Buckingham Palace has entered an unusually public dispute with Earl Spencer over claims in his forthcoming memoir about a conversation with King Charles III after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997.
According to excerpts published by the Daily Mail and reported by BBC News, Spencer writes that Charles subjected him to a “stream of anger” after he objected to Diana’s sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, walking behind her coffin. Spencer says Charles told him: “We’ll forget her soon enough.”
The Palace rejected the account without commenting directly on the book. In a statement reported by BBC News, it said the King understood 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.” The response has drawn comparisons with Queen Elizabeth II’s statement in 2021 that “recollections may vary” after allegations made by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
Julian Payne, a former communications secretary to the King, told the BBC that the alleged wording was “just not language that I recognise.” He described the Palace statement as highly unusual and said it showed the strength of feeling behind the decision to challenge the claim.
Spencer’s book, “Swan Song: Diana, My Sister,” is due to be published next week. The memoir is expected to revisit the period surrounding Diana’s death, when the Royal Family faced criticism over its public response and accusations that it lacked emotion and empathy. Spencer’s funeral speech and his objections to William and Harry’s participation in the procession remain part of the wider debate about how the family handled the tragedy.
The dispute comes amid a busy day of royal activity. BBC News reported that Charles was hosting technology leaders in Scotland and warning about the potentially catastrophic misuse of artificial intelligence, while William and Catherine visited the Isle of Bute. Harry was due to attend the first Invictus awards ceremony since returning to the UK. Copies of Spencer’s unreleased book were also reported to have been stolen from a lorry in the Netherlands.