King Charles Breaks Palace Rule After Charles Spencer’s Explosive Diana Claim
King Charles has been drawn back into one of the Royal Family’s most painful chapters after Buckingham Palace issued a rare response to an extraordinary allegation made by Princess Diana’s brother Charles Spencer in his forthcoming memoir.
The Earl Spencer has written Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, a deeply personal account about his late sister, who died aged 36 following the Paris car crash in August 1997.
Spencer has promised to challenge what he considers longstanding misconceptions surrounding Diana’s life and death, but excerpts published by the Daily Mail have now brought his former brother-in-law directly into the controversy.
One particularly explosive passage concerns discussions surrounding Diana’s funeral and whether the young Prince William and Prince Harry should walk behind their mother’s coffin during the procession.
William was 15 and Harry was 12 when their mother died, and the decision for the brothers to participate in the public procession has remained one of the most intensely discussed elements of Diana’s funeral.
In his memoir, Spencer claims he had a heated telephone conversation with the then-Prince Charles over the issue, alleging that the future King became increasingly angry as the discussion continued.
“Prince Charles continued his stream of anger, without me interrupting,” Spencer writes, according to the published excerpt, before describing what he believed was an attempt by Charles to regain his composure.
Spencer then makes his most startling allegation, claiming Charles expressed “pent-up contempt for Diana” and discomfort at the scale of the worldwide reaction to her death.
“‘Rest assured,’ he hissed, ‘we’ll forget her soon enough!’” Spencer alleges Charles told him. The account is Spencer’s recollection of a private conversation nearly three decades ago and has not been independently established.
Buckingham Palace has now responded despite noting its usual policy of refusing to comment on books, offering a pointed assessment of how grief can influence memories and judgments following a devastating family loss.
“His Majesty is mindful that the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgment and colour memory in ways others do not recognise, even many years after such a loss,” a Palace spokesperson said on behalf of Charles.
The wording does not provide an alternative transcript of the alleged conversation, but it clearly challenges the reliability of Spencer’s recollection while acknowledging the profound grief surrounding Diana’s death.
Tensions between Diana’s family and the royals following her death have long formed part of the public discussion surrounding the Princess, particularly concerning William and Harry and decisions made during an extraordinarily difficult period.
With Spencer’s book preparing to revisit those events in detail, the Palace’s unusual intervention shows how sensitive the allegations remain. Rather than allowing the claim to pass unanswered, Charles has authorised a response questioning how grief may have shaped his former brother-in-law’s memory of one of the monarchy’s most painful moments.
