King Charles makes rare comment following Princess Diana’s brother’s claim about her death

Buckingham Palace has issued a response after the brother of the late Diana, Princess of Wales claimed in his memoir that King Charles said a shocking comment in the days after her death.

Earl Spencer, who has penned a book which addresses the aftermath of his sister’s death almost 30 years ago, recalled a conversation he had with Charles in preparation for Diana’s funeral.

It is alleged in the book that Charles subjected Earl Spencer to a ‘stream of anger’ after he insisted his late sister would not have wanted her young sons, Princes William and Harry who were aged 15 and 12, to walk in her funeral procession.

In the excerpt, which was published on Wednesday (16 September) by the Daily Mail, Charles, who was the Prince of Wales at the time, is alleged to have said that ‘we’ll forget her soon enough’.

However, the Palace has pushed back against the claims in a rare statement.

"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," the statement reads.

The Palace has pushed back against Earl Spencer's claims (Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)

Royal experts have compared the language to a statement from Queen Elizabeth in response to claims raised by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in 2021 about their time as senior working roles and the issue of racism, with the comment, ‘recollections may vary’.

Earl Spencer’s book, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister is expected to be published in the UK on 22 September however copies were reportedly stolen from a truck in the Netherlands.

The BBC reported four copies were stolen while en route to a warehouse and local police are investigating.

In the first excerpt to be released, Earl Spencer claims he was informed by a senior aide in the Palace that his nephews would walk alongside Princess Diana’s coffin.

He strongly rejected the idea and claims to have received a phone call from Charles shortly after.

Earl Charles Spencer (Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

Earl Spencer explains in the book: "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'."

Diana remains a hugely popular figure and her death in car crash in 1997 led to mourning across the world. She is known for her charity work, empathy and her style.

During her funeral on 6 September, 1997, Earl Spencer delivered an emotional speech.

Princes William and Harry did walk in their mother’s procession and years later, Harry said this was something no child ‘should be asked to do’.

In 2017, he spoke to the BBC about walking behind his mother’s coffin aged 12 and said he didn’t ‘have an opinion whether that was right or wrong’, however ‘looking back on it’, he was glad to have been part of the day.