More than a quarter-century after Princess Diana’s death, her brother Charles Spencer is doubling down on a claim that has reignited tensions with the King, insisting the words he attributes to Charles were real — and, in his view, “monstrous.”
The row centres on an exchange Spencer says took place just days after Diana died in 1997, when King Charles — then Prince Charles — allegedly told him: “rest assured, we’ll forget her soon enough.”
The allegation appears in a new memoir by Mr Spencer about his late sister, and has drawn fresh attention following extracts published from the book.
In the latest passage serialised in the Daily Mail, Mr Spencer also writes that the then Prince Charles sounded “giddily elated – like a lottery winner” when he phoned after Diana’s death.
Speaking in an extract from a BBC interview, Mr Spencer said Buckingham Palace issued what he described as an “unprecedented” rebuttal, responding that “the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason.”
He questioned whether that response suggested the King was, in fact, embarrassed.
Mr Spencer said: “(The King) went ballistic, would be the right term, and started really going for my family as a whole, about their sense of duty, not being adequate enough, and ranted for a while, I have no idea how long, but it was a significant period, and I just listened.
“And then he stopped, and I thought, ‘Oh now he’s gonna pull himself together and say something more appropriate’, and then he said, ‘We’ll forget her soon enough’.”
Mr Spencer added: “I really was so stunned, and I just, after a stunned silence, I said, ‘I cannot believe you just said that,’ and I hung up on him.”
Asked about Buckingham Palace’s response to his claims, Earl Spencer told the BBC: “Is he (the King) furious, or is he embarrassed? Because I can tell you, here and now, those are exactly the words he said.
“I’ve only ever had two calls on the line with Prince Charles at any stage of my life.
“I was hyper-alert to what he was saying, and those are precisely the words he said, and I promise that to you now, genuinely, that is what he said.”
Asked whether he has “evidence” of the King’s comments, Mr Spencer told the BBC: “I told friends and family straight away, close friends and family, about what had been said, because it was so monstrous.”
“I’m telling the truth,” he added.
Britain’s Princess Diana died in a car crash in 1997
The memoir contains other claims about Diana’s private life. In separate excerpts, Mr Spencer writes that after telling him she intended to divorce, Diana said: “my husband is in love with his valet.”
He also alleges that Queen Elizabeth considered restoring Diana’s Her Royal Highness title — removed following her divorce from Prince Charles.
The disclosures have surfaced as the royal family carried out a busy round of engagements. King Charles yesterday chaired a meeting with some of the world’s leading AI companies, warning of the “existential dangers” posed if the technology ends up in the wrong hands.
At the same time, the Prince and Princess of Wales travelled to Scotland’s Isle of Bute, where they met residents, posed for selfies and played shinty while highlighting the island’s community spirit and volunteering ethos.
The Princess Royal attended the opening of a new history centre at the German military cemetery in Staffordshire, while the Duchess of Edinburgh continued her visit to Zambia.
Meanwhile, the Duke of Sussex — whom the King has emphasised is no longer a working member of the royal family — made his first public appearance since returning to the UK, attending the inaugural Invictus Spirit Awards in London.
Harry is due to join Invictus Games alumni and pupils today for a school visit and the launch of the Inspire education programme for Invictus Games Birmingham 2027.
In London, Sotheby’s is set to hold a media call for the first public display since 1997 of Diana’s black silk Christina Stambolian “revenge dress”.
Worn by Diana after her then-estranged husband Charles admitted to committing adultery during their marriage, the dress is expected to sell for as much as £220,000 when it is auctioned in December.
