King Charles Is “Absolutely Incandescent” With Rage Over Earl Spencer’s Comments About Diana’s Death, Says Royal Expert

Princess Diana’s brother, Charles Spencer, is set to release his bombshell book about the late royal on Tuesday, September 22, and according to King Charles, recollections may vary when it comes to his reaction to his ex-wife’s death.

On September 16, the Daily Mail published an excerpt from Earl Spencer’s book, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, and in the passage, he claims that King Charles (then the Prince of Wales) argued with him over Prince William and Prince Harry walking behind their mother’s casket.

Earl Spencer says he disagreed about the boys taking part in the September 1997 funeral procession, while Prince Charles took the opposite stance. “Prince Charles continued his stream of anger, without me interrupting,” Earl Spencer wrote. “Then he stopped. I assumed the pause signalled an effort to bring himself under control, but then 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. 'Rest assured,' he hissed, ‘we'll forget her soon enough!’”

Buckingham Palace issued a rare reply after the Daily Mail published the story, with a spokesperson stating, “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 judgement and colour memory in ways others do not recognise, even many years after such a loss.”

It’s a move that Julian Payne, The King's former communications secretary, called “highly unusual.” Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s “Today” show, he stated that when he was working with Charles during the 20th anniversary of Diana’s death in 2017, the now-King insisted that there shouldn't 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.”

Former BBC royal correspondent Peter Hunt said that King Charles is “clearly absolutely incandescent” over Earl Spencer’s telling of the story, while several royal sources pointed out that the remarks were out of character for the typically kind and compassionate King.

According to the Daily Mail, “one senior establishment figure—a household name—told friends Earl Spencer "should be horse-whipped across town” over his comments, while former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond called the incident “incredibly sad” and “pure war.”

“We lived through the war of the Waleses—I did— back in the ‘90s between Charles and Diana,” she said. “Now we have another war between Diana's brother and the King and I do not know what purpose it serves. It can only go to hurt, I think, William and Harry who love their father and probably undoubtedly love their uncle as well.”

To add to the drama, four copies of the highly anticipated book were stolen from a truck in the Netherlands this week ahead of its publication—but the world will know about all of Earl Spencer's claims soon enough when Swan Song is released on September 22.