A Buckingham Palace row has erupted over a claim made by Earl Spencer about King Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales, following her death in 1997. The dispute centres on Spencer’s forthcoming memoir, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, which is due to be published next week.
According to an excerpt published by the Daily Mail, Earl Spencer claims that the then-Prince of Wales reacted angrily after Spencer objected to Princes William and Harry walking in their mother’s funeral procession. Spencer says the princes were aged 15 and 12 at the time.
Spencer wrote that Charles allegedly spoke to him in anger during a telephone conversation. He claims the King said: “Rest assured, we’ll forget her soon enough.”
The allegation has prompted a strong response from Buckingham Palace, which has challenged the account without directly commenting on the book itself. The Palace said that, as a matter of principle, it does not comment on books, but added a pointed statement about how grief can affect memories.
Buckingham Palace Row Over Diana Claim
The Palace said: “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.”
The statement is notable for its unusually firm wording. It has been compared with Queen Elizabeth II’s response in 2021 to claims of racism made by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, when Buckingham Palace said that “recollections may vary”.
Julian Payne, who previously served as King Charles’s communications secretary, also questioned the language attributed to the monarch. Speaking to the BBC, Payne said the reported words were “just not language that I recognise”.
Payne described the Palace statement as “highly unusual” and said its publication showed the strength of feeling behind the decision to respond publicly to Spencer’s account.
The Buckingham Palace row concerns a particularly sensitive period for the Royal Family. Diana’s death created an intense public reaction, with criticism directed at the monarchy over what some saw as a lack of emotion and empathy following the death of one of the country’s most popular public figures.
Earl Spencer’s emotional speech at Diana’s funeral also became part of the public response to her death. His new memoir offers his personal perspective on those events and on the relationship between Diana’s family and the Royal Family.
Royal Family Faces Busy Day
The Buckingham Palace row comes as several senior royals are carrying out major engagements. King Charles is due to host leaders from the artificial intelligence industry at Dumfries House in Ayrshire, where he will address concerns about the rapid development of the technology.
The King is expected to urge AI leaders to ensure that the technology does not become a destructive force. He will also discuss how the benefits of AI can be developed while maintaining safety and preventing misuse.
Charles is expected to say that “The development of AI, its substance and its pace, are both intriguing and deeply concerning in equal measure.” He will be joined by AI minister Kanishka Narayan and representatives of companies including OpenAI, Anthropic, Nvidia and Google DeepMind.
Meanwhile, Prince William and Catherine are scheduled to visit community and volunteering projects on the Isle of Bute. The couple, who are known as the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay in Scotland, will make their first official visit to the town of Rothesay.
Their programme includes seeing the traditional Scottish sport of shinty, visiting a community-owned pub and hearing about efforts to protect the island’s natural environment.
Prince Harry Returns to Public Events
Prince Harry is also due to make his first major public appearance since returning to the UK. He will attend the inaugural Invictus awards ceremony, which will celebrate the “resilience, service and unconquered spirit” of people involved in sporting events for injured service personnel.
It is not yet known whether Meghan will accompany Harry to the event. The couple have attracted attention during their return to the UK, despite not carrying out official royal engagements.
A letter sent on behalf of King Charles last week made clear that Harry and Meghan are not undertaking royal duties. However, the Sussexes are expected to continue receiving significant media attention while carrying out their own programme as private citizens.
The Buckingham Palace row adds another layer of attention to an already busy period for the Royal Family. With Earl Spencer’s Swan Song: Diana, My Sister due for publication next week, his account of Diana’s life, death and the events surrounding her funeral is set to renew focus on one of the monarchy’s most difficult periods.