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Charles Spencer Recalls How Paparazzi "Traumatized" His Sister Princess Diana

Season 5 Episode 505
Aired on 04/05/2015 | CC tv-14
On August 31, 1997, Diana, Princess of Wales, was killed in a tragic car crash in Paris. At the time of the accident, Diana was trying to escape the paparazzi. During her funeral service, Diana's younger brother, Lord Charles Spencer, gave a powerful eulogy in which he condemned the paparazzi and pledged to protect his royal nephews William and Harry.

Now, more than 17 years after Diana's death, Oprah sits down with Lord Spencer to discuss the torment his sister suffered, as well as the impact of his eulogy.

"Do you think that that eulogy set a tone for the way the boys were treated?" Oprah asks.

"I wouldn't want to take any credit for that," Lord Spencer says. "I think maybe I caught the public mood on that, and there was no way the public would have allowed them to suffer in that way. I mean, Diana was truly, repeatedly traumatized by the worst aspect of the paparazzi, particularly after she effectively left the royal family."

Lord Spencer recalls how the paparazzi harassed Diana for years. "I remember [Diana] telling me one of the worst paparazzo guys in London had actually said to her, 'I'll be there every day of your life until you're dead, and then I'll be filming your grave,'" he says. "Obviously, he didn't know she was going to die so young, but it was that menacing thing."

In the above video, Lord Spencer shares more about his sister and the treatment of her sons.

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