Princess Diana on Rumors About Harry’s Red Hair: “I Refused to Let Them Hurt My Son”

“Harry’s Red Hair Almost Sparked a Royal Storm—But I Refused to Let Them Hurt My Son”

By Diana, Princess of Wales

I never imagined that my child’s hair color would one day be twisted into something cruel.

But that’s exactly what happened.

“Harry’s red hair almost dragged me into a royal storm.”

At the time, my relationship with Charles was already distant, fractured, tense. And then came the rumors—the whispers that Prince Harry wasn’t his son, all because of the color of his hair. It was vile. It was false. And it was an attempt to push me further into isolation.

But I would never let anyone hurt my children—not William, not Harry. Especially not Harry, whose heart is as pure and kind as any I’ve ever known.

The Truth Behind the Red Hair

Some people seized on Harry’s red hair as “evidence” of scandal, maliciously linking him to a man I once knew—James Hewitt—despite the fact that Harry was born years before that acquaintance began.

What they ignored—perhaps intentionally—is the simple truth:

Red hair runs in my family. It is a Spencer trait.

 

I’ve always held that fact firmly in my heart, never wavering in my belief and my knowledge. And I wasn’t about to let gossip cloud what I knew with certainty.

I Fought Back with Actions, Not Just Words

I made a public statement—firm, direct, and unapologetic. I clarified that Harry was, and always had been, Charles’s son. But I knew that in the court of public opinion, words alone would never be enough.

So I made a decision.

“I put aside my personal hurt. I stood beside Charles in public. I appeared with William and Harry—again and again.”

Not for Charles. Not for appearances. But to show the world that Harry belonged, fully and without question, to our family.

And I would keep showing them until they believed it.

My Greatest Mission: Protecting My Boys

Throughout everything—failed marriage, media attacks, personal struggles—my children were my anchor. My reason. My purpose.

“Protecting my children is my most important mission.”

There was nothing I wouldn’t face to keep them safe—from rumors, from isolation, from the weight of a spotlight they never asked for. If I had to walk through fire for them, I would. And often, I did.

Harry may have red hair. But what matters more is his courage, his warmth, his heart—and he got those from both sides of the family. Especially from me.