The future king recently faced backlash over his portrayal in Netflix’s historical drama The Crown. The show depicts a lonely Princess Diana pining over her husband who is interested in another woman, Camilla Parker Bowles. The negativity resulted in Charles and Camilla turning off comments on their social media posts at the end of last year to avoid backlash over Diana.
But royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams warned the couple may be facing further public outcry this year over the late Diana, who tragically died in a car crash just a year after divorcing Charles in 1997.
He told Express.co.uk: “Charles will be the next king and nothing foreseeably will alter that. It is not a popularity contest.
“He will ascend the throne better prepared than any of his predecessors given his long wait as Prince of Wales.
“His work for charity, particularly his Trust which has helped over a million young people and his campaigning for the environment are remarkable.
“It is however true that Charles and Camilla face a problem as a series of events over the coming months will ensure that Diana features prominently in the news.
“There is the inquiry into how her interview with Panorama was obtained and the unveiling of her statue in the Sunken Garden, Kensington Palace.
“Also 25 years after her death next year when the next Season of The Crown, which will feature events which marked the disintegration of her marriage, is also expected to be released.
“Also there will be a new film, Spencer, starring Kristen Stewart as Diana.”
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The statue was commissioned by the princes in 2017 to mark the 20th anniversary of their mother’s death and to “recognise her positive impact”.
When they announced the commission, the princes said they hoped the sculpture would help all those who visited Kensington Palace to “reflect on her life and her legacy”.
Earl Spencer, Diana’s brother, has also asked for a new BBC investigation into the controversial Panorama interview she gave with journalist Martin Bashir in 1995, where she shared intimate details about her doomed marriage to Charles.
Her brother claimed he only agreed to the interview after being shown forged documents that persuaded him to introduce the journalist to his sister.
The BBC originally made an internal inquiry into the interview in 1996, and judged that Mr Bashir was “an honest man”.
But Tim Davie, director-general of the BBC, said that a new independent investigation would “get to the truth” of allegations.
The BBC has said in a previous statement: “The BBC has made clear it will investigate the issues raised and that this will be independent.
“We will set out the terms of reference in due course. We will do everything possible to get to the bottom of this.”
