King Charles Called Diana 'Unforgettable,' Earl Spencer Claims in Memoir
Earl Spencer alleges in his upcoming book that the then-Prince of Wales made a dismissive remark about his sister days after her death.
Earl Spencer, the brother of Diana, Princess of Wales, claims in his forthcoming memoir that King Charles stated Diana would be "forgotten soon enough" days after her death in 1997. The allegation is detailed in an extract from Spencer's book, "A Very Private Grief," published by the Daily Mail.
Spencer alleges the remark was made by Charles, then Prince of Wales, after Spencer insisted Diana would not have wanted her sons, Prince William (15) and Prince Harry (12), to walk in her funeral procession. According to Spencer, Charles questioned the Spencer family's sense of duty and responded with anger over the phone.
"He [Charles] unleashed down the phone what I have always taken to be his pent-up contempt for Diana, and his horror that the world was so bowled over by her death," Spencer wrote. "Rest assured,' he hissed, 'we'll forget her soon enough.'"
Spencer's book is expected to be highly critical of the Royal Family. In the first public extract, he also claims to have been informed by a senior Palace aide that the young princes would walk beside their mother's coffin, a plan he opposed.
Buckingham Palace has pushed back against the claims, with a spokesperson stating that grief can "colour memory" of events. BBC News has not independently verified the full contents of the memoir. The book is due to be published next week.
The death of Diana in a Paris car crash in 1997 created a period of intense public mourning and scrutiny of the Royal Family, who were accused by some of appearing out of touch and unemotional. Earl Spencer's own defiant and emotional eulogy at her funeral also contributed to the atmosphere of grievance.
Prince Harry has previously spoken about the funeral procession, telling the BBC in 2017 that walking behind his mother's coffin at age 12 was something no child should endure. However, he added that looking back, he was glad to have participated.
Separately, it was reported this week that copies of Earl Spencer's unreleased book were stolen from a truck in the Netherlands. Four copies of the Dutch language edition were reportedly taken en route from the publisher's printers to their warehouse.