Buckingham Palace has rejected criticism of King Charles III in a forthcoming memoir by Earl Charles Spencer, Princess Diana’s brother, and denied an allegation that the King made a callous remark days after her death.
In Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, Spencer, 62, alleges that Charles said during an angry telephone call: “rest assured, we'll forget her soon enough.” The book is being serialized in the Daily Mail before its full publication next week.
The Palace said it generally did not respond to books, yet issued a direct response to the allegation. A spokesperson said: “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 color memory in ways others do not recognize, even many years after such a loss”
Buckingham Palace categorically denied that the King made the alleged remarks. It said the words attributed to Charles, who is 77 years old, were inconsistent with the character of a man known for deep compassion.
Spencer has been a fierce critic of Charles for decades. In the memoir, he calls the King a “bellowing buffoon”.
The dispute revives a feud between the two men that dates to Diana’s death and funeral in 1997. Diana died in a car crash in Paris that year, aged 36. Charles and Diana had gone through an acrimonious separation before her death.
Princes William and Harry were aged 15 and 12 at the time of their mother’s funeral. The brief account of the alleged call provides no information about its wider circumstances, any evidence Spencer cites, or whether anyone else witnessed or can corroborate the exchange.
Nor has King Charles personally responded to the allegation. Julian Payne, who formerly served as the monarch’s communications secretary, commented to the BBC on the alleged remarks in the book.
The Palace’s intervention places Spencer’s recollection and the institution’s denial in direct conflict as the memoir approaches publication. The allegations remain disputed.
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