Earl Spencer's Explosive Diana Memoir Ignites Fresh Royal Crisis with Accusations Against King Charles

Princess Diana's brother, Charles Spencer, claims in his forthcoming memoir 'Swan Song: Diana, My Sister' that King Charles—then Prince of Wales—sounded 'giddily elated' when they spoke days after Diana's 1997 death in Paris. Spencer also alleges Charles told him they would 'forget her soon enough,' prompting a rare, forceful rebuttal from Buckingham Palace that grief can 'cloud reason, affect judgment and colour memory.'

The release of Earl Spencer's deeply personal memoir just days away has sent shockwaves through the British royal household, overshadowing King Charles III's planned artificial intelligence summit. Published by Penguin Press with a scheduled release on September 22, the 384-page book 'Swan Song: Diana, My Sister' marks the first time Spencer has spoken openly and at length about his sister's life and legacy, from their shared childhood through the tragic circumstances of her death nearly three decades ago. The explosive claims emerging from pre-publication extracts have centered on Spencer's account of heated phone conversations with Charles in the immediate aftermath of Diana's fatal car crash in Paris on August 31, 1997. In one alleged exchange over funeral arrangements for the young princes, Spencer claims Charles responded with anger when the Earl objected to William and Harry walking behind their mother's coffin. Spencer writes that Charles, then Prince of Wales, told him: 'Rest assured, we'll forget her soon enough'—a remark the Earl has long interpreted as reflecting contempt for Diana and shock at the massive public outpouring of grief. In a second bombshell extract published this week, Spencer describes taking phone calls as news of the crash spread and writes that most callers sounded 'stunned, barely able to articulate their condolences,' but that Charles was markedly different. Spencer claims the then-Prince sounded 'giddily elated' during their conversation—an extraordinary characterization that has reverberated across British and international media outlets since being revealed. Buckingham Palace issued an unusually robust public response on Wednesday, departing from its standard policy of not commenting on books. The palace statement acknowledged that 'grief can affect reason, judgment and colour memory in ways others do not recognise, even many years after such a loss,' effectively challenging the reliability of Spencer's recollections without directly addressing each claim. Royal commentators noted that such a forceful palace rebuttal is notably assertive by the institution's usual reserved standards, signaling the seriousness with which King Charles III's household regards the allegations. Spencer's memoir arrives as preparations build toward the 30th anniversary of Diana's death in August 2027, ensuring the book will command sustained international attention. The project, which Spencer has described as exceptionally personal, examines Diana's life and legacy through her younger brother's intimate perspective—offering a counterpoint to decades of royal narratives and public commemoration of the Princess of Wales.