Why Prince William has hired Diana’s divorce lawyers: a surprising move that’s the talk of the palace

Behind the palace’s polished doors, a quiet act of defiance is stirring. Prince William — future king and modernizer of the monarchy — has made a striking choice: he’s hired the same legal team that once represented his mother, Princess Diana. And that decision has everyone at the palace talking.

As revealed by Daily Mail columnist Richard Eden, the Prince of Wales, now 42, has formally disengaged from the legal counsel historically tethered to the House of Windsor. Instead, he has aligned himself with Mishcon de Reya—the same formidable firm that stood beside his mother, Princess Diana, during the bitter legal unbinding from King Charles in 1996.

A source close to the matter offered a pointed insight: “William wanted to go it alone.” The message, both stark and symbolic, echoes with a desire for autonomy. “He didn’t want to keep using his father’s lawyers. It’s that simple. He wants to be independent,” the insider added.

Another confidant, described as a “friend,” offered further texture: “William intends to lead in a manner that not only deviates from his father’s path but is visibly distinct. He doesn’t just want change—he wants people to see the change.”

The move is more than administrative—it’s philosophical. A symbolic disentanglement from the institutional scaffolding that has long underpinned the monarchy’s legal strategies. It’s a gesture saturated with meaning, reaching into the legacy of Princess Diana, who herself turned to Mishcon de Reya at a time when she stood nearly alone against the most entrenched firmaments of royal tradition.

Notably absent is any public reaction from Kensington Palace. A spokesperson declined to offer comment, choosing silence over spin.

For decades, the royals leaned heavily on Harbottle & Lewis, a legal firm deeply embedded in the family’s most sensitive affairs. Their fingerprints were all over the scandalous 2006 News of the World phone-hacking debacle—an affair that exposed not just the illegal tapping of celebrity voicemails, but also the vulnerability of royal privacy. William and Prince Harry were among the victims. The paper shuttered not long after the public outcry.

William’s departure from Harbottle & Lewis, though unannounced formally, resonates as an intentional repositioning. It’s not just a change of stationery—it’s a signal. A marker that he’s laying fresh tracks for a more modern reign.

In a 2024 interview with the BBC, William gave voice to that vision. “I can only describe what I’m trying to do, and that’s I’m trying to do it differently, and I’m trying to do it for my generation… to make the monarchy more modern.”

Interestingly, the generational divergence continues within the extended family. William’s uncle, Charles Spencer—Diana’s brother—recently turned to Fiona Shackleton for his own divorce from Karen Spencer. Shackleton, known for her icy composure and courtroom steel, famously represented Prince Charles in his divorce from Diana. Her clientele reads like a high society ledger: Prince Andrew, Paul McCartney, Princess Haya of Jordan.

But William, unlike the men before him, didn’t return to Shackleton. He circled back to Mishcon de Reya—a quiet homage to his mother, perhaps, and a deliberate act of individualism.

In the royal ecosystem, where continuity is the currency of legitimacy, Prince William’s choices hum with quiet rebellion. He may be next in line for the crown, but he is no carbon copy of the kings before him. With each step, he etches the silhouette of a sovereign defined not by legacy, but by his own deliberate handwriting.