Earl Spencer alleges elation and anger from Charles after Diana's death; palace answers with grief
Charles Spencer, Earl Spencer, alleges in his forthcoming memoir that His Majesty King Charles III sounded "giddily elated – like a lottery winner" when he told him of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. He further alleges that the then Prince of Wales said "Rest assured, we'll forget her soon enough" during the arrangements for her funeral. The claims appear in excerpts from Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, serialised in the Daily Mail ahead of publication on 22 September, as reported by HELLO!.
Earl Spencer recalls being told of his sister's death on 31 August 1997. He is Diana's younger brother. Charles was then Prince of Wales and heir to the throne.
The memoir also addresses the planning of the funeral. Earl Spencer claims Diana had wanted Mozart's Requiem, the Roman Catholic Mass for the dead, played at her funeral. He writes that he raised this wish during the discussions that followed her death.
A central dispute concerned Prince William and Prince Harry, then aged 15 and 12. Earl Spencer claims he opposed the two boys walking in the funeral procession in London. He said he told Charles that Diana would not have wanted William and Harry to endure that ordeal, according to NBC News.
Earl Spencer claims his objection was met with a "stream of anger" from Charles. It was in this context, he alleges, that Charles made the remark about forgetting Diana soon enough. The allegation of a heated exchange in the days after Diana's death was first detailed in earlier serialisation reported on 16 September.
Buckingham Palace does not as a rule comment on books. A spokesperson for the King issued a statement in response to the serialisation. The wording was: "While we do not comment on books as a matter of principle, 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."
That wording has drawn attention. Ingrid Seward, author of Catherine & Diana: The inside story, described the King's statement as an unprecedented response. She said she had never heard a statement like this before. She also told the Press Association that the palace's response was "unprecedented", as reported by Yahoo.
What makes this stand out is the paper trail. A memoir makes testable claims about conversations. A palace statement answers in formal language. Readers can weigh one against the other.
Neither the palace statement nor the memoir excerpts provide independent contemporaneous records of the private telephone calls and funeral meetings described. The book is due to be published in full on 22 September. The palace has not commented further.
