Did Queen Elizabeth II really offer to restore Diana’s HRH title after her death?

On September 22, Charles Spencer will publish “Swan Song: Diana, My Sister,” a memoir detailing his relationship with the late Princess of Wales. The book asserts that Queen Elizabeth II extended an offer to reinstate Diana’s “Her Royal Highness” (HRH) style for her funeral — a gesture Spencer says he declined on the Royal Train en route from the service.

What Spencer’s memoir claims about the HRH offer

According to the memoir, Sir Robert Fellowes — then the Queen’s Private Secretary and who died in 2024 — approached Spencer aboard the Royal Train after the funeral and conveyed the monarch’s proposal. “I have just received a call from Her Majesty… and she would like to offer Diana her HRH title back,” Fellowes reportedly said. Spencer recounts replying, “That’s very kind of the Queen, of course. But what’s the point, Robert? Now? I mean – Diana’s dead.” He adds he later questioned whether the refusal had been correct.

The context of Diana’s HRH status

Diana Spencer acquired the style “Her Royal Highness” upon marrying then-Prince Charles in 1981. Following their highly publicized divorce, she lost the HRH designation. Spencer characterizes that removal as “petty and vindictive” and writes that his sister was “dreadfully hurt” by it. The memoir states the Queen sought to address this loss posthumously through the proposed restoration.

Palace’s official position on the matter

Buckingham Palace has consistently maintained that no formal offer was made. Officials confirmed in 1997 that discussions about reinstating the title occurred during the Royal Train journey, which carried the Spencer family, Prince Charles, Prince William, and Prince Harry to Diana’s private burial at the Spencer family estate in Northamptonshire. However, the Palace stated the Spencers themselves indicated such a change would contradict the Princess’s wishes.