A dramatic reopening of royal wounds was triggered after Earl Spencer, younger brother to late Princess Diana, delivered a series of damning accusations against King Charles and Buckingham Palace.
Speaking during a broadcast BBC interview with Laura Kuenssberg to promote his memoir, ‘Swan Song: Diana, My Sister’, the 62-year-old peer detailed shocking personal exchanges following his sister’s death in August 1997.
Spencer claimed that a then-Prince Charles sounded giddily elated, like a lottery winner hours after the tragic Paris car crash and subsequently went ballistic during a heated argument over the funeral cortege, allegedly hissing, "Rest assured, we'll forget her soon enough".
The sensational allegations prompted a rare, explicit statement from Buckingham Palace, which breaks its firm policy of ignoring personal books. Courtiers issued an official response on behalf of the 77-year-old monarch, stating that His Majesty is mindful that “the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgment and colour memory in ways others do not recognise”. Unyielding in his stance, Spencer immediately hit back, accusing the Palace of gaslighting him and asserting that King Charles was merely embarrassed by the truth. Senior royal insiders countered by branding Spencer a hypocrite who is peddling what little remains of Diana’s privacy for commercial gain.
The worsening rift has intensified long-standing friction between King Charles and his former brother-in-law. Spencer further alleged that the King failed as a supportive parent during the family's grief and that his cold demeanor reflected deep-seated hostility towards Diana.
In contrast, Prince William and Prince Harry have chosen to remain silent publicly. However, sources indicate Prince William is experiencing multigenerational fury over the public dissection of his mother’s memory. Meanwhile, Spencer drew direct parallels between Diana's plight and media scrutiny faced by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, describing press hostility towards the Sussexes as a cancerous influence echoing the hounding that tormented his sister.
Beyond his claims regarding King Charles, Spencer’s memoir unveils further sensational assertions about Princess Diana's private struggles. He recounted how his sister once told him over dinner that she was seeking a divorce because her husband was in love with his valet, an unverified assertion he later admitted was improbable. Spencer also detailed how Charles allegedly fat-shamed Diana shortly after their engagement, squeezing her waist and causing her eating disorder to spiral. He further claimed that the Royal Family's "never complain, never explain" ethos abandoned Diana to severe distress and harassment, including fears regarding international security threats and Al-Qaeda, before her untimely passing.