’m sure they are in touch all the time.
I didn’t follow royal news, back in the day, so, I’m kind of confused. Diana’s sister married a guy who was working for Diana’s mother-in-law? The same MIL who didn’t lift a finger to help Diana? The one who was theoretically in charge of the men in gray, one of whom was Diana’s own brother-in-law?
There were no hard feelings, between the two sisters?
Jane married Robert in 1978, before the romance/arrangement between Charles and Diana. There were reports that the relationship between the sisters became strained in the late ’80s, but some of those reports were from Paul Burrell, who has his own sketchy history.
Was Jane the sister who didn’t show up to support Harry at the Invictus church celebration this year?
No, Jane was the sister at the celebration, together with her son. Both sisters tried their best to help both boys after their mums death.
I often wondered about Robert fellowes. He was very loyal to the queen and monarchy and hated Diana apparently. Apparently she said that he was one of the 3 people she feared the most, or something like that, I don’t really remember. But I often wondered how that played out with him being married to her sister and how it affected her relationship with her.
If he hated Diana, Harry shouldn’t fly for a whole day to go to his funeral. Condolences to his aunt and cousins should be enough.
Diana’s sister Jane married Robert Fellowes in 1978 when she was 21 and he was 36. He had been working for the Queen just one year as Assistant Private Secretary. Prior to that he worked in banking. Diana was 16 and was a bridesmaid at the wedding.
And I just read their grandmother from Diana’s mother side married with 20 a man of 46… Diana’s mother with 18 a man of 30 and Diana with just 20 a man of 32.
Of course they know that Harry contacted his Aunt privately .
Don’t they get sick of making up stories .
Click bait, they own loads of money from it.