Buckingham Palace has issued an unusually firm pushback against Earl Charles Spencer’s forthcoming memoir, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, following excerpts published in the Daily Mail that claim King Charles insensitively told the Earl in 1997 that “we’ll forget her soon enough.” According to the Palace, His Majesty remains 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.” The dispute threatens to overshadow a crowded royal schedule featuring public engagements by the King, Prince William, Catherine, and Prince Harry.
Memoir Allegations and Funeral Dispute
Earl Spencer’s upcoming book, scheduled for release on September 22 by Penguin Michael Joseph, details tensions following the fatal 1997 Paris car crash involving Diana, Princess of Wales. According to serialized excerpts, a major confrontation arose over whether Princes William and Harry, then aged 15 and 12, should walk behind their mother’s coffin during the funeral procession. Earl Spencer writes that he opposed the plan, arguing that Diana would not have wanted her young sons subjected to such a public spectacle. When a senior aide informed him the boys would participate, the Earl recalls saying, “That’s not going to happen.” Within minutes, the then-Prince of Wales telephoned to press the case, citing his own experience walking in Lord Mountbatten’s funeral procession 18 years earlier at age 30. The memoir claims King Charles “went nuts” and unleashed a “stream of anger” before allegedly stating over the phone: “Rest assured, we’ll forget her soon enough!”
Palace Response and Historical Precedent
The Palace has strongly rejected the claims, maintaining they are entirely out of character for a compassionate man who was dealing with his own grief and that of his sons at the time. Julian Payne, the monarch’s former communications secretary, told the BBC that the reported language was “just not language that I recognise.” Payne noted that the “highly unusual” statement from the Palace demonstrated the “strength of feeling that there must have been for them to feel that they needed to go out there and correct it.” The phrasing of the Palace’s rebuttal drew immediate comparisons to Queen Elizabeth II’s firm response to claims made by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in 2021, during which she noted that “recollections may vary.”
Did You Know? On September 6, 1997, six days after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, Earl Spencer delivered a eulogy at Westminster Abbey that added to the volatile public atmosphere surrounding the Royal Family.
Reopening Past Grief and Security Concerns
The memoir is expected to reopen difficult chapters from the “War of the Waleses,” touching on Diana’s marriage and the intense public scrutiny directed at the monarchy following her death. Beyond the contents of the book, Dutch police are currently investigating the theft of four copies of the memoir from a lorry carrying thousands of wrapped copies, a development publishing sources described as “extremely suspicious.” As the publication date approaches, the controversy risks drawing renewed public attention to historical grievances involving the Spencer family and the broader Royal Family.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Earl Spencer’s new book claim about King Charles?
According to published excerpts, Earl Spencer claims that King Charles made insensitive remarks over the phone in 1997, allegedly stating, “Rest assured, we’ll forget her soon enough,” following a dispute over whether Princes William and Harry should walk in their mother’s funeral procession.
How has Buckingham Palace responded to the allegations?
Buckingham Palace issued a statement saying that while they do not comment on books as a matter of principle, His Majesty remains 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.”
When is Earl Spencer’s memoir scheduled for release?
The book, titled Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, is scheduled for worldwide release on September 22.
How do you think public perceptions of historical royal events are shaped by memoirs published decades later?
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