Comedian Harry Hill is facing criticism after posting a photo of himself with a Princess Diana waxwork on Instagram, accompanied by a caption that some users deemed in poor taste.
Hill, whose real name is Matthew Keith Hall, shared the image on Sunday with the caption: "I will never talk of our time together... sorry but that's special time." The post quickly drew negative comments from followers who described the jokes as "bad taste," "poor judgement," and "not funny at all given the current situation."
The controversy surrounding Hill's post coincides with a period of heightened public attention on Princess Diana, largely due to upcoming revelations from her brother, Earl Spencer. Earl Spencer is reportedly set to release a tell-all book detailing his experiences and perspectives.
Recent reports, including extracts published by the Daily Mail, indicate that the Royal Family is anticipating a string of controversial claims in Spencer's memoir, titled "Swan Song: Diana, My Sister." One particularly incendiary alleged claim attributed to the book suggests that Prince Charles told Earl Spencer days after Diana's 1997 death, "Rest assured, we'll forget her soon enough." This purported statement has reportedly prompted an unusual response from Buckingham Palace, which has questioned the veracity of Earl Spencer's account. A Palace spokesman stated that "fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgment and colour memory."
Earl Spencer has also claimed to have had a significant argument with Prince Charles prior to Diana's funeral. This disagreement reportedly arose after Spencer expressed discomfort with the then-Princes William and Harry walking behind their mother's coffin. According to Spencer, Charles's alleged comment about forgetting Diana soon was made during this confrontation, and the then-Prince also criticized the Spencer family's sense of duty.
During his eulogy at Diana's funeral, Earl Spencer included lines that he has since indicated were a direct response to Charles's alleged sentiment. He emphasized Diana's "sense of duty" and stated that her "unique, the complex, the extraordinary and irreplaceable Diana, whose beauty, both internal and external, will never be extinguished from our minds." Spencer has suggested that this final sentence served as a rebuttal to the idea that Diana would be forgotten.
This is not the first time Harry Hill has been involved in a controversy. In 2016, a backdated episode of his show "Harry Hill's TV Burp" was aired and contained scenes described as "transphobic." Reflecting on contemporary comedy standards last year, Hill commented that a show like "TV Burp" would likely face cancellation if it were produced today, citing a perceived lack of risk-taking in current comedic productions.