Why Buckingham Palace is unhappy with Princess Diana's memoir
What's the story
Buckingham Palace has strongly refuted claims made by Earl Charles Spencer in his upcoming memoir, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister. The Daily Mail published excerpts from the book where King Charles III (then Prince Charles) allegedly told Earl Spencer after Princess Diana's death in Paris in 1997: "We'll forget her soon enough." The Palace has responded with an unusually strong statement, directly quoting Charles: "His Majesty is mindful that the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason."
Book revelations
'Prince Charles shocked by public reaction to Diana's death'
In his memoir, Earl Spencer claims that after Princess Diana's death, he received a "stream of anger" from then-Prince Charles.
He alleges that Charles expressed "pent-up contempt for Diana, and his horror that the world was so bowled over by her death."
The Palace has rejected these claims as out of character for King Charles, who was grieving at the time.
Similar past
Former communications secretary defends King
Julian Payne, former communications secretary to the King, told BBC that the language attributed to him in the book was "just not language that I recognize."
He added that the Palace's strong response showed how strongly they felt about correcting these claims.
The Palace's response is similar to Queen Elizabeth's statement during a 2021 racism row with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, when she said: "recollections may vary."
Upcoming release
Memoir set to be released next week
Earl Spencer's memoir, which gives an insider's view of Diana's life and death, is set to be published next week.
To recall, Diana died after a high-speed car crash in 1997.
The book comes at a time when the royal family is busy with multiple events. King Charles will host AI industry leaders at Dumfries House in Ayrshire, Prince William and Catherine will visit community projects on the Isle of Bute, and Prince Harry will attend the Invictus awards ceremony.