Charles Spencer, Princess Diana’s brother, has revealed new details about his conversations with King Charles following the tragic loss of his sister in 1997.
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In his forthcoming memoir, “Swan Song,” Spencer says that Charles, who was the Prince of Wales at the time, called him shortly after Diana’s death. According to Spencer, Charles sounded “extraordinarily cheerful” during the conversation, in a state that Spencer compared to that of “a lottery winner.”
Another excerpt from the book, published by the Daily Mail, reveals that the way Charles spoke during the call left Spencer deeply shocked.
Diana, the Princess of Wales, died in August 1997 after suffering severe internal injuries in a car accident in Paris. At her funeral, held on September 6, 1997, her two sons, William and Harry, who were 15 and 12 respectively at the time, walked behind their mother’s coffin.
“We’ll forget it soon enough”
Spencer also describes another confrontation with Charles, which he says took place several days after Diana’s death. He had objected to William and Harry taking part in the funeral procession, while Charles reacted angrily during a telephone call.
According to Spencer’s account, Charles launched into a “tirade of anger” and then told him: “Don’t worry, we’ll forget it soon enough!”
Spencer claims that he replied: “I can’t believe you just said that,” before ending the call.
These statements are included in the memoirs of Charles Spencer, which are expected to be released soon and contain detailed accounts of Diana’s relationship with the royal family.
Buckingham Palace responds
Buckingham Palace responded to the claims with a rare statement, clarifying that it does not usually comment on books of this nature.
The response said that King Charles understands that the pain caused by the loss of a sibling can affect the way events are remembered and interpreted, even many years later.
“The pain of sibling grief can cloud reason, affect judgment and color memory in ways that others do not understand,” the statement said. The palace offered no further comment on the new book excerpts.
More accounts of Diana and Charles
In his memoir, Spencer also addresses the difficulties in the relationship between Diana and Charles before and during their marriage.
He claims that Diana discovered a bracelet her fiancé had bought for Camilla while Diana and Charles were engaged. According to Spencer, the situation prompted Diana to try to withdraw from the marriage.
The book also mentions a comment Charles allegedly made to Diana shortly after their engagement, when he called her “chubby.” Spencer writes that his words deeply affected Diana, who was suffering from an eating disorder.
Some of these stories had already been made public through biographical books and reports by various media outlets.
Charles Spencer, Princess Diana’s brother, was among the people closest to her during her lifetime. His memoir is expected to be published next week and has generated significant interest because of its new claims about the royal family and the relationship between Diana and Charles.
