Most explosive claims made about Royal Family in Earl Spencer’s new book
Earl Spencer’s new memoir features a series of shocking claims about the Royal Family and how they allegedly reacted after the death of his sister, Diana, Princess of Wales.
Charles Spencer spoke to the press ahead of the release of his highly anticipated tell-all book, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, which was published today (22 September).
It also explores the final years of Diana’s life, including the events surrounding her death and the aftermath of her funeral.
The beloved Princess of Wales was killed in a car crash in Paris at the age of 36 on 31 August, 1997.
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Before Swan Song hit the shelves, Spencer told the BBC he wanted 'to put things down once and for all that were true' and that writing it was his 'duty... as an eyewitness to history'.
Here are some of Spencer’s most explosive claims about the Royal Family and King Charles III...
King Charles’ alleged reaction after Prince Diana’s death
In the memoir, he describes speaking to then-Prince Charles after Diana's death and says he was struck by what he perceived as an unusually upbeat tone, claiming the future King 'sounded giddily elated'.
Spencer alleged that Charles sounded like a 'lottery winner' following the tragic news.
The passage reads: “Unlike my other callers, who were stunned, barely able to articulate their condolences and offers of help, he sounded giddily elated – like a lottery winner, I remember thinking at the time.
“He let me know he had informed William and Harry of their mother’s death, first thing that morning, in their bedrooms at Balmoral.
“It all sounded strangely matter-of-fact, given the enormity of the disaster.”
‘We’ll forget her soon enough’
Another bombshell claim in the Swan Song is that the King, who was the Prince of Wales at the time of Diana’s passing in 1997, said ‘we’ll forget her soon enough’.
Spencer detailed an alleged disagreement with Charles on whether Princes William and Harry should walk as part of their mother’s funeral procession.
He wrote: “He [Charles] 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 strongly pushed back against the bombshell claim. In a rare statement, which was issued ahead of the book's release, it 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.”
However, Spencer stood by his claims in an interview with the BBC.
When asked if he has ‘evidence’ of Charles’ alleged comments, he said: “I told friends and family straight away, close friends and family, about what had been said, because it was so monstrous.”
Spencer went on to claim: “I’m telling the truth.”
After Princess Diana’s death, there was ‘a lack of obvious care’ for Prince Harry
When Diana died, Princes William and Harry were 15 and 12 respectively.
Spencer claimed in his memoir that there was a ‘lack of obvious care’ for Harry at the time.
The passage reads: “My chief memory of that train journey is of being concerned at the lack of obvious care for Harry, as he decompressed from the ghastliness of the morning.
He recalled how ‘tiny, and slight, and bereft’ his nephew allegedly looked following the funeral.
“He needed Diana’s hugs, of course, and they would forever be denied him. But instead of calm and nurture, he was allowed to spin out of control,” Spencer alleged.
“I have often looked back, reckoning that a more caring hand at such points as this would have helped him enormously in the future. Instead, he seemed so very alone in his despair and torment.”
Princess Diana claimed King Charles was ‘in love with his valet’
Charles and Diana divorced on 28 August 1996 and Spencer recalls the end of their marriage in his book.
Diana’s brother alleges that while eating lunch at her favourite London restaurant, Diana revealed: “I’m going to get divorced,” before claiming: “My husband is in love with his valet.”
Spencer said that she 'did not name the member of staff, and I never asked her who it was, or why she would believe such an improbable thing'.
He wrote: “It was not important: The end of her marriage, and of her dreams, was.”
Princess Diana suspected King Charles of having a ‘tryst’ with Camilla Parker-Bowles
According to her brother’s book, Princess Diana had long suspected King Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles had engaged in a secret ‘tryst’ on the royal train just a few months before their wedding.
“The Sunday Mirror ran a dramatic front page expose in November 1980,” he wrote. “In what became known as the ‘Royal Train Scandal’ the paper claimed it had been tipped off by an impeccable source (a police officer, it transpired) that the Royal Train had pulled into sidings in Wiltshire for a secret assignation.”
According to Spencer, Diana was ‘shocked’ by the article as she was not the woman in question.
Spencer went on to claim: “Prince Charles was the only member of his family on the train when a blonde woman had been spotted getting on board. She was known to have stayed with him on the train for several hours.
“The thrust of the exclusive was that Charles had, disgracefully, used the publicly funded vehicle for a tryst with Diana.”
Buckingham Palace later issued a statement and called the story ‘a total fabrication’.
“As it was not Diana, then who was the blonde?” Spencer questioned in Swan Song. “After her marriage took the direction it did, Diana became convinced that she must have been Camilla Parker-Bowles - particularly as the railway siding was just 19 miles from Camilla’s home.”
Tyla has contacted Buckingham Palace and representatives of Prince Harry for comment.
Topics: Royal Family, King Charles III, Princess Diana, UK News
Greg Harris