Marie Claire
  • Celebrity
  • Fashion
  • Beauty
  • Culture
  • Power
  • Nice Talk
  • Style at Large
  • More
    • Politics
    • Career & Money
    • Health & Fitness
    • Power Play
    • Travel
    • Promo Codes
    • Food & Cocktails
    • About Us
    • Subscribe
    • Sex & Love
  • Newsletter SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Marie Claire
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    The ultimate daily digest for women of power, purpose, and style.


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    Want to add more newsletters?

    Marie Claire Daily

    Delivered daily

    Marie Claire Daily

    Get exclusive access to fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more.

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Sent weekly on Saturday

    Marie Claire Self Checkout

    Exclusive access to expert shopping and styling advice from Nikki Ogunnaike, Marie Claire's editor-in-chief.

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Once a week

    Maire Claire Face Forward

    Insider tips and recommendations for skin, hair, makeup, nails and more from Hannah Baxter, Marie Claire's beauty director.

    Livingetc

    Once a week

    Livingetc

    Your shortcut to the now and the next in contemporary home decoration, from designing a fashion-forward kitchen to decoding color schemes, and the latest interiors trends.

    Homes & Gardens

    Delivered Daily

    Homes & Gardens

    The ultimate interior design resource from the world's leading experts - discover inspiring decorating ideas, color scheming know-how, garden inspiration and shopping expertise.


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • New Beauty Launches
    • Halloween Nails
    • 'You Can See Everything'
    • Holiday Candles
    • Statement Red Socks
    1. Celebrity
    2. Royals

    Royal Fans Think Princess Diana's Brother Shaded King Charles With "Other Parent" Comment in Recent Interview

    "He has such a way with words to show his feelings."

    Amy Mackelden's avatar
    By Amy Mackelden
    Published 27 October 2025 In News

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    Princess Diana wears royal blue and King Charles puts his hands on her shoulders, while her brother, Charles Spencer, looks on
    (Image credit: Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images/y Karwai Tang/WireImage)
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    Charles Spencer, Princess Diana's brother, recently appeared on Gyles Brandreth's podcast, "Rosebud. During his appearance, Spencer discussed how harrowing it was to have "total strangers" trauma dump on him about his sister's death. He also reflected on the "awful feeling" he had prior to delivering Diana's eulogy. Now, royal fans are questioning whether Earl Spencer actually shaded King Charles in the candid interview.

    During the podcast appearance, Spencer reflected on all of the elements that went into writing a eulogy for his late sister. This included an important responsibility Princess Diana had bestowed upon Spencer in the event of her death. "[I]t had no legal standing—but I knew she'd left me as guardian of her sons [Prince Harry and Prince William]," he explained, via People. "Obviously, the other parent being alive, that meant nothing, but it meant something to me...That sort of duty."

    As reported by the Express, some royal fans interpreted Spencer calling King Charles "the other parent" as a diss. "I just love Charles Spencer calling Charles Windsor 'the other parent' hahaha," one commenter wrote on X. "He has such a way with words to show his feelings."

    Latest Videos FromMarie Claire
    Watch full video here:

    Le prince Charles, le prince William et la princesses Diana assistant aux cérémonies du 50ème anniversaire de la fin de la Seconde guerre mondiale à Hyde Park, à Londres, Royaume-Uni le 7 mai 1995. (Photo by Laurent SOLA/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)

    "I just love Charles Spencer calling Charles Windsor 'the other parent.'"

    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    In response, another royal fan wrote, "His shade, is unmatched!" They continued, "From day one he hasn't taken nonsense from those Windsors!"

    Someone else who believed Spencer's words were an intentional diss replied, "I noticed that too, I had a giggle. I bet Charles Spencer heard a lot more of how the ex Charles was towards Diana, stuff the public won't know."

    You may like
    • Charles Spencer, Prince William and Prince Harry walking behind Princess Diana's coffin King Charles Is "Incandescent” Over Earl Spencer’s Diana Comments
    • Earl Charles Spencer wears a suit and has gray hair and King Charles waves while wearing a beige suit Princess Diana's Brother Reacts to "Provocative" Statement
    • Prince Philip, Prince William, Earl Charles Spencer, Prince Harry, and King Charles walk together behind the carriage carrying the casket of Princess Diana on its way to the funeral Philip "Overruled" Charles at Princess Diana's Funeral

    Charles Spencer, Prince William, Prince Harry and Prince Charles at Princess Diana's funeral

    Charles Spencer, Prince William, Prince Harry, and King Charles at Princess Diana's funeral in September 1997.

    (Image credit: Getty Images)

    Of course, it's impossible to know whether Spencer meant anything by his comment about King Charles. Still, it's clear that Princess Diana's brother took his responsibility towards Prince William and Prince Harry very seriously as he prepared her eulogy.

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    The ultimate daily digest for women of power, purpose, and style.

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
    Explore More
    King Charles Diana marriage parenting Prince Harry Prince William
    Amy Mackelden
    Amy Mackelden
    Social Links Navigation
    Weekend Editor

    Amy Mackelden is the weekend editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.

    Read more
    Princess Diana wearing a red coat and black hat holding flowers
    Royals Charles Spencer Says Diana Would've Loved How William Shook Up Tradition
    By Kristin Contino
    Princess Diana greeting fans leaning over a fence
    Royals Charles Spencer Says Princess Diana’s “Popularity Was Seen as Really Irksome”
    By Kristin Contino
     
     
    Charles Spencer in a navy jacket standing in front of paintings
    Royals Charles Spencer Says People Underestimate the Royal Family's "Serious Power"
    By Kristin Contino
    Princess Diana wearing a blue dress, holding a wine glass and smiling at her stepmother, Raine Spencer
    Royals Princess Diana Used Her Stepmother, Raine Spencer, Against Her Mom
    By Kristin Contino
     
     
    Latest in Royals
    King Charles waves from the Buckingham Palace balcony while wearing a red military uniform
    Royals King Charles's Popularity Has Waned, Per New Poll
    Princess Birgitta wearing a tiara and sapphire necklace
    Royals Swedish Royal Jewelry Auction "Goes Against" King Carl Gustaf's Wishes
     
     
    Carole Middleton carries her Emmy London bag to attend day 3 'Ladies Day' of Royal Ascot 2026 at Ascot Racecourse on June 18, 2026 in Ascot, England.
    Royals Carole Middleton's Favorite Bag Gets a Regal Upgrade
    Prince Harry and Meghan Markle smiling for a picture with fans in Nottingham, England
    Royals Royal Source Says Prince Harry Is Taking Prince William and King Charles's Roles "Into Account" With Upcoming Public Events
     
     
    Latest in News
    King Charles waves from the Buckingham Palace balcony while wearing a red military uniform
    Royals King Charles's Popularity Has Waned, Per New Poll
    Princess Birgitta wearing a tiara and sapphire necklace
    Royals Swedish Royal Jewelry Auction "Goes Against" King Carl Gustaf's Wishes
     
     
    Carole Middleton carries her Emmy London bag to attend day 3 'Ladies Day' of Royal Ascot 2026 at Ascot Racecourse on June 18, 2026 in Ascot, England.
    Royals Carole Middleton's Favorite Bag Gets a Regal Upgrade
    Prince Harry and Meghan Markle smiling for a picture with fans in Nottingham, England
    Royals Royal Source Says Prince Harry Is Taking Prince William and King Charles's Roles "Into Account" With Upcoming Public Events
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Marie Claire
    RSS
    • About us
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Advertise Online
    • Newsletter
    • Terms and conditions
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • Careers
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.