King Charles 'haunted' by Prince William and Prince Harry walking behind Princess Diana's coffin

King Charles is still “haunted” by Prince William and Prince Harry walking behind Princess Diana's coffin on the day of her funeral according to a royal author. 

• A royal author has suggested that the decision for his sons to walk behind their mother’s coffin still “haunts” His Majesty.  
• It’s claimed that the King feels that he’s “to some extent” responsible for the suffering this caused them.  
• This royal news comes as Prince William’s 'sad and melancholy' portrayal in The Crown season 5 was challenged by an expert. 

Following the tragic death of Diana, Princess of Wales in the world looked on as her nearest and dearest paid their respects. Ahead of her funeral service, her coffin travelled in a procession to Westminster Abbey and few could forget the sight of Prince William and Prince Harry walking behind it. They were accompanied by the now-King Charles, Earl Spencer and Prince Philip, who secretly comforted Prince William at the funeral. Now it’s been suggested that King Charles is “haunted” by the decision for the Princes to walk with him that day. 

As reported by Express.co.uk, royal author Christopher Anderson whose book The King: The Life of Charles III has just been released, got candid about the impact of the decision for the Princes to walk behind Princess Diana’s coffin. 

Discussing the traumatic impact of this, Christopher told Royally US podcast host Christina Garibaldi that this moment “haunts” the King. 

The author claimed, “I think it haunts him, as it haunts them. [William and Harry have] spoken about it. I've written that, I believe, it's a form of PTSD. Harry uses terms like the triggering of even flying into London and it reminds him of that day when he had to walk behind the coffin.”

Christopher later alleged that the King’s sons weren’t given much of a choice and that there was a sense that they had to walk behind their beloved mother’s coffin. 

"They were, more or less, bullied into doing it by the Palace, by the men in grey who really run the Palace, [who] Diana used to complain about,” he said, before adding that their uncle Earl Spencer also had “regret” over trying to “convince” them to do it. 

The author expressed his belief that the King "understands that to some extent he is responsible for [William and Harry] having to suffer through".

Princess Diana died in a car accident in Paris on August 31st 1997 and her funeral took place on September 6. This was just nine days before Prince Harry’s 13th birthday whilst his older brother was 15 at the time they walked behind her coffin. 

Echoing Christopher’s statements about the moment also haunting her sons, Prince Harry recalled the harrowing memory that comes to mind when he thinks of Princess Diana and spoke about that day. 

He told viewers of his and Oprah Winfrey’s The Me You Can’t See series, “By this point I was, both of us were in shock. It was like I was outside of my body and just walking along doing what was expected of me.”

Meanwhile, Prince William said that walking behind the Queen’s coffin “brought back memories” as he likely reflected on his mother’s funeral. On the day of the Queen’s funeral, her grandsons (aside from 14-year-old James, Viscount Severn who was perhaps considered too young) were joined by all of the Queen’s children as well as members of the extended Royal Family in the solemn procession.