Buckingham Palace has entered into a heated public dispute with Earl Spencer regarding allegations contained in his forthcoming memoir about his late sister, Diana, Princess of Wales. The Palace issued an unusually strong rebuttal to claims that King Charles reportedly made insensitive comments in the immediate aftermath of Diana’s death in 1997.
According to excerpts published in the Daily Mail, Earl Spencer alleges that the then-Prince of Wales told him, “we’ll forget her soon enough,” following the death of his sister. The memoir, titled Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, is scheduled for release next week and offers an insider’s perspective from the Spencer family on the turbulent period surrounding Diana’s death and funeral.
In its response, the Palace did not directly address the specific quote but instead questioned the reliability of the recollection given the passage of time and the emotional state of the author. A spokesperson stated, “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.” This language echoed the Queen’s previous responses to controversies, such as her 2021 reaction to claims made by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
Earl Spencer’s account also describes a telephone conversation in which he claims Charles subjected him to a “stream of anger” regarding his insistence that Princes William and Harry should not walk in the funeral procession. Spencer wrote that he interpreted Charles’s remarks as revealing pent-up contempt for Diana and frustration that the world was so deeply affected by her death.
The Palace dismissed the characterization as entirely inconsistent with King Charles’s nature, emphasizing that he was grieving both personally and for his two sons at the time. The dispute threatens to cast a shadow over a densely packed day of royal engagements.
Despite the controversy, King Charles is set to host a gathering of leading artificial intelligence executives at Dumfries House in Ayrshire on Thursday. There, he is expected to urge industry leaders to ensure AI development remains safe and beneficial for humanity, stating that decisions made now will shape the world for future generations. He will be joined by AI minister Kanishka Narayan and representatives from major tech firms including OpenAI, Anthropic, Nvidia, and Google DeepMind.
Meanwhile, Prince William and Catherine, known as the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay in Scotland, will conduct their first official visit to the town of Rothesay on the Isle of Bute. Their itinerary includes viewing the traditional sport of shinty, visiting a community-owned pub, and learning about local environmental conservation efforts.
Later in the day, Prince Harry will make his first major public appearance since returning to the UK at the inaugural Invictus awards ceremony, which honors the resilience of injured service personnel. It remains unclear whether his wife, Meghan, will accompany him. The Sussexes have recently faced media scrutiny regarding their return to the UK, including questions about their security arrangements and their children’s schooling.
Charles hosting AI leaders while dealing with family drama seems like a bizarre contrast. Hope the tech summit goes smoothly.
Does anyone else think this whole ‘Swan Song’ drama is just a massive publicity stunt for the book sales?
I can’t believe Earl Spencer thinks twenty-seven years later is the right time to drop these explosive claims. Really?
It is fascinating how the Palace frames grief as a potential distortion of memory. Very clever legal maneuvering.