Inside Prince Harry's Close Relationship With the Spencer Family, As Royal Relationships Remain Strained

It's great he has that support.

Prince Harry chats to Earl Spencer and Lady Sarah McCorquodale after the Service to celebrate the life of Diana, Princess of Wales at the Guards Chapel on August 31, 2007 in London, England.
(Image credit: Photo by Anwar Hussein Collection / Getty)

Unfortunately, Prince Harry's current relationship with the Royal Family leaves much to be desired as it stands.

But on the plus side, it seems quite clear that the Duke of Sussex remains close to his late mother Princess Diana's family, particularly her siblings: Charles Spencer, Lady Jane Fellowes, and Lady Sarah McCorquodale.

"He clearly has quite a good relationship with Charles Spencer, Jane and Sarah on the maternal side," historian Tessa Dunlop remarked in an interview with OK!.

She continued, "that side of the family seems to be better relations," meaning better than Harry's relationship with King Charles and Prince William at the moment.

Dunlop also pointed out that the idea that Harry basically has no family isn't true, saying, "while all the focus is on Harry and Meghan not having any family or relations, he clearly does have relations with the Spencers.

"And in Spare he talks about his two aunts and uncle being there when he and Meghan visited Diana's grave."

Here, Dunlop was referring to the episode the duke recounted in his memoir of bringing his wife to Althorp House, where Diana is laid to rest, in 2022. There, the couple were accompanied by Charles, Jane, and Sarah.

While Harry reportedly only talks summarily with his father—and not at all with his brother—these days, it's great that he has the Spencers to lean on.

Additionally, the Sussexes and their two kids, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, seem to spend quite a lot of time with Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland, while out in California. Basically, though it's not ideal that they're estranged from part of their family, they definitely still have a ton of support in their lives.

Iris Goldsztajn
Morning Editor

Iris Goldsztajn is a London-based journalist, editor and author. She is the morning editor at Marie Claire, and her work has appeared in the likes of InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Bustle and Shape. Iris writes about everything from celebrity news and relationship advice to the pitfalls of diet culture and the joys of exercise. She has many opinions on Harry Styles, and can typically be found eating her body weight in cheap chocolate.