The controversial film showed how Countess Raine Spencer eventually married Diana’s father Earl Johnny Spencer following the sudden departure of her biological mother Frances Rand-Kydd at the age of six.
But while the Princess struggled to get on with her father’s new wife growing up, when her own marriage to Prince Charles went south, Raine was surprisingly one of the people she turned to, leading to the pair becoming close friends and confidantes.
Despite the eventual reconciliation, Earl Dartmouth, the countess’ son, shut down Channel 4’s premise for the documentary.
The 67-year-old gave his views on the subject when he bluntly said: “I won’t be watching.”
A spokesman for the earl further revealed his refusal to cooperate when they added that he had “declined to discuss his mother with producers”.
Meanwhile, more of the countess and politician’s relatives were apparently fighting for Channel 4 bosses to agree to add quotes around ‘wicked’ in the documentary’s title, as they were keen to ensure viewers were aware these aspects of Raine’s personality were merely speculation.
The Countess, who was 87 when she died last year, was married to Diana’s father until the day he died.
The documentary revealed how Raine had prevented Princess Diana and her siblings from seeing their dad in hospital when he’d suffered an earlier illness.
When he eventually died, the Spencer children had pushed Raine straight back out of the family and their home Althorp House within days.
Sue Howe, Raine’s personal assistant at the time, admitted how devastating the events were, saying: “She [Raine] was just heartbroken, as we all were. It was a very sad time. And that was it, her life at Althorp had finished, just like that. Raine kicked out.”
Despite Raine and Diana’s incredibly rocky relationship, the pair managed to reconnect in the years before the Princess’s sudden death.
Facing a difficult divorce to her husband amid a media furore, Diana surprisingly turned to Raine and they became close friends.
Daily Express :: TV and Radio Feed
