5 hrs ago
Spencer Memoir Revives Dispute Over Diana’s Death and Legacy
Charles Spencer is Princess Diana’s brother.
He has written a book about her life, marriage and death.
Spencer says King Charles sounded unusually happy after Diana died.
He also says Charles became angry about William and Harry walking behind their mother’s coffin.
Buckingham Palace says Spencer’s grief may have affected how he remembers events.
Spencer disagrees and says he remembers the conversation accurately.
The book also says Diana struggled deeply and once considered suicide.
Some writers support examining the history, while others call Spencer’s account disputed or vindictive.
Charles Spencer’s memoir, “Swan Song: Diana, My Sister,” makes new claims about Princess Diana’s life and death.
Spencer alleges that then-Prince Charles sounded “giddily elated” after Diana died in 1997 and later said, “we’ll forget her soon enough.”
Buckingham Palace disputed Spencer’s account, saying grief can cloud reason, affect judgment and color memory.
Spencer says Diana considered suicide at Beachy Head and was stopped by thoughts of her sons, William and Harry.
Royal commentators and biographers challenged the memoir, while Spencer defended it as his eyewitness account.
- Who
- Charles Spencer, Princess Diana’s brother, made the claims; Buckingham Palace, royal biographers and commentators challenged them.
- What
- Spencer’s memoir revisits Diana’s marriage, death, funeral and alleged conversations with King Charles.
- Where
- The events concern the British royal family, Diana’s funeral and Beachy Head in England; Diana died in a Paris car accident.
- When
- The memoir was published on Tuesday; Diana died in 1997, and she and Charles divorced in 1996.
- Why
- Spencer says he wrote the book out of a duty to record what he regards as a truthful account as an eyewitness to history.
Spencer’s account
Palace and critics’ response
Reliability of the phone-call account
Spencer’s account
Spencer stands by his recollection, saying Charles used the words “we’ll forget her soon enough” and that he is recording events as an eyewitness.
Palace and critics’ response
Buckingham Palace disputed the account and suggested Spencer’s grief may have affected his memory; author Andrew Morton called the claim disputed.
Charles’s reaction after Diana’s death
Spencer’s account
Spencer says Charles sounded “giddily elated,” like a lottery winner, after Diana died.
Palace and critics’ response
Royal biographer Robert Hardman said he saw Charles distraught and in tears at Diana’s funeral.
The memoir’s character and purpose
Spencer’s account
Spencer says he wrote the memoir because it was his duty to preserve what he believes is a truthful account of Diana’s life.
Palace and critics’ response
Commentator Jennie Bond dismissed it as a “vindictive account,” while the Palace’s unusually strong statement questioned the reliability of Spencer’s memories.
Key facts
- Book
- “Swan Song: Diana, My Sister”
- Author
- Charles Spencer, Princess Diana’s brother
- Publication
- Published on Tuesday and translated into 12 languages
- Central allegation
- Spencer says then-Prince Charles sounded “giddily elated” after Diana’s death and said, “we’ll forget her soon enough.”
- Diana’s death
- Diana died aged 36 in a Paris car accident in 1997 while being pursued by photographers.
- Diana’s children
- William was born in 1982 and Harry in 1984.
- Palace response
- Buckingham Palace said fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgment and color memory.
Quotes
Charles, King of the United Kingdom
The king, according to Spencer’s memoir, speaking by telephone after Diana’s death
“It was astonishingly provocative and below the belt because it was essentially trying to say I’d lied without the King being able to deny what I’d said”
theprint.in
“The pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgment and colour memory”
theprint.in
Sources
Related news
Palace Challenges Spencer's Claim About Charles's Diana Remark
Charles Spencer Accuses King Charles of Gaslighting Over Diana Memoir
Earl Spencer Revives Dispute Over Charles’s Words After Diana’s Death
Piers Morgan Threatens Legal Action Over Diana Book Claims
Earl Spencer Says Harry and Meghan Face Diana-Like Media Treatment
Britain’s Royals Face Diana Family Book Crisis Again
Karan Johar, Prince William Discuss India Water Crisis
