Prince William has turned down several offers to film or appear in documentaries about Princess Diana for the 30th anniversary of her death in 2027. According to The Sunday Times, he does not want to find himself in a situation where he and Prince Harry are "set against each other" in competing projects.
What is at stake here is not only the memory of their mother. It is about control over the public image of the two brothers, whose relationship has been frozen at the level of 2022 — after the funeral of Queen Elizabeth. William, who was 15 years old on the day Diana died, already in 2017 called the filming for the 20th anniversary "the final catharsis" and made it clear that he would not speak about her publicly again.
Rumors about Harry's plans emerged against the backdrop of his return to the United Kingdom after six years in the United States. Sources close to the Duke of Sussex confirmed that he is considering "several possible projects" to honor his mother, including a documentary, possibly for Netflix. William, according to friends, is still emotionally reliving this date and intends to mark it privately.
The mechanics of how the story spreads are simple: British publications cite anonymous sources from the princes' circle, while American tabloids pick it up and add context about Netflix and Uncle Charles Spencer. There are as yet no confirmed facts about a specific film by Harry — only talk and "consideration of options." William, for his part, officially comments on nothing.
What lies deepest here is not rivalry but a different approach to family pain. William, as the heir, sees in public projects the risk of a new crack in an already shattered relationship. Harry, by contrast, is looking for a way to reclaim his voice in the story that once defined his life. Their uncle Spencer, in a new book, also declined to take part in documentaries, mentioning a request from a "nephew" — without specifying which one.
For William, what matters now is not what will be said about Diana, but what will not be said about him and his brother. He has already lived through the moment when their grief was put on public display. He does not intend to repeat that in 2027.
The question remains how exactly Harry will carry out his plans and whether William will manage to keep his distance when the anniversary finally arrives.
