Royal Reporter Lydia

Prince William has reportedly declined to participate in documentaries about his late mother, Diana, Princess of Wales.

Now, some people might interpret that as William not wanting to remember his mother. But I see it very differently.

Princess Diana was not simply a royal icon or a public figure. She was William and Harry's mother. Her memory is deeply personal to them, and neither prince should feel obliged to participate in documentaries simply because the public remains fascinated by her life.

I can understand why William might prefer to remember his mother privately rather than contribute to yet another production about her. Over the years, countless people have spoken about Diana, shared their interpretations of her life and, in some cases, profited from telling her story.

There has also been speculation about Prince Harry potentially becoming involved in a separate documentary. However, unless William has publicly explained his decision, I don't think we should assume that his brother's plans have anything to do with it.

Personally, I would love to see more projects that celebrate Diana's humanitarian legacy rather than revisit the same controversies surrounding her private life.

If I were ever invited to contribute to a documentary about Princess Diana, I would want any payment I received to go directly to The Diana Award, the charity established in her memory that continues to support and empower young people.

And I certainly wouldn't pretend to have known her. Sadly, I never had the opportunity to meet Diana, and I think there's an important distinction between admiring someone's legacy and claiming to understand who they truly were.

Ultimately, William and Harry knew Diana in a way that none of us ever could: she was their mother.

Whether Prince William chooses to speak publicly about her or preserve those memories privately is entirely his decision. He doesn't owe the public another documentary, another interview or another explanation.

Choosing not to participate in a documentary doesn't mean choosing not to remember his mother. 🙏

He will likely do so privately it's his decision what he gets involved in not fans or haters.

10 hours ago | [YT] | 1,673

Royal Reporter Lydia

Queen Camilla visited Fife as Zara and Mike Tindall attended Tennis Match at the O2. Find out all the latest here: https://youtu.be/hUAQQpQrnoI?si=FSQ7p... ❤️👑

19 hours ago | [YT] | 221

Royal Reporter Lydia

Am I going to stop fighting for stronger AI regulations? Absolutely not. If anything, I'm more determined than ever. 🤦‍♀️

After seeing reports about AI replacing actors in China's entertainment industry, I'm increasingly concerned about where we're heading. We're no longer talking simply about technology that makes our lives easier. We're talking about people's livelihoods, the authenticity of what we see online and, most importantly, the safety of children.

Our internet is already flooded with misinformation, manipulated photographs and misleading videos. AI deepfakes are making it increasingly difficult to distinguish reality from fabrication. From the Royal Family and politicians to celebrities and ordinary families, anyone can become a target.

But when children are involved, we cannot afford to wait until the damage is done.

Over a year ago, I launched a petition calling for stronger legislation to protect children from harmful AI-generated and manipulated imagery. I believe deliberately creating deceptive or exploitative AI images of minors should carry serious legal consequences.

If we have the technology to generate these images, we should be investing just as seriously in safeguards to prevent its misuse.

Royal children, celebrity children and children from ordinary families all deserve the same protection. Their photographs should not become raw material for someone else's fabricated content.

This isn't about banning AI or opposing technological progress. It's about ensuring that innovation doesn't come at the expense of children's safety, people's livelihoods or the public's ability to trust what they see.

I'm calling on @andy.burnham and the Government to take stronger action. We need effective safeguards, meaningful accountability for those who create and distribute harmful deepfakes, and better protection for children online.

I won't stop raising awareness, promoting this campaign or encouraging people to support stronger protections.

www.change.org/p/protect-real-people-stop-the-spre…

Thanks to all who have signed so far ❤️👑

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1 day ago | [YT] | 875

Royal Reporter Lydia

I was honoured to join Associate Editor of the Royal Observer yesterday to film a special feature in Windsor about the revelations in Charles Spencer's Book. You can watch it here: https://youtu.be/f8ELS4eIzFI?si=RucDK...

Loving my other royal news role at the Royal Observer. You can read all my latest news report here: www.theroyalobserver.com/a/lydiaalty

Yes I wrote ones about Prince Harry still not a fan of him, but I focused on the charity work he's doing which I think regardless of if you're a fan or not, is good charity work especially Wellchild and Invictus, which are good causes. That's ALL I focused on!

1 day ago | [YT] | 386

Royal Reporter Lydia

How exactly were royal fans or members of the public supposed to turn up for an engagement they didn't know was happening? 🤦 I am asking some of Sussex Fans who posted this 2nd image.

Prince Harry's attendance at the WellChild Awards on 21 September was publicly announced on 10 September, giving journalists and the public 11 days' notice. Prince William's visit to ActOne Cinema on 22 September was not publicly advertised in the same way beforehand. The press coverage confirms that journalists attended and photographed his visit, but again NOT wider members of the press BECAUSE it was NOT announced ahead of time.

There is a significant difference between journalists receiving advance information through their work and ordinary members of the public/press knowing that an engagement is taking place. Royal fans cannot reasonably be expected to gather outside a venue when they haven't been told a royal will be there. 🙄

And let's address the photographs. A short still showing one photographer doesn't establish that only one photographer attended. William's visit was covered by multiple news organisations, and the footage being circulated doesn't show every photographer present or everyone who attended throughout the engagement.

Likewise, a crowd of photographers outside Harry's event doesn't tell us how many members of the public were there specifically to see him. Press attendance and public popularity are two entirely different things.

I'm not questioning Harry's popularity or his longstanding work with WellChild. I'm questioning why two engagements with different publicity and media arrangements are being compared as though they took place under identical circumstances. Also it's not about the press it's about the WIDER MESSAGE!

You cannot use a few seconds of selectively chosen footage to measure public interest, particularly when one engagement was announced well in advance and the other wasn't publicly advertised at all- only some journalists knew and not fans!

If you're going to compare royal engagements, at least provide the full context rather than presenting a misleading comparison to prove a point. 🙄

Latest news: https://youtu.be/PXhrcCwFKr4?si=x6T8b...

4 days ago | [YT] | 732

Royal Reporter Lydia

Just such a timeless photo of Their Royal Highnesses tonight at the Digger Premiere 👑❤️

📸 Greg Williams

Catch up here: https://youtu.be/FWcnmGjqwjQ?si=wRPR6...

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5 days ago | [YT] | 5,845

Royal Reporter Lydia

A busy day for the Royal Family today! ❤️👑

Not only were the Prince and Princess of Wales out attending engagements, but His Majesty The King was also carrying out royal duties.

And alongside all the royal engagements, it was a particularly special day for James, Earl of Wessex, who started university today! 🎓❤️

Find out more here: https://youtu.be/EB6ipgrleoc?si=OOVy2...

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5 days ago | [YT] | 1,356

Royal Reporter Lydia

Wishing a meaningful and peaceful Yom Kippur to Jewish communities across the UK and around the world. ✡️

As families and communities come together on this sacred Day of Atonement for reflection, prayer and forgiveness, may it bring peace, hope and strength for the year ahead.

At a time when Jewish communities continue to face antisemitism and hatred, may we also remember the importance of standing together against prejudice in all its forms.

G'mar Chatimah Tovah - may you be sealed in the Book of Life. 🤍✡️

#YomKippur #GmarChatimahTovah #KingCharles

1 week ago | [YT] | 669

Royal Reporter Lydia

According to Earl Spencer, there are “echoes” between the media treatment of Harry and Meghan and what happened to Diana. And as I said on LBC last night, I actually agree that some aspects can be compared, particularly when we're talking about relentless intrusion and the uglier side of press and online culture. Spencer has described that kind of coverage as a “cancerous influence”.

But there's something I find increasingly frustrating about this conversation: what about William? What about Catherine? What about their children?

William has spent his entire adult life dealing with the consequences of what happened to his mother, while simultaneously trying to protect his own family from intrusive photography. This isn't hypothetical. In 2015, Kensington Palace publicly condemned increasingly dangerous attempts by paparazzi to photograph a two-year-old Prince George, including photographers following him and his nanny and pursuing cars.

More recently, William and Catherine took legal action after Paris Match published long-lens paparazzi photographs of them and George, Charlotte and Louis during a private family holiday. They won that privacy case, with Kensington Palace stressing their determination to protect their children's private family life from undue intrusion.

So why does William so often disappear from this conversation?

Harry has every right to speak about his experiences with the press, and Meghan has every right to describe hers. But Harry and Meghan have also chosen at various points to engage publicly through interviews, documentaries, a memoir and other media projects. That doesn't justify harassment or intrusion — nothing does — but it does make their relationship with the media different from William and Catherine's in important ways.

Earl Spencer says we should learn from what happened to Diana. I completely agree. But that lesson surely has to apply to both of Diana's sons.

William lost his mother at 15. He has spent years trying to protect Catherine and their three children from the kind of intrusion he experienced growing up. If we're genuinely going to talk about the damaging consequences of press intrusion, we shouldn't remember Harry while repeatedly forgetting that Diana had two sons.

1 week ago | [YT] | 2,088

Royal Reporter Lydia

One of my friends, who is also a royal fan, posted this, and I think it is an important reminder that recollections can vary. None of us heard the private conversation in question, so none of us can say with certainty exactly what was said or how it was meant.

I remain supportive of His Majesty, but what troubles me most is watching the King being hunted yet again over something none of us can independently verify and could even be a lie. Challenge him for what we know he has actually said and done, absolutely - but speculation should never be turned into fact simply because it fits a particular narrative.

Latest news: https://youtu.be/NFuPweD_5Q4?si=FKd2o...

1 week ago | [YT] | 1,903