Earl Spencer has claimed in published extracts of his upcoming memoir, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, that King Charles sounded giddily elated – like a lottery winner
during a phone call immediately following the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. The book is written from the perspective of the Spencer family and is scheduled to be published the following week.
Earl Spencer Claims Charles Was Giddily Elated
After Diana’s Death
According to the book’s extracts published on the website of the Daily Mail, Earl Spencer also alleged that Charles subjected him to a stream of anger over the telephone regarding the funeral procession. Spencer wrote that Charles unleashed pent-up contempt and stated, Rest assured, we’ll forget her soon enough
after Spencer insisted that Princes William and Harry, who were then 15 and 12 years old, should not have to walk behind their mother’s coffin. Spencer additionally claimed he believed Buckingham Palace wanted William, Harry, and himself to walk because palace officials feared members of the public might shout abuse at Charles, and having Diana’s sons walk would guarantee against insults flying.
Palace Response and Stolen Book Copies
The claims in the memoir have been rejected by the Palace, which described them as entirely out of character for a man with a deeply compassionate nature who was dealing with his own grief and that of the two sons at the time. Julian Payne, the monarch’s former communications secretary, told the BBC that the language attributed to the King in the book was just not language that I recognise
and noted that the unusual statement from the Palace demonstrated the strength of feeling required to correct it.
Earlier on Wednesday, it was reported that copies of Earl Spencer’s unreleased book had been stolen from a lorry in the Netherlands. The unfolding dispute and book release overshadowed a busy day of engagements for the royal family, which included the Duke of Sussex making an appearance at the inaugural Invictus Spirit awards in London following his return to the UK.
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