A Troubling Memory Revisited
Charles Spencer, the younger brother of the late Princess Diana, has brought forward a startling allegation regarding King Charles III’s immediate response to the news of Diana’s fatal car accident in 1997. In an excerpt from his new memoir, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, Spencer describes a phone call that left him profoundly unsettled.
According to the 62-year-old Spencer, while other callers were overwhelmed with grief and struggling to offer condolences, the then-Prince Charles exhibited a surprisingly different demeanor. “He sounded giddily elated — like a lottery winner, I remember thinking at the time,” Spencer wrote.
The Conversation at Balmoral
Spencer recalled that the King informed him that he had broken the news to Princes William and Harry in their rooms at Balmoral that same morning. The account describes the King’s tone as “strangely matter-of-fact,” a characterization that Spencer found jarring given the magnitude of the tragedy.
The relationship between Charles and Diana had been notoriously strained. After marrying in 1981, the couple separated in 1992 and finalized their divorce in 1996, a year prior to the Princess's death.
Claims of Long-Standing Resentment
In another segment of the book, Spencer claims that King Charles once suggested that Diana would eventually be forgotten by the public. Spencer posits that such remarks stemmed from a deep-seated contempt for his ex-wife and a frustration regarding the overwhelming global mourning following her passing.
Recounting his reaction to one of these uncomfortable exchanges, Spencer noted, “I was so stunned that it took me a few seconds to reply. ‘I can’t believe you just said that,’ I said flatly, before hanging up.”
The Palace Response
Buckingham Palace issued a statement addressing the contents of the book, maintaining their policy of not commenting on literary works. The statement noted:
“His Majesty is mindful that the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgement and color memory in ways others do not recognize, even many years after such a loss.”