Highlights
- Earl Spencer says Charles told him, “we’ll forget her soon enough”
- Palace says grief can affect “reason, judgment and memory”
- Dispute comes ahead of the publication of Spencer’s memoir next week
BUCKINGHAM PALACE has challenged claims by Earl Spencer, the brother of Princess Diana, that King Charles made an insensitive remark about his former wife shortly after her death nearly 30 years ago.
Spencer alleged that the then-Prince Charles told him, “rest assured, we’ll forget her soon enough” during an argument over whether their sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, should walk behind their mother’s coffin at her funeral.
The Palace issued an unusually strong statement in response to the claim, despite its usual policy of not commenting on books.
“While we do not comment on books as a matter of principle,” a Palace spokesperson said, “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.”
The comments were made as Spencer’s memoir, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, is due to be published next week. Excerpts from the book have been serialised in the Daily Mail.
Spencer’s account of the argument
According to Spencer, tensions between him and Charles rose over the decision for William and Harry, who were then aged 15 and 12, to walk in their mother’s funeral procession.
Spencer writes that Charles subjected him to a “stream of anger” during a telephone conversation.
“He unleashed down the phone what I have always taken to be his pent-up contempt for Diana,” Spencer writes, adding that Charles expressed “horror that the world was so bowled over by her death”.
He then quotes Charles as saying: “Rest assured, we’ll forget her soon enough.”
Spencer has said the purpose of his book is to present Diana’s story from the perspective of her family.
“This book aims to tell the truth about Diana from her brother’s perspective,” he said before its publication. “I want to speak on Diana’s behalf and do so in an openly positive way.”
Palace response echoes earlier royal dispute
The wording of the Palace statement has drawn comparisons with Queen Elizabeth II’s response to claims of racism made by Prince Harry and Meghan in their 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey.
At the time, Buckingham Palace said that while the issues raised were taken seriously, “some recollections may vary”.
Spencer’s latest claims concern one of the most difficult periods in the recent history of the Royal Family.
Diana died aged 36 in Paris in August 1997 after the car carrying her and Dodi al-Fayed crashed while being pursued by paparazzi photographers.
Her death led to an enormous public outpouring of grief in Britain. It also brought criticism of the Royal Family over its response to her death, with accusations that the monarchy had failed to reflect the public mood.
Diana had become one of the most recognisable members of the Royal Family after marrying Charles in a lavish ceremony in 1981. Their relationship later deteriorated, and they divorced in 1996.
Former aide questions reported language
Julian Payne, Charles’s former communications secretary, has also questioned Spencer’s account.
Speaking to the BBC, Payne said the reported words were “just not language that I recognise”.
He described the Palace statement as “highly unusual”, saying it showed the strength of feeling behind the decision to respond publicly.
The controversy is unfolding alongside a busy programme of royal engagements.
Prince William and Catherine are also due to visit community and volunteering projects on the Isle of Bute, where they will use their Scottish titles, the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay.
Prince Harry, meanwhile, is due to make his first major public appearance since returning to Britain at the inaugural Invictus Awards ceremony.
Spencer’s memoir is expected to reopen discussion about Diana’s death and the events surrounding her funeral, while the Palace’s response has brought renewed attention to the tensions that followed her death in 1997.
