Piers Morgan Pursues Legal Action Against Charles Spencer Over Memoir Claims

Piers Morgan is pursuing legal action against Charles Spencer, the brother of the late Princess Diana, over what Morgan describes as defamatory passages in Spencer's memoir, "Swan Song: Diana, My Sister." Morgan stated he is seeking to have the offending passages removed from the book and for damages to be paid to The King's Trust, a charity founded by King Charles III.

Morgan told Fox News Digital that Spencer's public apology and acknowledgment of a factual error were insufficient. "He's published an egregious defamatory lie about me, and that lie remains in copies of the book being sold all over the world, including the United States," Morgan said. "Although he's rushed out an apology and admitted that it was completely untrue what he said about me, he hasn't removed it from the book."

The passage in question incorrectly identified Morgan as the editor of the Daily Mirror when Mirror Group newspapers published photographs of Diana at a gym in November 1993. According to People magazine, Morgan was working at The Sun at the time and did not become editor of the Daily Mirror until 1995. Morgan stated that his legal team has contacted Spencer and his publishers demanding the book's removal or reissue without the contested pages.

Spencer, while acknowledging the factual error regarding Morgan's employment, has stood by his recollection of a phone conversation with Morgan in 1997. Spencer's account suggests Morgan was "surly and annoyed" when Spencer called to inform him he was not welcome at Diana's funeral. However, Morgan disputes this characterization, stating the conversation was polite and that he offered condolences to Spencer's mother, whom he knew well. Morgan further noted that his 2005 book, "The Insider," detailed his account of the call.

The inaccuracy in Spencer's memoir has led Morgan to question the reliability of other claims in the book, particularly those concerning King Charles III. Spencer's memoir alleges that within hours of Diana's death, Charles sounded "giddy with excitement" during a phone call with Spencer. Morgan called this claim "disgusting" and expressed disbelief, contrasting it with testimony from Paul Burrell, Diana's former butler, who reportedly described the King as "utterly grief-stricken" in the days following Diana's death.

Spencer wrote that he was stunned by Charles's alleged remark during their 1997 conversation, quoting him as saying, "Rest assured, we'll forget her soon enough!" Spencer asserted that as a historian, his duty is to present facts and that he is telling the truth, aiming to honor his sister. A Buckingham Palace spokesperson stated that while they do not comment on books, "His Majesty is mindful that the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgment and color memory in ways others do not recognize, even many years after such a loss."

Spencer told People magazine that the passage would be corrected in future editions of "Swan Song." He has maintained his account of the conversation with Charles, but acknowledged the error regarding Morgan's role at the time. Morgan, however, suggested that the significant error regarding his own employment calls into question the accuracy of Spencer's recollections about King Charles.