Spencer Memoir Alleges King Charles Sounded 'Giddily Elated' After Diana's Death
Charles Spencer's memoir Swan Song alleges King Charles sounded 'giddily elated' after Diana's death and recounts a heated call over the funeral procession.
Extracts from an upcoming memoir by Charles Spencer, the brother of Princess Diana, have revived scrutiny of the royal family's conduct around her death in 1997, including a disputed phone call with the man who is now King Charles III.
In Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, due to be published next week, Spencer writes that Charles — then the Prince of Wales — sounded "giddily elated" during a conversation on the night Diana died in a car crash in Paris. An extract published by the Daily Mail describes him as sounding "like a lottery winner." The book is billed as a personal account of Spencer's relationship with his sister and his memories of the events surrounding her death.
Spencer also recounts a later phone call in which he objected to Prince William and Prince Harry, then 15 and 12, walking in their mother's funeral procession. According to his account, Charles grew angry during the exchange and said, "Rest assured, we'll forget her soon enough!" Spencer writes that he was shocked by the remark, replied, "I can't believe you just said that," and ended the call.
Buckingham Palace responded to the claims in a statement, saying that grief can affect a person's memory and judgment. While the palace said it does not ordinarily comment on books, a spokesperson added that the King is aware of how the pain of losing a sibling can cloud reason, affect judgment and colour memory in ways others do not recognise, even many years after such a loss.
The book also examines Diana's relationship with Charles and the difficulties in their marriage. Some of the incidents it describes have previously been reported by biographers and other media outlets.
Diana died in August 1997 after suffering serious injuries in a car crash in Paris. Her death was followed by a public funeral that September, at which her sons walked alongside other members of the royal family. A publisher spokesperson confirmed that the passages quoted in the reports are accurate.