Palace in war of words with Earl Spencer over claims in Diana book

Palace challenges Earl Spencer’s account of remarks made after Diana’s death

Ninoda.com – A new dispute over the memory of Diana, Princess of Wales, has emerged as Buckingham Palace issues an unusually forceful response to claims in a forthcoming memoir by her brother, Earl Spencer.

Extracts from Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, due to be published next week, describe a painful telephone exchange in the days following Diana’s death in 1997. Earl Spencer writes that the then-Prince of Wales reacted angrily when he objected to Princes William and Harry taking part in their mother’s funeral procession.

William was 15 and Harry was 12 when Diana died. Their walk behind her coffin became one of the most enduring and distressing images of the funeral, which took place amid intense public mourning.

The disputed exchange

In the book, Earl Spencer says he believed Diana would not have wanted her sons to face the procession. He portrays Charles as expressing resentment during their call, alleging that the future King said the public would soon move on from Diana’s death.

“Rest assured,” he hissed, “we’ll forget her soon enough”.

The Palace has rejected the characterisation behind that account. While royal households generally avoid responding to books, the statement made clear that King Charles considers the allegation inconsistent with his nature and with the circumstances he faced at the time.

“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.”

Its wording recalls the late Queen Elizabeth II’s response in 2021 to allegations raised by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, when the Palace said that “recollections may vary”. In both cases, the royal response stopped short of a detailed public rebuttal while firmly questioning how events had been remembered.

A lasting wound for the Royal Family

Diana’s death in a Paris car crash in 1997 created one of the most difficult modern moments for the monarchy. She was immensely popular, and the early reaction from the Royal Family drew criticism from people who felt its public response did not match the scale of national grief.

Earl Spencer’s funeral address became a defining moment in that atmosphere. Emotional and combative in tone, it gave voice to a sense that Diana had been failed and intensified scrutiny of the institution she had left behind after her separation from Charles.

His memoir is expected to revisit that period through the perspective of the Spencer family. The latest disagreement shows how deeply contested the events surrounding Diana’s death remain, almost three decades later. It also underlines the personal dimension of a story often viewed through public ceremonies, headlines and the constitutional role of the monarchy.

For King Charles, the allegation carries particular sensitivity. At the time, he was grieving the mother of his children while also helping William and Harry through an event that would shape their lives permanently. The Palace’s response suggests it sees the claim as more than a disagreement over detail: it challenges the King’s conduct toward Diana and her family at a moment of profound loss.

A crowded day of royal engagements

The row arrives as several members of the Royal Family undertake major public events, creating a day in which private history and present-day duties compete for attention.

King Charles is expected to address the opportunities and dangers created by artificial intelligence at Dumfries House in Ayrshire. He will host leaders from major technology companies, including OpenAI, Anthropic, Nvidia and Google DeepMind, alongside AI minister Kanishka Narayan.

The King is expected to argue that the pace and nature of AI development inspire both interest and concern. His intervention will focus on whether the technology can be used for public benefit without allowing it to become harmful or escape meaningful human control.

“Those in our world who value our humanity and its vital moral component are anxiously seeking your reassurance that we will not lose control of our destiny,” the King is expected to say.

AI has prompted wide concern about safety, misuse and possible effects on employment. Charles is expected to ask industry figures how the benefits of the technology can be secured while protecting society from its risks, including through international cooperation.

“The decisions taken at this formative time will shape the world inherited by future generations.”

“And so, the task before you is not merely to advance technology, but to ensure that it remains firmly in the service of humanity, community and the natural world.”

William and Catherine visit Bute

Elsewhere in Scotland, Prince William and Catherine will visit community and volunteering initiatives on the Isle of Bute. In Scotland, the couple use the titles Duke and Duchess of Rothesay rather than Prince and Princess of Wales.

The visit will be their first official engagement in the town of Rothesay. Their programme includes watching shinty, the traditional Scottish sport, visiting a pub owned by the local community and meeting people involved in protecting the island’s natural environment.

The contrast between these engagements is striking. One part of the royal diary concerns future technology and its consequences for the world; another highlights local community life and conservation. Yet the dispute over Diana’s legacy is likely to draw attention back to a defining chapter in the family’s modern history.

As Earl Spencer’s book approaches publication, the Palace’s response signals that the account of what happened after Diana’s death remains emotionally charged. The argument is not simply about a remembered telephone call. It concerns grief, family relationships and the enduring public meaning of Diana’s life and death.