Charles Spencer recounts argument with King Charles after Lady D’s death: “We’ll forget Diana quickly

The book “Swan Swan: Diana, My Sister,” written by Charles Spencer, is expected to offer new testimony about the British royal family and the events that followed Princess Diana’s death.

In the work, Earl Spencer presents previously unknown details about his relationship with King Charles, who at the time held the title of Prince of Wales. He also addresses their disagreement over the organization of Diana’s funeral.

One of the points of contention was William and Harry’s participation in the funeral procession. Spencer says he opposed the idea of Diana’s two sons, then aged 15 and 12 respectively, walking publicly behind their mother’s coffin because he believed she would not have wanted her children to face such an ordeal.

According to Spencer’s account, Prince Charles insisted that both boys take part in the procession. As an argument, he pointed out that he himself had walked behind the coffin of his uncle, Lord Mountbatten, in 1979.

During a telephone conversation, Spencer pointed out to Charles that he had been 30 years old at the time, so his experience could not be equated with the situation faced by Diana’s two sons.

The author writes that the discussion escalated and, at the height of the tension, Charles told him: “Be assured, we’ll forget her soon.”

Spencer recounts that he was shocked by the remark. Before ending the call, he replied: “I can’t believe you just said that.”

According to Earl Spencer, this attitude showed “his suppressed contempt for Diana,” as well as Charles’s concern about the extraordinary public reaction her death had provoked.

He explains that the decision to write “Swan Swan: Diana, My Sister” came from a desire to correct what he describes as the “inaccuracies” that had circulated over the years about his sister.

Princess Diana died on 31 August 1997 as a result of a car accident in Paris. The funeral was held six days later, on 6 September, at Westminster Abbey, where Charles Spencer delivered his well-known speech in tribute to his sister.

In the procession that passed through central London, Spencer walked behind the coffin alongside William, Harry, Charles and Philip. The ceremony was broadcast around the world and is estimated to have been watched by around 2.5 billion people.