The Duke of Sussex has opened up about his fractured relationship with the royal family in his memoir, Spare, but he has remained close to his late mother’s family, the Spencers.
Prince Harry has two maternal aunts from Diana’s side – Lady Sarah McCorquodale and Lady Jane Fellowes, as well as his uncle Charles Spencer.
WATCH: A look at Harry’s close relationship with the Spencers
In the epilogue of his book, Harry details the moment he took wife Meghan to see his mother’s grave at her childhood home, Althorp, near the 25th anniversary of Diana’s death last year.
The Duke describes him and Meghan getting into a boat to row across to the private island on the estate which marks Diana’s final resting.
“Uncle Charles came down to the water’s edge, gave us a little shove. We waved to him, and to my two aunts. Bye. See you in a bit. Gliding across the pond, I gazed around at Althorp’s rolling fields and ancient trees, the thousands of green acres where my mother grew up, and where, though things weren’t perfect, she’d known some peace.”
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Harry with his aunts and uncle at the statue unveiling in 2021
Harry’s warm relationship with his aunts and uncles was also evident when he and William unveiled a statue of Diana in the gardens at Kensington Palace in July 2021, to mark what would have been their mother’s 60th birthday.
As the Duke arrived at the unveiling, he could be seen speaking warmly with his aunts Lady Sarah and Lady Jane, as well as sharing laughs with Charles.
Following Meghan’s miscarriage in 2020, Charles also publicly offered his support to his nephew and his wife, telling ITV’s Lorraine at the time: “I can’t imagine the agony for any couple of losing a child in this way. It’s so very, very sad. And of course, I totally agree with you, all thoughts with them today.”
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Lady Jane also gave a reading at Harry and Meghan’s royal wedding in 2018, and both she and her sister, Lady Sarah, were among the guests to attend Archie’s christening in July 2019.
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