Palace rebuts Earl Spencer claim about King Charles and Diana memoir

Buckingham Palace has rebutted a claim in Earl Spencer's forthcoming memoir that King Charles III said the Royal Family would soon forget Diana, Princess of Wales.

The claim is that Charles Spencer, Earl Spencer, writes that the then Prince said: "Rest assured, we'll forget her soon enough." The Palace denial was reported on 18 September 2026 The Guardian.

Spencer attributes the alleged remark to a row over funeral arrangements days after Diana's death. Diana died in 1997 BBC. At that time Charles held the title of Prince, before his accession in 2022.

In his account, Spencer refers to Charles as his former brother-in-law People. That description reflects the dissolution of the marriage between Charles and Diana in 1996. The alleged exchange has not been independently verified. It rests on Spencer's memoir account, and the Palace has answered it with a rebuttal.

The book is titled Swan Song: Diana, My Sister. It is written by Charles Spencer, the brother of Princess Diana, and is described as his first book devoted to his sister WWD.

The publisher is Penguin Press. Publication is scheduled for 22 September 2026, according to the same report. Spencer has said he was persuaded to set down his thoughts and memories of Diana ahead of the 30th anniversary of her death.

Reuters reported on 16 September 2026 that King Charles III had responded to criticism from Diana's brother Reuters. The Palace rebuttal followed two days later.

For readers, this means the full text is not yet public. What is on the record so far is a single disputed quotation, the context Spencer gives for it, and a Palace denial. The terms will become clearer once the book is published and the Court Circular, the daily record of official royal engagements, shows any further response.