Buckingham Palace rejects Earl Spencer’s claims about King Charles after Diana’s death

Buckingham Palace has rejected allegations by Earl Charles Spencer that King Charles III acted cruelly after the death of Princess Diana in a 1997 car crash. Spencer, Diana’s elder brother, made the claims in a new book being serialized by the Daily Mail newspaper.

According to excerpts reported by DW, Spencer says Charles reacted angrily when he objected to Princes William and Harry taking part in the large public funeral procession for their mother. He alleges that Charles subjected him to a sustained outburst during a late-night phone call and said Diana would soon be forgotten. Spencer’s account says the conversation took place days after Diana died at the age of 36.

A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said the palace did not comment on books as a matter of principle. The spokesperson nevertheless said the King understood that “the pain of fraternal grief” could affect judgment and memory in ways that others might not recognize, even years later. The statement did not directly address the details of Spencer’s account.

Charles and Diana had separated acrimoniously before her death, and relations between Charles and Spencer were already severely strained, according to DW. The renewed dispute is part of a long-running conflict between the Spencer and Windsor families that has been repeatedly covered by the British press and popular television programs.

Diana’s death prompted widespread grief in Britain and elsewhere, while the monarchy faced criticism over its public response, particularly in the immediate aftermath. Spencer’s book, “Swan Song: Diana, My Sister,” is due to be published in full the following week, according to the supplied report.

The controversy comes as King Charles is due to host technology executives at Dumfries House in Scotland. Representatives from Nvidia, Google DeepMind, OpenAI and Anthropic are expected to attend an event focused on the responsibilities accompanying artificial-intelligence development. DW reported that the King is expected to argue that technology should serve humanity, communities and the natural world.