Before a live audience at London's iconic Quaglino's restaurant, HELLO!'s hosts were joined by renowned royal biographer Ingrid Seward for a special live recording of A Right Royal Podcast. Together they unpacked Earl Spencer's memoir, Prince Harry's return to the UK, and the striking parallels between Catherine and Diana.
Ingrid joined our in-house experts, royal editor Emily Nash, entertainment editor Emmy Griffiths and digital content director Andrea Caamaño at our exclusive royal event, which was held one day before the release of her latest book, Catherine & Diana. Guests had the chance to put their questions to our panel during a live Q&A session, and left with goodie bags filled with luxury products from the likes of Ilapothecary, Strip, Olverum, Laura Ashley, Aroma-Zone, Floral Street and The Organic Pharmacy.
Scroll down to watch the full live podcast episode.
Earl Spencer's memoir & the truth behind the claims
Q: Ingrid, what do you make of the extraordinary claims Earl Spencer has made about King Charles in his new book?
Ingrid Seward: "I've been asked this a lot and I've thought about it a lot, and I think that there's an element of truth in what he said, but I think it was totally, totally taken out of context. The two men were having a furious row, and both Charleses have a temper. Tempers are huge, and emotion runs very high, and they were arguing about whether the boys should walk behind the coffin - Diana's coffin. Charles Spencer said, 'It's not going to happen.' And then Charles apparently lost it completely and banged on about the sense of duty.
"Then he might have said something similar to this, he might have said, 'For goodness sake, they have to do this because people are going to forget about us soon enough.' He was worried that Diana's image would not last, and he wanted the boys to be there because he thought when they grew up, they would regret that they hadn't done it. That is my take on it. I think it was a very cruel and unnecessary thing to say, and he shouldn't have done it. The more salacious a book you write, the more it sells for serial rights. He wanted to make a lot of money out of the serialisation."
© Alex IngramQ: How do you think Prince William and Prince Harry feel about their uncle publishing these allegations?
Ingrid Seward: "I think they are absolutely horrified that their uncle should say something like that about their father. He's their father. Okay for them to say something rude about their father, but if anyone said anything rude about somebody you really loved, you don't want anyone else shouting something rude at them. I think they would be absolutely horrified and furious. And as for Diana, the last thing in the world she would ever want is for anyone to put her husband down. She could, but no one else can."
Diana's private confession & the stag night prank
Q: You knew Princess Diana personally. What did she tell you about her true feelings for Prince Charles before she died?
Ingrid Seward: "I was very fortunate to be probably the last journalist to ever see Diana in a journalistic capacity shortly before she died. She actually told me that she really loved Charles. He was the one she would always love. He was the one that got away, and she said, 'It's very important to me, Ingrid, that my boys know that their father loved me.'
"Charles wrote her the most beautiful love letters, in which he praised her and talked about her in the most loving way. He may not have loved her in the very beginning, and he may not have loved her by the end, but he always loved her and he felt so bad that he couldn't make the marriage work. Diana also said to me she thought if they'd met when they were older, they probably would have made it work and conquered the world."
Q: Who do you think Diana was before she crossed paths with Prince Charles?
Ingrid Seward: "Diana was so young, she was only 19. And back in the day, 19 was young. 19-year-olds now are very sophisticated, but they weren't then. And she had a sort of country life. She'd come to London. She was rooming with some flatmates. It was her flat, but she was rooming with some lovely girls and they all giggled and had fun. And, you know, Diana said, 'Oh, I don't really like London. I want to be in the country. I don't like London, it's dirty.' I don't know why she thought that, but she did. But she did go out with a couple of quite attractive young men. And she went to the theatre."
© Tim Graham Photo Library via GetQ: In your book, Catherine and Diana, you also reveal a lighter story about Diana dressing up in disguise for Andrew Mountbatter-Windsor's stag night. What happened there?
Ingrid Seward: "This was Andrew's stag night. Diana teamed up with Pamela Stephenson, Elton John's wife Renata, and a couple of others. Pamela Stephenson said, 'I just happen to have six policewoman's uniforms in the back of my car.' So they put on these policewoman's uniforms, and Diana put on a pair of glasses as well.
"They decided to go to Annabel's in Berkeley Square. No one recognised them, and people thought, 'What on earth are policewomen doing in here?' A journalist went up to Diana, took her glasses off, and he still didn't recognise her! They were laughing and they ran across Berkeley Square in their policeman's uniforms back to Buckingham Palace, where they tried to stop the car driving in. They were all hysterical."
Catherine vs Diana: Two Princesses of Wales
Q: How does Catherine's background and support system contrast with Diana's?
Ingrid Seward: "It's one of the tragedies of Diana's story that she was adored by millions, yet emotionally denied by the few who mattered most. And that is where the contrast with Catherine is most striking. Her life is not perfect, but it is rooted in a shared understanding with William, her husband, Diana's son. They face the institution together. Diana faced it alone.
"The Middletons had something that Diana didn't have: an incredibly close-knit family, and a very ambitious mother. Catherine took lessons from Diana. She saw that Diana gave so much of herself to people, but it exposed her too much. Catherine learned from that: just give enough, but don't give too much, because you're too vulnerable that way, and people are going to strip you bare if you do that."
© Alex IngramQ: What impact did Catherine's cancer diagnosis have on Prince William, and how will she shape her future role as Queen?
Ingrid Seward: "Her illness, her cancer, absolutely rocked him. The thought of losing her was just unbearable. He lost his mother; he didn't want to lose the mother to his children. That has made their togetherness a real cement. She keeps William together.
"When she becomes Queen, I think it will be more inclusive. They get down and they talk to people, ask them about their problems, deflect from themselves, and show they are genuinely interested in people. If you can get through that, her strength is so admirable."
Carole Middleton's vital role in the Wales family
Q: What do you make of Carole Middleton's drive and the role she plays in supporting William and Catherine?
Ingrid Seward: "What strikes me as incredible about Carole is her drive and her determination, the sort of life that she created for her family. There's nothing that Catherine can't do - she climbs mountains, she abseils, she sails, she rows... and that's all Mum and Dad. All their children are brought up to be able to do everything.
"Her relationship with her mother really is day and night with Diana's relationship with her mother. Carole is a very determined and clever lady; I really have huge admiration for her. She keeps in the background and comes forward when wanted. For instance, when Catherine was ill, she took over - she took over helping with the children, the school, the cooking, making food for William and looking after him, too. She's a very strong and determined person."
© HELLO!Prince Harry's return & Marmite on crumpets
Q: Emily, you met Prince Harry at the WellChild Awards. How was he feeling back on British soil?
Emily Nash: "He told us that evening that coming there and meeting those families fills him up for the whole year. You can't be at that event and not feel incredibly aware of your own fortune in life when you're meeting families who are going through such difficult circumstances. My big takeaway from it was how happy he was to be back in the UK.
I've been on tour with Harry over the years to many different places and I feel like I've had a good understanding of his work certainly over the years. He was very friendly, and it struck me that he just enjoyed seeing some familiar faces, even if some of them were from the press."
© Alex Ingram
© Alex IngramQ: Did he share any updates on how Archie and Lilibet are adjusting to life in the UK?
Emily Nash: "He did. We asked him what was the most British thing he had done with Archie and Lilibet, and apparently he's been giving them crumpets with Marmite. Now Marmite does sort of divide opinion, but it seems it's a hit with the kids!"
William & Catherine's starry premiere night
Q: Prince William and Catherine made a glamorous red carpet appearance alongside Tom Cruise and David Beckham. What stood out about the evening?
Emily Nash: "She looked sensational, and for me, the outfit she chose really made quite the statement. It was regal purple, a beautiful gown by Jenny Packham, but then she also picked these beautiful pieces of jewellery - a very striking amethyst sautoir heart-shaped necklace that had belonged to the late Queen Mother, and then Diana's Collingwood pearl earrings. What a way to sort of mark yourself out as very much a paid-up member of the firm!"
© Getty Images for Warner Bros.Q: How are William and Catherine handling the press questions surrounding the Spencer memoir drama while out on engagements?
Emily Nash: "They both have been asked questions - Harry and William - faced with questions from the press about their uncle. It puts them in an incredibly difficult position. The absolutely best thing that they can do is to say nothing, and as we say, just sort of keep calm and carry on."
