Archive · 22 Sep 2026
Charles Spencer Memoir Reignites Dispute Over Princess Diana’s Death
Charles Spencer is Princess Diana’s brother.
He wrote a memoir about her life, marriage and death.
Spencer says that King Charles sounded unusually happy when he called after Diana died.
He also says Charles became very angry during a disagreement about William and Harry walking behind their mother’s coffin.
Buckingham Palace said that grief can affect a person’s judgment and memories.
Spencer says he remembers the conversation correctly.
The book also describes Diana’s unhappiness and thoughts of suicide, according to Spencer.
Some royal writers challenged the memoir and called parts of it disputed or vindictive.
Charles Spencer’s memoir, “Swan Song: Diana, My Sister,” revisits Princess Diana’s marriage, death and royal-family relationships.
Spencer alleges that then-Prince Charles sounded “giddily elated” after Diana’s death and told him, “We’ll forget her soon enough.”
Spencer says he opposed William and Harry walking behind their mother’s coffin, while Buckingham Palace questioned whether grief affected his memory.
The memoir claims Diana contemplated suicide at Beachy Head and was stopped by thoughts of her sons.
Royal biographers and commentators disputed Spencer’s account, while he defended it as his eyewitness version of events.
- Who
- Charles Spencer made claims about his sister Princess Diana and conversations with King Charles; Buckingham Palace, royal biographers and commentators challenged them.
- What
- Spencer’s memoir revisits Diana’s marriage, death, funeral, mental health and relationship with the royal family.
- When
- The memoir was published on September 22, 2026; Diana died on August 31, 1997, and her divorce from Charles was finalized in 1996.
- Where
- The account concerns the British royal family, Diana’s funeral, Paris and Beachy Head in England.
- Why
- Spencer says he wrote the memoir out of a duty, as an eyewitness to history, to record what he believes is a truthful account of Diana’s life.
Spencer’s account
Palace and critics’ response
Reliability of the phone-call account
Spencer’s account
Spencer insists Charles used the words “We’ll forget her soon enough” and says he is accurately recording events as an eyewitness.
Palace and critics’ response
Buckingham Palace questioned whether grief and the passage of time affected Spencer’s recollection; biographer 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” and suggests he may have been thinking about marrying Camilla, while acknowledging that he could not know Charles’s thoughts.
Palace and critics’ response
Royal biographer Robert Hardman said he saw Charles distraught and in tears at Diana’s funeral, contradicting Spencer’s portrayal.
Purpose and character of the memoir
Spencer’s account
Spencer says he had a duty to preserve what he believes is a truthful account of Diana’s life and has rejected suggestions that his memories are unreliable.
Palace and critics’ response
Commentator Jennie Bond described the book as vindictive, while the Palace’s statement questioned the reliability of Spencer’s memories.
- Book
- “Swan Song: Diana, My Sister”
- Author
- Charles Spencer, Diana’s brother
- 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 crash in 1997 while being pursued by photographers.
- Funeral dispute
- Spencer objected to William and Harry walking behind their mother’s coffin; they ultimately took part in the procession.
- Mental-health claim
- Spencer writes that Diana drove to Beachy Head while contemplating suicide but was stopped by thoughts of her sons.
- Palace response
- Buckingham Palace said the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgment and color memory.
Sources
Charles Spencer’s Diana Memoir Draws Rare King Rebuttal
‘We’ll forget her soon enough’: Princess Diana’s brother releases tell-all memoir
Charles was 'giddily elated' after Diana's death, says her brother Spencer in new book
Princess Diana’s brother, eyewitness to history, sparks royal ruckus
