Spencer claims Charles called Diana’s death a ‘light’ moment and warned the family they'd soon be forgotten.
On the eve of the release of his memoir Swan Song: Diana, My Sister the 62-year-old Earl Spencer granted a candid interview to BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg. In that conversation he repeated several accusations that have already reached the press: that King Charles used a giddy tone when he learned of his former wife’s death, that he later went “ballistic” over funeral arrangements, and that he told Spencer the nation would “forget her soon enough.” The revelations have prompted a swift rebuttal from Buckingham Palace, which described the claims as “potentially clouded by grief.”
The memoir and the palace’s defensive statement
Spencer’s book, slated for a 22 September launch, is billed as an eyewitness account of the events surrounding Princess Diana’s fatal car crash and the subsequent royal response. A pre-release excerpt quoted the Earl saying the future monarch once remarked, “we’ll forget her soon enough.” In response, the Royal Household issued a carefully worded press release, emphasizing that the King is “mindful that the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgement, and colour memory in ways others do not recognise, even many years after such a loss.” The statement avoided direct denial while subtly questioning the reliability of Spencer’s recollection.
What Spencer said in the BBC interview
During the televised interview, Spencer recounted being in Cape Town when the news of the crash first broke. He said his sister, Lady Jane Fellowes, called him in the middle of the night and initially downplayed the incident as a “little prang.” As the night progressed, the calls grew more urgent, culminating in the devastating confirmation of Diana’s death.
Spencer described the shift from a “broken leg or head injury” to a fatal outcome as a roller-coaster of distress.
He then detailed a phone call from the then-Prince of Wales. According to Spencer, Charles’s voice carried a surprising lightness, which he likened to that of a lottery winner. “I felt there was a sort of giddy tone,” Spencer told Kuenssberg, adding that the contrast between the monarch’s demeanor and the grief-laden messages he was receiving from the public was “jarring.” The Earl later clarified that the description was an inference, not a verbatim quote, but stressed that the tone suggested a possible relief at the prospect of marrying Camilla Parker-Bowles.
The dispute over funeral protocol formed another flashpoint. Spencer said he learned that Princes William and Harry were to walk behind Diana’s coffin, a detail he argued conflicted with his sister’s wishes. When he raised the objection with Charles, the future king reportedly responded, “I walked behind Lord Mountbatten’s coffin,” to which Spencer retorted that Mountbatten was not his mother. Spencer claimed Charles then became “ballistic,” launching a prolonged rant about the Spencer family’s sense of duty. The Earl remembered the monarch concluding the tirade with, “We’ll forget her soon enough,” a line he repeated verbatim during the interview.
Reactions, political commentary and the broader feud
The interview has reignited a simmering rift between the Spencer family and the royal establishment. Spencer asserted that his nephews, Prince William and Prince Harry, will not be surprised by the revelations, implying that the alleged statements are consistent with what they have heard over the years. He also expressed disappointment over the perceived neglect of the young Harry, who was only twelve when his mother died. Spencer wrote that Harry “needed Diana’s hugs” but was left to “spin out of control,” a sentiment he said underscores a broader failure of the royal household to protect the grieving child.
Political figures have weighed in. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch reiterated her support for the monarch, echoing the palace’s stance that the King is “embarrassed” rather than “furious.” Meanwhile, some royal watchers have pointed out that the palace’s response mirrors the earlier “recollections may vary” phrasing used during the Harry-Meghan fallout, a similarity Spencer dismissed as a “poor imitation.”
Spencer also addressed accusations that the memoir is motivated by profit. He insisted his sister would be “cheering from the rafters” at the book’s publication and rejected the notion that financial gain drove his disclosures. The episode underscores how personal grievances, historic trauma, and media scrutiny continue to intertwine within the British monarchy, turning private memories into public controversy.
