Earl Spencer claims King Charles sounded elated after Princess Diana's death. Buckingham Palace responds as Spencer defends his account, saying he's telling the truth.
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Add BollywoodShaadis on GoogleThe British Royal family, especially King Charles, is facing renewed scrutiny over his relationship with Princess Diana after some fresh claims from her brother, Charles Spencer, in his upcoming memoir. The 9th Earl Spencer alleges that the then-Prince Charles sounded "giddily elated" during a phone call after Diana died in the 1997 car crash, comparing his tone to that of a "lottery winner."
The latest claims appear in Spencer's memoir Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, which is due to be published next week. In a new BBC interview, Spencer stood by his recollection of another alleged conversation with Charles, insisting, "I'm telling the truth," after Buckingham Palace also issued a rare response questioning his account, insisting that grief can affect one's memory.
In excerpts from his upcoming memoir published by the Daily Mail, Spencer recalls learning about Diana's fatal car crash in Paris on August 31, 1997, while staying at his home in Cape Town, South Africa. He says his sister, Jane Fellowes, called him in the middle of the night to tell him about the crash.
After learning that Diana had passed away, Spencer received a series of calls, including one from the then-Prince Charles. According to Spencer, Charles' tone especially stood out from the others because of the way he sounded after the tragedyy. He wrote:
"Unlike my other callers, who were stunned, barely able to articulate their condolences and offers of help, he sounded giddily elated — like a lottery winner, I remember thinking at the time."
Spencer recalled Charles telling him that he had informed Diana's sons, Princes William and Harry, who were 15 and 12 at the time, about their mother's death that morning at Balmoral. Spencer also offered his own interpretation of the alleged reaction, writing that he suspected Charles may have been thinking about the possibility of marrying Camilla Parker Bowles, the woman he had long loved, rather than focusing on the loss of his former wife and the mother of his teen boys.
The latest allegations follow another controversial passage in Spencer's memoir, in which he claims Charles told him, "We'll forget her soon enough," during a disagreement over Diana's funeral. In a new BBC interview at his Althorp estate, Spencer defended that account and said he was certain of the words he remembered having with the King. He said:
"I can tell you here, and now, those are exactly the words he said."
The 9th Earl Spencer explained that he had only spoken to then-Prince Charles on the phone twice in his life and said he was "hyper alert" to what the King was saying. He recalled that the conversation became heated after he objected to the plan for William and Harry to walk behind their mother's coffin during the funeral procession.
According to Spencer, Charles "went ballistic" and spoke angrily about his family's sense of duty. Spencer said he expected the King to calm down, but instead heard the remark about Diana being forgotten "soon enough." Spencer recalled:
"I just, after a stunned silence, I said, I cannot believe you just said that. And I hung up on him."
When asked whether he had evidence to support the claim, Spencer said he had told family and friends about the conversation at the time because he found it so shocking. Talking about which account the public should believe, Spencer simply responded: "I'm telling the truth."
Buckingham Palace issued an unusually direct statement after the initial excerpt about the alleged "we'll forget her soon enough" comment was published. The palace stated:
"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 royal family challenged the reliability of Spencer's recollection. Diana's brother questioned the response during his BBC interview, asking whether the King was "furious" or "embarrassed." He also argued that the palace had suggested memories could differ without directly denying the words he attributed to Charles.
Besides these claims, the memoir also revisits Diana's troubled marriage to Charles, including a shocking private conversation Spencer says they had over lunch at a restaurant in London when Diana shared she was divorcing the King. The late princess had allegedly said that her husband was "in love with his valet." Spencer's memoir also recounts his concerns about Diana's funeral arrangements, while also writing about struggles with her mental health and possibly undiagnosed ADHD.
What are your thoughts on Charles Spencer's shocking new revelations in his upcoming memoir?
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