King Charles’s palace has rejected a claim by Princess Diana’s brother that the late royal would soon be forgotten after her death.
Buckingham Palace challenged the account after the Daily Mail revealed extracts from Earl Spencer’s forthcoming memoir. A royal spokesman suggested grief can “cloud reason, affect judgement and colour memory” long after a painful loss.
Now, a royal expert has claimed Princess Diana would be “horrified” with her brother over the latest revelation.
Princess Diana’s brother Earl Spencer describes funeral procession row
The allegation appears in Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, which is due for worldwide publication on September 22.
Earl Spencer says the exchange happened during funeral preparations in 1997. At issue was whether Princes William and Harry should walk behind their mother’s coffin.
William was 15, while Harry was 12. The earl claims he opposed the plan because Diana would not have wanted her sons facing that public ordeal.
He says the then Prince of Wales defended the procession by recalling Lord Mountbatten’s 1979 funeral. Charles had been 30 at that funeral, a difference Diana’s brother says he highlighted during their call.
According to the earl, Charles became angry before allegedly saying: “Rest assured, we’ll forget her soon enough!”
The earl writes that he was stunned and ended the call after challenging the alleged remark. He says he interpreted those words as showing contempt for Diana.
Buckingham Palace disputes Earl Spencer’s account
The palace’s statement disputes both the recollection and the characterisation of Charles. The spokesman noted that the King does not comment on books as a matter of principle.
A source close to Charles also said the alleged words were out of character. The source described him as grief-stricken at the time, while supporting William and Harry through their loss.
According to the source, Charles overruled royal protocol to secure Diana a full state-style ceremonial funeral. That point directly challenges the memoir’s suggestion that he felt contempt towards Diana.
The response focuses instead on grief, memory and Charles’s character during the aftermath.
Diana would be ‘horrified’
Speaking to the Daily Mail, royal expert Ingrid Seward believes Diana would be “horrified” with her brother over the revelation.
“I think Diana would be horrified that her brother has revealed this remark by Charles,” she claimed.
“When I last met her, six weeks before her death, she was adamant that she and Charles really loved each other. It was so important to her that their children knew that,” she then continued.
“So she would be horrified that he has shared a comment that could appear to show so much malice. I am sure it was not meant like that. But at the time, the Spencers and the Royal Family were at loggerheads.”
Meanwhile, royal expert Richard Fitzwilliam accused Earl Spencer of being “driven by hatred”, branding his words “destructive”. He also claimed that there is “no question” that the king is “absolutely furious” and “rightfully so”.
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