King Charles Diana Claims Spark Royal Dispute
King Charles Diana claims have emerged in a new memoir by Earl Spencer, the brother of Princess Diana, with Buckingham Palace strongly challenging the account of the former Prince of Wales’ reaction to her death in 1997.
The claims appear in Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, which is due to be published next week. BBC News has not seen the complete book, while extracts have been published in the Daily Mail.
Earl Spencer recalls receiving a late-night phone call from his sister Jane at his home in Cape Town, South Africa, on 31 August 1997. Further calls confirmed that Diana had died following the car crash in Paris, after which Spencer says the then-Prince Charles contacted him.
According to the Earl Spencer memoir, Charles sounded unusually upbeat during the conversation. Spencer wrote that while other callers had been stunned and struggled to express their condolences, Charles sounded “giddily elated – like a lottery winner, I remember thinking at the time.”
Spencer also says Charles told him that he had informed Princes William and Harry about their mother’s death earlier that morning at Balmoral. Charles and Diana had divorced in August 1996, about a year before Diana’s death.
Buckingham Palace Rejects Diana Account
Buckingham Palace has rejected the account surrounding Charles’ alleged reaction, continuing its response to earlier extracts from the book that claimed he had said: “We’ll forget her soon enough.”
A Palace spokesperson 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 response highlights the Palace’s position that memories surrounding a deeply painful family loss can be affected by grief and the passage of time.
The latest King Charles Diana claims are based on Earl Spencer’s recollection of conversations and events surrounding his sister’s death nearly three decades ago. Their accuracy has been disputed by people who were connected to the Royal Family at the time.
Earl Spencer Details Diana’s Marriage
The memoir also revisits Princess Diana’s troubled marriage to Charles. Earl Spencer writes that a friend of Diana told him Charles had said on the eve of their July 1981 wedding that he was “very happy to marry her, but… not actually in love with her”.
Spencer describes the marriage as becoming “very difficult indeed” early on, while saying he is “sure that both spouses despaired of the other at times”.
He also writes that he now believes Diana had attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and experienced Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria, which he describes as “intense emotional pain in the face of others’ rejection or criticism”.
According to the memoir, Diana considered taking her own life on more than one occasion during her later years. Spencer writes that her love for William and Harry prevented her from going further.
Former Royal Aides Challenge Claims
Dickie Arbiter, who served as press secretary to Queen Elizabeth II during Diana’s death and funeral, strongly rejected the description of Charles as “giddily elated”.
Speaking to BBC Newsnight, Arbiter said Charles was “devastated at the time” and argued that such a reaction was not consistent with his character.
“There’s no way he could have ever said anything like that. Charles Spencer is just talking hogwash,” Arbiter said.
Royal commentator Jennie Bond also questioned the account while acknowledging that Spencer was describing his own memory of events.
“I have no reason to disbelieve this is his memory of what happened, but there are usually two sides to a conversation and a story,” she told BBC Breakfast.
Representatives of Prince Harry have said they do not want to comment on the memoir, while Buckingham Palace has referred back to its previous response.
Prince Harry Appears at Invictus Awards
The dispute surrounding the memoir comes as Prince Harry made a public appearance at the inaugural Invictus Spirit Awards in Greenwich on Thursday.
Harry met veterans, posed for photographs and selfies, and delivered a speech at the event. He said he was “incredibly excited” to meet the winners and nominees after serving on the judging panel alongside Meghan, Duchess of Sussex.
Meghan did not attend the ceremony.
Other members of the Royal Family were also undertaking public engagements. King Charles hosted an artificial intelligence summit in Ayrshire, where he warned about the “existential dangers” of the technology falling into the wrong hands.
Meanwhile, Prince William and the Princess of Wales visited Scotland’s Isle of Bute, where they helped with a beach clean-up, met local residents and participated in a shinty game.
