Earl Spencer alleges King Charles was giddily elated after Diana death
In a controversial new memoir, Earl Spencer alleges that King Charles sounded giddily elated following the 1997 death of Princess Diana, prompting a rare public rebuttal from Buckingham Palace.
- Headline Dispatch: Earl Spencer alleges King Charles was giddily elated after Diana death
- Core Takeaway: In a controversial new memoir, Earl Spencer alleges that King Charles sounded giddily elated following the 1997 death of Princess Diana, prompting a rare public rebuttal from Buckingham Palace.
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A bitter public feud has erupted between Buckingham Palace and Earl Spencer following the serialisation of a controversial new memoir. The book, authored by the brother of Diana, Princess of Wales, contains explosive allegations concerning the reactions of King Charles in the immediate aftermath of the fatal car crash that claimed Diana's life.
Memoir Allegations and Family Revelations
In his forthcoming book, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, Earl Spencer writes that he received a telephone call from the then-Prince of Wales hours after the tragedy in Paris. While other callers were stunned and struggling to articulate condolences, the Earl claims Charles sounded remarkably different.
"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."
Earl Spencer, Memoirist, via Daily Mail and LBC
The author speculates that the reaction stemmed from the prospect that the event might free Charles to marry the woman he loved, rather than reflecting on the loss of an estranged spouse. The book details that Charles and Diana's contentious divorce had been finalized roughly a year prior to the fatal accident.
Beyond the phone call following the 1997 crash, the memoir digs into decades-old tensions within the royal marriage. Earl Spencer asserts that Diana suffered from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria, which amplified the emotional pain she experienced from criticism. He additionally claims that Diana contemplated ending her life on multiple occasions at Beachy Head, but her devotion to Princes William and Harry prevented her from doing so. Further recounting a lunch at San Lorenzo, the Earl claims Diana stated her husband was in love with his valet when discussing her decision to divorce.
Funeral Disputes and Palace Friction
The book brings fresh scrutiny to the arrangements surrounding Diana's funeral. According to the excerpts, an entitled royal household took control of the funeral planning away from the Spencer family, ignoring requests to include Mozart's Requiem. Furthermore, a severe disagreement arose over whether young Princes William and Harry should walk behind their mother's coffin in public. Earl Spencer writes that Charles unleashed pent-up contempt during a heated phone call regarding the procession, allegedly remarking that the royal family would "forget her soon enough."
| Event | Date / Period | Reported Details |
|---|---|---|
| Royal Wedding | July 1981 | Earl Spencer claims Charles stated he was not actually in love with Diana on the eve of the wedding. |
| Divorce Finalized | 28 August 1996 | The legal dissolution of the marriage occurred one year and three days before Diana's death. |
| Fatal Car Crash | 31 August 1997 | Princess Diana died in Paris; Earl Spencer received the phone call from Charles later that morning. |
| Funeral Procession | 6 September 1997 | Princes William and Harry walked behind the coffin at Westminster Abbey amidst familial friction over the spectacle. |
Palace Response and Continuing Engagements
Buckingham Palace broke its standard silence on books to issue a direct rebuttal through a spokesperson, noting:
"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."
Buckingham Palace Spokesperson, via Mirror and Yahoo News
Commentators quickly observed stylistic parallels between this statement and the late Queen Elizabeth II's famous response regarding previous allegations of royal racism. As the war of words intensified, senior royals maintained their public schedules. King Charles addressed artificial intelligence leaders in Scotland, discussing both the life-saving capacities and the existential dangers of emerging technologies alongside leaders from organizations such as OpenAI, Google DeepMind, Anthropic, and Nvidia.
Next Steps
Swan Song: Diana, My Sister is scheduled for official publication. Observers anticipate heightened public debate surrounding the memoir's release as the literary work reaches shelves and brings further scrutiny to historical royal tensions.
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