Story summary
Experts suggest that Earl Spencer felt a duty to write his memoir about Diana's life. In the book, he makes explosive claims against King Charles, alleging that shortly after Princess Diana’s death in 1997, then-Prince Charles said "we’ll forget her soon enough." This prompted Buckingham Palace to issue a statement saying His Majesty is mindful that fraternal grief can cloud judgment and reason.
Spencer accused the king of gaslighting him when the palace responded by questioning his recollections. He called the palace's defense a "rather poor imitation" of how Queen Elizabeth II handled similar allegations from Prince Harry in their Oprah interview.
The book also includes details about an alleged row over Diana’s funeral arrangements where King Charles reportedly went ballistic, criticizing Spencer's family for not fulfilling their duties adequately enough. Buckingham Palace did not comment on the specifics of these claims but suggested that grief could affect memory accuracy over time.
Earl Spencer told BBC he wanted to put down truths before it was too late due to his awareness of mortality. He added that there are other facts about King Charles he chose not to include in the book, deeming them irrelevant.
Written for “Diana Controversies Royal Family” on 2026-10-04,
grounded in this article and the 92 other(s) covering the same event.
King Charles III and Prince William are said to be furious at Charles Spencer's new book, which makes damning allegations about the monarch and reopens decades-old wounds within the royal family.
asserted
which → say → family
The claim was made by several royal experts who spoke to Fox News Digital after "Swan Song: Diana, My Sister" was published on Tuesday.
uncertain
Song → make → Tuesday
In it, Princess Diana's brother says he argued with then-Prince Charles over palace plans to have William and Prince Harry, then 15 and 12, walk behind their mother's coffin during her 1997 funeral procession.
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William → say → procession
Most notably, Spencer alleged that after Diana died at age 36 in a car crash, Charles "sounded giddily elated — like a lottery winner."
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Charles → allege → winner
He wrote that Charles "went ballistic" during an argument they had over William and Harry.
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they → write → William
Spencer said Charles then hissed, "Rest assured, we'll forget her soon enough."
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we → say → her
"What I am hearing concerning the reaction around both households is frustration and anger, but for slightly different reasons," Kinsey Schofield, host of YouTube's "Kinsey Schofield Unfiltered," told Fox News Digital.
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Schofield → hear → Digital
"For the king, I think there is genuine anger at what amounts to an attack on his character almost 30 years after Diana's death," she explained.
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she → think → death
"But Charles has also lived with being cast as the villain in the Diana story for decades.
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Charles → live → decades
Unfortunately, being portrayed as the bad guy in somebody else's version of this story is not new territory for him.
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portrayed → portray → him
This is his uncle, who famously stood at Diana's funeral and promised that her 'blood family' would protect William and Harry.
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family → stand → William
"
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you → compensate → links
"William now has to watch that same uncle reopen some of the most traumatic events of his childhood and hear extremely damaging allegations against his father," Schofield said.
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Schofield → have → father
WATCH: KING CHARLES FACES RENEWED ROYAL DRAMA OVER SPENCER MEMOIR: EXPERT
"And William isn't just Charles' son.
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William → watch → MEMOIR
The monarchy Charles Spencer is attacking is the institution William will inherit.
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William → attack → ?
William is also reasonably questioning how dredging up disputed private conversations from 30 years ago, attacking the current king and reigniting the ugliest chapters of the Charles and Diana story could be in his nephew's best interests.
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dredging → question → interests
After excerpts from the book were published last week, Buckingham Palace issued a rare, strongly worded statement.
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Palace → publish → statement
"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," it said.
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it → cloud → loss
A spokesperson for Buckingham Palace told Fox News Digital it had no comment.
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it → tell → comment
A spokesperson for Kensington Palace previously told Fox News Digital the palace does not comment on books.
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palace → tell → books
Spencer has stood by his account, insisting to the BBC that he is telling the truth.
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he → stand → truth
He asked, "Is he furious or is he embarrassed?"
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he → ask → ?
Some critics have questioned why Spencer felt the need to revisit the pain and trauma nearly 30 years later, The Associated Press reported.
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Press → question → pain
Spencer said he wanted to write down his own thoughts and memories about Diana, "once and for all, rather than having the discomfort of again reading the opinions of others, many of which are based on untruths."
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many → say → untruths
Author Christopher Andersen told Fox News Digital he was surprised by Spencer's allegations.
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he → tell → allegations
"Just weeks after Diana was killed, I interviewed hundreds of sources in London and Paris for my book 'The Day Diana Died,'" he said.
"
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he → kill → book
They all remembered that Charles was absolutely devastated.
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Charles → remember → ?
'Crushed' was a word I heard repeatedly when he first learned the news of Diana's death.
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he → crush → death
After years of famously battling as a married couple, they had finally found a kind of peace with each other following their 1996 divorce.
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they → battle → divorce
They actually became friends.
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They → become → ?
"When Charles got the call at Balmoral that Diana had been killed, a staffer told me that the king let out a howl that sounded like a wounded animal, then burst into tears.
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that → get → tears
Others described Charles at the time as being racked with sobs, his face streaked with tears.
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face → describe → tears
"
"I also interviewed the nurses at the Paris hospital who witnessed the moment Charles saw Diana's body for the first time," Andersen continued.
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Andersen → interview → time
"He fell back, one of them told me, as if he had been struck by an unseen hand.
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he → fall → hand
They thought he was going to pass out.
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he → think → ?
He then began to weep openly.
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He → begin → ?
Everyone was very surprised at how emotional King Charles was because they believed members of the royal family, and especially Charles, were cold and aloof.
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members → believe → family
They did not doubt in their minds that he was shattered by his ex-wife's tragic death.
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he → doubt → death
Andersen said he wonders whether the words Spencer says he heard from Charles over the phone were those of "a man on the verge of a nervous breakdown."
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he → say → breakdown
"King Charles' world was crumbling all around him," Andersen said.
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Andersen → crumble → him
…and 29 more, not listed.
The Aporia
