Earl Spencer Says Then-Prince Charles Called Early Inheritance Lucky
Charles Spencer, Earl Spencer, says the then-Prince Charles told him he was lucky to inherit young, just days before Spencer's father died.
Spencer, the younger brother of Diana, Princess of Wales, made the claim while promoting his memoir, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister. He said the exchange happened in a private conversation before he succeeded to the family title, an inherited British noble rank.
Spencer quoted Charles as saying, "You're so lucky to have inherited so young." In a CBS News interview, he called the remark "peculiar" and said it showed Charles's frustration at his long wait to become king Town & Country.
Spencer was born in London on May 20, 1964. He is the son of the eighth Earl Spencer and now runs Althorp, the family estate in West Northamptonshire, England, bought by the Spencers in 1508 CNN.
In the book, Spencer makes a second claim about Charles. He writes that Charles said "We'll forget her soon enough" on the phone in the days after Diana's death in 1997. That account comes from Spencer alone. It has not been independently confirmed.
Buckingham Palace, the king's official household and office, answered with a short statement. It said, "His Majesty is mindful that the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgment and colour memory."
Spencer pushed back on that response in an ABC News interview. He said he felt "gaslit by a king." In a BBC interview, he said he knows "lots of things" about the king that he chose not to put in the book because they were not relevant Town & Country.
The memoir was first announced on Aug. 18, 2026, as Diana's life story told from her brother's view. Spencer also alleges he argued with the then-prince over palace plans after her death. King Charles responded to the criticism from Diana's brother in September 2026 Reuters.
What makes this stand out is the source. Spencer rarely speaks at length about his sister. His version now sits alongside the palace's, and readers are left with two very different memories of private grief.
