Prince Harry may be using his extended return to Britain to work on a television film about Princess Diana ahead of the 30th anniversary of her death, according to royal commentator Richard Kay, a claim that has attracted additional attention after Diana's former chef said he recently encountered a film crew at the Spencer family estate of Althorp.
Harry and his representatives haven't publicly confirmed the existence of such a project, leaving key details-including its producer, broadcaster, release date and format-unknown. But Kay said on the Daily Mail's Palace Confidential podcast that he had been told the Duke of Sussex was approaching people who knew Diana about participating.
"I am told that one of the reasons Harry's here is to make a television film, his own film, about his mother," Kay said.
According to Kay, Harry has reached out to relatives and friends of Diana to "contribute" to the reported production. Kay said the project could account for a significant part of Harry's time in Britain following the Sussex family's return to the country in August.
The claims gained further attention when Darren McGrady, a former royal chef who worked for Diana, disclosed that he had seen a production crew during a recent visit to Althorp, the Northamptonshire estate where Diana grew up and was later buried.
"Oh, I did wonder if that's why the film crew were there when I visited Althorp earlier this week. #princessdiana," McGrady wrote on Instagram. His observation doesn't establish that the crew was working for Harry or that it was connected with the reported project.
The timing would place any potential film in the run-up to Aug. 31, 2027, the 30th anniversary of Diana's death. The milestone is likely to generate renewed interest in her life, her relationship with the Royal Family and the different ways her two sons have sought to preserve her legacy.
Diana died at age 36 after the Mercedes carrying her and Dodi Fayed crashed in the Place de l'Alma underpass in Paris late on Aug. 30, 1997. She was taken to hospital and pronounced dead early the following morning. William was 15 and Harry 12 at the time.
Her funeral was held at Westminster Abbey on Sept. 6, 1997, before her burial at Althorp. The estate has remained closely associated with Diana's family history and memory, making the reported presence of a film crew there particularly notable, though its purpose hasn't been independently established.
Any Harry-led production would also arrive against the backdrop of his continuing estrangement from Prince William. The brothers have previously appeared together at events honoring Diana, most prominently in July 2021, when they unveiled a statue of their mother in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace.
Royal author Phil Dampier has questioned whether another joint appearance is realistic given the state of their relationship. "I think William would find it very hard to meet Harry, even to honor Diana's memory," Dampier said, describing the relationship between the brothers as "much more worse now."
Dampier said the 30th anniversary would ordinarily present an obvious opportunity for Diana's sons to commemorate her together. He added, however, that he doesn't believe "William's heart is in it," and claimed people around the Prince of Wales believe William increasingly regards his relationship with Harry as part of his "past."
The brothers' estrangement intensified after Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, stepped back as senior working royals in 2020 and moved to California. Harry subsequently discussed tensions within the Royal Family in interviews, the Netflix documentary series "Harry & Meghan" and his 2023 memoir "Spare."
People has previously reported similarly bleak assessments of the relationship from unnamed sources. One described the brothers' relationship as "so broken," while another said, "There is no contact."
Diana has remained a central figure in Harry's public account of his life. In "Spare," interviews and other appearances, he has repeatedly discussed his mother's death, the impact of press attention on her life and his own childhood experience of losing her.
William has likewise spoken about Diana's influence while generally taking a more limited public approach to discussing their private family history. The prospect of a Harry-led television project therefore raises the possibility that the 2027 anniversary could again highlight the brothers' differing approaches to preserving and interpreting their mother's legacy.
