overall, the press had been pretty much on her side. Many editors were hesitant about saying so, however, until Piers finally had his say in the Guardian. He cited hypocrisy, and understandably so.
‘First up, with almost laughable predictability, was David Mellor, who arrived on my TV screen with indecent haste, breathlessly blaming the British tabloid press directly for the accident,’ he wrote. ‘Never mind the fact that we had just lost perhaps the greatest icon of our lifetime – it was far more important to have a crack at the “gutter press” than actually wait for any true details to emerge. The fact that no representation of any British tabloid was anywhere near the place at the time didn’t stem his indignant rage. It was cringe-making stuff from a man with a very obvious reason for disliking newspapers that quite correctly exposed his serial adultery for the hypocrisy it was.’
Piers had put his finger on it: Earl Spencer, David Mellor and the rest all had their own issues with the press, and so, given this marvellous opportunity to blame the tabloids, they lost no time in doing so. Other sections of the press came in for equal lambasting on the grounds that they were trying to have their cake and eat it – reporting everything in salacious detail, yet criticising other papers.It was perfectly fair comment, although the saga was to run further still.
And, indeed, Earl Spencer might have reflected on the wisdom of his posturing just two months later when, back in Cape Town (where he was then resident), he went through his first divorce. The man who had attacked just about everyone for their treatment of his sister, with her eating disorders and general unhappiness, was revealed to have been an appalling husband. Victoria Lockwood, his first wife, not only had to endure repeated infidelity on his part, but was summoned to the Earl lying in his bath, whereupon he told her that he wanted a divorce and, for good measure, added that she should stay away from Diana’s funeral, too.
It also emerged that Spencer first made and then withdrew an offer to shelter his sister in a property on the Althorp Estate. This was a very different picture indeed of the man who had denounced the royal family with righteous fury for its cruelty and the press had no hesitation in reporting every detail of the story.
Countess Spencer had wanted divorce proceedings to take place in London, but, no doubt thinking he would have to pay out a lower settlement, Lord Spencer insisted on Cape Town. He was probably right, in that he didn’t have to pay quite as much, but had the case been heard in London then the couple’s intimate details would not have been made public. His reputation never really recovered, while his sister Diana is now viewed as one of the great icons of the twentieth century.
It was poetic justice, albeit of a tragic kind.
CHAPTER SIX
KEEP OFF THE GRASS
A s the year drew to an end and the shock over the death of Diana began to fade, Piers turned his attention to other stories. The brief was as it had always been: keep the Mirror in the spotlight, keep the circulation moving upwards and take on the Sun . Any editor is only as good as the last issue and Piers knew that, to keep ahead, he would constantly have to come up with good stories to keep the Mirror in the limelight – which is just what he did.
In truth, his next agenda-setting triumph pretty much dropped into his lap. In December 1997, an anonymous caller rang the Mirror and gave it a very strong lead. ‘Watch this pub, watch this bloke,’ the caller advised. ‘Not only will you be amazed at what he’s doing, but you will also be surprised at who his parents are.’
Piers had always been aware of the advantages of sending attractive young women out on a story – indeed, he was to capitalise on this in the future with his ‘3amgirls’ – and so he duly dispatched Dawn Alford and Tanith Carey to investigate. They called in at the pub, spotted
‘First up, with almost laughable predictability, was David Mellor, who arrived on my TV screen with indecent haste, breathlessly blaming the British tabloid press directly for the accident,’ he wrote. ‘Never mind the fact that we had just lost perhaps the greatest icon of our lifetime – it was far more important to have a crack at the “gutter press” than actually wait for any true details to emerge. The fact that no representation of any British tabloid was anywhere near the place at the time didn’t stem his indignant rage. It was cringe-making stuff from a man with a very obvious reason for disliking newspapers that quite correctly exposed his serial adultery for the hypocrisy it was.’
Piers had put his finger on it: Earl Spencer, David Mellor and the rest all had their own issues with the press, and so, given this marvellous opportunity to blame the tabloids, they lost no time in doing so. Other sections of the press came in for equal lambasting on the grounds that they were trying to have their cake and eat it – reporting everything in salacious detail, yet criticising other papers.It was perfectly fair comment, although the saga was to run further still.
And, indeed, Earl Spencer might have reflected on the wisdom of his posturing just two months later when, back in Cape Town (where he was then resident), he went through his first divorce. The man who had attacked just about everyone for their treatment of his sister, with her eating disorders and general unhappiness, was revealed to have been an appalling husband. Victoria Lockwood, his first wife, not only had to endure repeated infidelity on his part, but was summoned to the Earl lying in his bath, whereupon he told her that he wanted a divorce and, for good measure, added that she should stay away from Diana’s funeral, too.
It also emerged that Spencer first made and then withdrew an offer to shelter his sister in a property on the Althorp Estate. This was a very different picture indeed of the man who had denounced the royal family with righteous fury for its cruelty and the press had no hesitation in reporting every detail of the story.
Countess Spencer had wanted divorce proceedings to take place in London, but, no doubt thinking he would have to pay out a lower settlement, Lord Spencer insisted on Cape Town. He was probably right, in that he didn’t have to pay quite as much, but had the case been heard in London then the couple’s intimate details would not have been made public. His reputation never really recovered, while his sister Diana is now viewed as one of the great icons of the twentieth century.
It was poetic justice, albeit of a tragic kind.
CHAPTER SIX
KEEP OFF THE GRASS
A s the year drew to an end and the shock over the death of Diana began to fade, Piers turned his attention to other stories. The brief was as it had always been: keep the Mirror in the spotlight, keep the circulation moving upwards and take on the Sun . Any editor is only as good as the last issue and Piers knew that, to keep ahead, he would constantly have to come up with good stories to keep the Mirror in the limelight – which is just what he did.
In truth, his next agenda-setting triumph pretty much dropped into his lap. In December 1997, an anonymous caller rang the Mirror and gave it a very strong lead. ‘Watch this pub, watch this bloke,’ the caller advised. ‘Not only will you be amazed at what he’s doing, but you will also be surprised at who his parents are.’
Piers had always been aware of the advantages of sending attractive young women out on a story – indeed, he was to capitalise on this in the future with his ‘3amgirls’ – and so he duly dispatched Dawn Alford and Tanith Carey to investigate. They called in at the pub, spotted
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