A war of words has erupted between Buckingham Palace and Earl Spencer following the publication of his memoir, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister,
according to Cheatsheet. The book opens up old questions about King Charles’s character, his treatment of the princess, and his relationship with Queen Camilla, as reported by the BBC.
Buckingham Palace Rejects Memoir Claims
The Royal Family is reeling from a string of explosive claims in the memoir, which prompted a highly unusual response from the Palace (Daily Mail). While the Palace does not comment on books as a matter of principle, a spokesman stated that fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgment and colour memory in ways others do not recognize, even many years after such a loss
.
Explosive Allegations Regarding King Charles
Earl Spencer alleges that during a blistering row days after Princess Diana’s 1997 death regarding whether Princes William and Harry should walk in their mother’s funeral procession, the then-Prince Charles told him, Rest assured, we’ll forget her soon enough
(Daily Mail). The earl also claimed that Charles sounded giddily elated
and like he had just won the lottery
during their phone conversation on the day the princess died.
Spencer defended his book by stating his primary responsibility as a historian is to tell the truth about Diana and deal with myths that needed to be addressed once and for all (Daily Mail). He also denied being motivated by money and said his late sister would be cheering from the rafters
at his book (Daily Mail).
Accusations of Gaslighting
In his first newspaper comments since the dispute erupted, 62-year-old Earl Spencer hit back at the Palace’s statement, describing it as gaslighting (Daily Mail). He called the Palace’s statement a poor imitation
of Queen Elizabeth’s famous recollections may vary
retort to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle following their 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey (Daily Mail).
It is not every day you wake up to find you’ve been gaslit by the King,
Spencer said, calling the statement astonishingly provocative and below the belt (Daily Mail). He told the BBC in an interview: I’ve only ever had two calls on the line with then-Prince Charles at any stage of my life. I was hyper-alert to what he was saying … and I promise that to you now, genuinely, that is what he said. I don’t hear him saying he didn’t say that
.
Additional Revelations in the Memoir
Additionally, the book reveals that the late Queen Elizabeth II offered to posthumously restore Diana’s HRH title. Spencer described it as a well-meaning gesture but felt it was a consolation award,
adding that the title should never have been removed during her life. Meanwhile, sources have noted that Prince Harry spent time visiting Althorp and discussed the memoir material, though insiders emphasize that suspicion is not proof that Harry helped write or concoct the book.
