Princess Diana’s brother, Earl Spencer, has made a series of claims about King Charles in his new book, including his account of how the monarch reacted to his sister’s death
A former communications secretary to King Charles has addressed claims about how the then-Prince of Wales felt about Princess Diana. In more royal drama this week, Earl Spencer, her brother, has made a series of claims about his former brother-in-law.
Princess Diana, the mother of Prince William and Prince Harry, died in a car crash in 1997, shortly after her divorce from their father, Charles, was finalised. Now, 29 years on from the tragedy, Earl has released a book titled Swan Song: Diana, My Sister.
In extracts from the book, serialised by the Daily Mail, Earl has claimed that the monarch told him “we’ll forget about her soon” after his sister’s death. He also alleged that Charles “sounded giddily elated, like a lottery winner” during one of the calls that followed.
Get the latest news and gossip from the Royal Family plus selected offers and competitions
Invalid email
You agree you are 18 or over. We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. You can unsubscribe at any time. More Info.
Princess Diana and Prince Charles pictured in 1990 (Image: Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)
Earl Spencer has made a series of bombshell claims (Image: GETTY)
Julian Payne, who worked as Charles’s communications secretary when he was Prince of Wales, said the royal was “absolutely emphatic” about honouring Diana’s memory.
Speaking to The Times, he recalled working with Charles around the 20th anniversary of Diana’s death in 2017, when the late princess was repeatedly discussed due to intense media interest.
“What I remember was he was very clear that there was never to be any criticism, never to be any pushback on the narratives that were usually highly critical of him but he was absolutely emphatic that we were to respect her memory and not undermine it in any way,” he added.
Princess Diana’s funeral took place in September 1997 (Image: GETTY)
Buckingham Palace has responded to Earl’s allegations. In a rare statement, they said: “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.”
Queen Elizabeth II’s former press secretary, Dickie Arbiter, has dismissed Earl’s allegation as “hogwash”, telling BBC Newsnight that Charles was “devastated” and that such comments would be out of character.
Royal commentator Jennie Bond also questioned Earl’s version of events, describing it as “extraordinary” and “vindictive”, while noting on BBC Breakfast that memories can differ and there are often “two sides” to a conversation.
In his book, Earl also claimed that the then-Prince of Wales subjected him to a “stream of anger” after he insisted Diana would not have wanted Princes William and Harry, then aged 15 and 12, to have to walk in her funeral procession.
Prince Harry has previously said that walking behind his mother’s coffin aged 12 was something no child “should be asked to do”.
Speaking to the BBC in 2017, he said 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.
He added of the way his father dealt with the tragedy: “One of the hardest things for a parent to have to do is to tell your children that your other parent has died. How you deal with that I don’t know but, you know, he was there for us.”
BBC icon Jon Sopel breaks silence on Charles Spencer bombshell – and it’s scathing
The former BBC News star has had his say on bombshell claims made in Earl Spencer’s new book.
Jon Sopel has broken his silence (Image: Getty)
Former BBC chief political correspondent Jon Sopel has broken his silence on Earl Charles Spencer’s King Charles bombshell with a scathing comment. Over the past week, Spencer has been releasing excerpts from his new memoir Swan Song about his late sister Princess Diana, including allegations that the monarch was “giddily elated” when he talking about Diana’s death.
The palace has denied those claims and said “recollections may vary”, and Spencer has been accused of profiting off his sister’s passing. This weekend, a clip dating back to a 1998 interview with Spencer went viral on social media, in which Spencer said he would “never” dream of making money off his sister.
He said in an interview at the time: “People have lost track of this. Can you imagine anybody making a profit out of their brother or sister’s death? It’s so low it’s inconceivable. I don’t know anyone who would.
“But because the press can present Diana as a public figure, rather than as my sister, they can make it sort of a possible accusation, whereas of course it’s completely out of the question. I would never profit from Diana’s death.”
Now Sopel has shared that clip on X, tweeting: “1998: ‘I will never profit from Diana’s death’. 2026: book serialisation in Daily Mail, publication next week.” He included a shrugging emoji with his scathing response.
Charles Spencer said he would ‘never’ profit off Diana’s death (Image: Getty)
Fans were quick to respond on social media, with one writing: “Earl Spencer has made me agree with Jon Sopel. Wonders will never cease.”
Another said: “The Spencer family were never working in the interests of Diana. They’re still not.”
And a third penned: “Such a shame he’s done this now. What possible motivation does he have to create waves when none were forecast. A rather sad plea for help?”