This weekend saw the curtain ripped off a particularly vulnerable time for the British Royal Family when Earl Charles Spencer made some bombshell claims about King Charles’ reactions after his sister Princess Diana’s death. In a recent interview, Spencer told BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg that he had already spoken to his nephews, Prince William and Prince Harry, about the claims in his upcoming book, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister.
Spencer stated that he doesn’t like to talk about his conversations with William and Harry but noted, “I will tell you that these words will not be a surprise to them.” This isn’t just speculation, as an insider told Page Six last week that Harry’s reaction to his uncle’s claims about his mother’s death did not come as a shock.
It seems the two actually discussed the book during Harry’s visit to the Spencer ancestral estate, Althorp, back in July. During that trip, Harry also brought his wife, Meghan Markle, and their two children, Princess Lilibet, 5, and Prince Archie, 7, to visit his mother’s final resting place.
A controversial reaction
Spencer’s claims are from his new book, which, per Page Six, is set to be released on Tuesday in the UK and the US. One explosive moment is an alleged horrific phone call between Spencer and King Charles III following Diana’s death in 1997. In the book, Spencer alleges that Charles lost his temper when he challenged him about royal protocol. Specifically, over the decision to have her sons trail her coffin during the procession.
The outlet noted that Spencer thought it would be traumatic and believed Diana wouldn’t have wanted that for her sons. Per his narrative, King Charles tried to argue that he had done the same for Lord Mountbatten’s death. He allegedly snapped when Spencer reminded him that the King had been 30 at the time.
Spencer reportedly claimed, “He unleashed down the phone what I have always taken to be his pent-up contempt for Diana, and his horror that the world was so bowled over by her death.” He claimed that King Charles then told him, “Rest assured, we’ll forget her soon enough!”
The Earl told the BBC that he was left in a state of disbelief at the time and ultimately hung up the phone. He further alleged that Charles sounded “giddily elated — like a lottery winner” after his ex-wife passed away. Spencer mused that, looking back, he suspects the prince’s reaction was rooted in how the event might free him to marry the woman he loved, rather than reflecting on the loss of one he did not, referring to the now-Queen Camilla.
In a year filled with controversy and allegations regarding Former Prince Andrew, Buckingham Palace reportedly pushed back firmly. A representative for the palace told Page Six, “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.”
Spencer is standing his ground, however. During his sit-down with Kuenssberg at the Althorp estate, he doubled down on his claims and insisted he was “telling the truth.” He stressed, “I can tell you here and now, those are exactly the words he said. I was hyper alert to what he was saying and those are precisely the words that he said and I promise that to you now. Genuinely, that is what he said. I don’t hear him saying he didn’t say that.”
Beyond the specific claims about the King, Spencer also highlighted parallels between how his late sister was treated and the current treatment of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. He told the BBC that if you look at tabloid articles about Diana or the couple, they can be “really, really unpleasant.”
Spencer expressed a hope that people would learn from the example of Diana, who died in a car crash in Paris at age 36. He also told Kuenssberg that he was concerned about the security of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, stating, “As an uncle who’s seen his sister die in very, very preventable circumstances, that I would veer towards protection.”
Spencer made it clear he is not taking sides in the family dispute between the brothers. “I’m on my deceased sister’s sons’ side, both of them. And if either of them wanted anything then I’d be equally there for them,” he told Kuenssberg.
He further added, “I hope one day it’s resolved, but I don’t know all – I certainly don’t know what’s been done in the finer detail and so I would feel intrusive if I got more involved than to say of course a mother would want her two sons to be happy together and love each other.”
Published: Sep 21, 2026 02:53 pm