The Prince is thought to have been aware of comments that target the King in Earl Spencer’s upcoming book
Spencer’s book will be released next week (Image: Getty)
Harry “must have known” about the “attack” coming on King Charles in his uncle’s upcoming book about Diana’s death, a royal expert has claimed.
ITV’s Royal Editor, Chris Ship, claims that Prince Harry is aware of what his uncle has written, having stayed with him and enjoyed a family gathering together this summer.
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The presenter said in the channel’s news at 10pm that the Duke of Sussex, therefore, had to have known about the ‘war’ that was to occur between Spencer and the Palace.
The book, written by Diana’s brother, claims that in the days following her death, then-Prince Charles told her brother “rest assured, we’ll forget her soon enough”.
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said Charles is “mindful that the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason”.
The statement from the palace adds: “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.”
The book claims that the comment was allegedly made during the arrangements for Diana’s funeral via phone call.
The allegations are made in Spencer’s book Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, which is being serialised in the Daily Mail and is set to be published next week.
Buckingham Palace’s hit back at the claims has been labelled a ‘war’ (Image: Getty)
The book’s release is seen to “settle some old scores” and it appears that Buckingham Palace will not take the claims lightly.
The palace’s response highlights this stance, as it is unusual for the royals to comment on the release of books, having made no public statements after the release of Harry’s memoir in 2023.
Many have been left stunned by the comments from Buckingham Palace, with Piers Morgan posting a single-word reaction on X: “Wow..”
The comment was followed by three fire emojis.
Princess Diana died in a car crash in Paris in 1997.
The death of the hugely popular figure created a volatile atmosphere as the royals have been accused of failing to show empathy despite the public’s upset.
The book also claims that Earl insisted his sister would not have wanted her sons, William and Harry, then aged 15 and 12 to make the public walk behind her coffin.
Prince Harry has previously spoken out and said that walking in the procession is something no child “should be asked to do”.
He said in 2017 he didn’t “have an opinion whether that was right or wrong”, but “looking back on it”, he was glad to have been part of the day.
The Express has contacted Prince Harry for futher comment.
The Reform UK leader hit out at the Archbishop of Canterbury over the furore.
Nigel Farage erupted at the Archbishop of Canterbury in a row over her giving an award to a Muslim cleric who praised Osama bin Laden. Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi received the honour for reconciliation and interfaith cooperation last week on the anniversary of 9/11.
But Dame Sarah Mullally was forced to withdraw the award following a backlash after it emerged he praised the mastermind of the terror attacks in comments made in 2007. Speaking on his GB News show, the Reform UK leader said: “Every time we get a new Archbishop I think it must get better, it doesn’t, it gets worse.”
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Mr Farage added: “Why oh why is the Archbishop of Canterbury giving an award to a man who praised Osama bin Laden just a few years after the Twin Towers?”
Mr Ashrafi, the chairman of the Pakistan Ulema Council which is a group of Islamic scholars, received the award “for his outstanding work as an ambassador of interfaith harmony in Pakistan”.
But the honour sparked a backlash after past comments emerged that he made about Bin Laden.
Speaking after The Satanic Versus author Sir Salman Rushdie was knighted in 2007, Mr Ashrafi said: “We are pleased to award the title of Saifullah [sword of God] to Osama bin Laden after the British government’s decision to bestow the title of ‘Sir’ on blasphemer Rushdie. This is the highest title for a Muslim warrior.
“If a blasphemer can be given the title ‘Sir’ by the West despite the fact he’s hurt the feelings of Muslims, then a mujahid who has been fighting for Islam against the Russians, Americans and British must be given the lofty title of Islam, Saifullah.”
Lambeth Palace said in a statement yesterday that the award had been withdrawn.
It said: “The award was given for Imam Ashrafi’s longstanding support for religious minorities in Pakistan, particularly the Christian community – support that is valued by many Christians in Pakistan including its Anglican Church.
“It is a longstanding principle of interfaith dialogue and co-operation that we must engage with one another across deeply-held differences, and that remains the case.
“However, previous comments made by Imam Ashrafi have come to light that have led Lambeth Palace to reconsider this award and we can now confirm today that the award has been withdrawn. We have contacted Imam Ashrafi to make him aware of this decision.”
A spokesman for Mr Ashrafi and his council said his remarks had been taken “out of context”.
He said: “Our position against terrorism, extremism, suicide attacks and the killing of innocent people is clear and unequivocal. We have consistently worked for peace, moderation and interfaith harmony.”