King Charles Told Earl Spencer 'We'll Forget Diana Soon Enough,' Memoir Claims

Prince Charles told Earl Spencer "rest assured, we'll forget her soon enough" in a heated phone call days after Princess Diana's death, according to a forthcoming memoir by the Earl.

The allegations, detailed in Charles Spencer's book "Swan Song: Diana, My Sister," suggest a significant rift over funeral arrangements for the Princess, who died in a car crash in Paris in 1997.

Funeral Procession Dispute

According to the memoir, the argument arose after the decision that Diana's sons, Prince William, then 15, and Prince Harry, then 12, would walk in their mother's funeral procession. Earl Spencer, Diana's brother, opposed this, believing their mother would not have wanted her young sons to endure such a public ordeal.

Earl Spencer writes that he informed the then-Prince of Wales of his opposition. He claims Charles Spencer then questioned the Spencer family's sense of duty before making the remark about Diana being forgotten. Earl Spencer alleges the comments revealed "his pent-up contempt for Diana, and his horror that the world was so bowled over by her death."

He stated he was "so stunned" by the alleged remarks that it took him a few seconds to respond. "I can’t believe you just said that," he replied flatly before hanging up.

Earlier in the week, Earl Spencer had reportedly told a senior aide to Queen Elizabeth II that William and Harry would not participate in the procession. Prince Charles then called Earl Spencer, reportedly insisting that he himself had walked in the funeral procession of his great-uncle, Lord Mountbatten, when he was 30.

Earl Spencer's book claims Charles "went nuts" after he pointed out the age difference, as Charles was 30 at Lord Mountbatten's funeral in 1979.

Memoir and Palace Response

The memoir is set to be published worldwide next Tuesday. The Daily Mail will begin its exclusive serialization of the book on September 17. The book aims to correct what Earl Spencer describes as "untruths" told about his older sister.

Buckingham Palace issued a statement in response: "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."

Stolen Copies

The revelations come as police investigate the theft of four copies of the memoir from a lorry in the Netherlands. The lorry was reportedly broken into overnight while the driver slept in the cab. The copies were wrapped in black plastic to conceal their contents.