A Week of Bombshells
Earl Spencer has dropped yet another explosive allegation from his forthcoming memoir, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, claiming that the late Queen Elizabeth reacted 'tetchily' to the first news of Princess Diana's car crash in Paris — before grasping the severity of what had happened.
In the latest extract published on Friday, Charles Spencer writes: 'When the Queen had heard the first news of Diana being in a traffic accident, she had asked tetchily, "What is she up to now?" This, before the seriousness of it all became clear.'
The revelation is the most recent in a torrent of allegations that have shaken the Royal Family this week, as serialised extracts of the Earl's memoir have dominated headlines ahead of the book's publication. What began as a row over a single disputed phone call with King Charles has mushroomed into a far broader portrait of a royal household Spencer portrays as cold, calculating, and relieved by his sister's death.
The Phone Call That Started a Palace War
The central dispute concerns a furious exchange Spencer says he had with the then-Prince of Wales in the days after Diana died in Paris on 31 August 1997. According to Spencer, after an argument over whether Princes William and Harry should walk in the funeral procession, King Charles — having 'ranted for a while' — uttered the words: 'We'll forget her soon enough.'
'I can tell you here and now, those are exactly the words he said. I don't hear him saying he didn't say that.'
Spencer told the BBC he was 'hyper alert' to every word spoken during that call, stating he has only ever had two telephone conversations with King Charles in his life. He said he immediately told family and friends what had been said 'because it was so monstrous', and that he hung up the phone in shock after responding: 'I cannot believe you just said that.'
Buckingham Palace issued a rare and pointed rebuttal, stating that '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.' Spencer fired back with characteristic sharpness: 'Well, is he furious? Is he embarrassed? They've sort of smudged that one, haven't they? They've said that recollections may vary.'
Wider Claims Against the Royal Family
The memoir does not stop at the King. Spencer also alleges that Charles sounded 'giddily elated — like a lottery winner' when he rang to break the news of Diana's death, and suggests that some inside Buckingham Palace were 'relieved — indeed pleased' at her passing, his suspicion being that Charles saw in it an opportunity to finally marry Camilla Parker Bowles, now the Queen.
In further extracts, Spencer writes that Diana confided in a friend that Charles told her days before their wedding that he was 'very happy to marry her, but he was not actually in love with her'. Diana apparently tried to break off the engagement after discovering a bracelet he had bought for Camilla, but was told by their father that pulling out of 'such an enormous commitment' was impossible.
'It is a sad fact that, in her later years, Diana drove herself more than once to Beachy Head while contemplating ending it all. Her love for her sons stopped her from going further.'
Spencer, 62, also claims Charles may have contributed to Diana's eating disorder after squeezing her waist during their engagement and remarking 'Oh, a bit chubby here, aren't we?' — after which her waist shrank from 29 inches to 23.5 inches between engagement and wedding day. He adds that he believes Diana had ADHD and, like himself, suffered from Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria.
A further extract claims the late Queen had considered restoring Diana's Her Royal Highness title, which she lost upon divorcing Charles.
Spencer Stands Firm
Speaking from his Althorp estate in an exclusive BBC interview, the Earl has been steadfast in his defence of every claim, insisting he wrote the memoir to correct 'untruths' told about his elder sister. Asked pointedly which Charles the public should believe, his answer was simple: 'I'm telling the truth.'
Buckingham Palace declined to respond to his most recent comments. The row has added a charged backdrop to an already eventful week for the Royal Family, with Prince Harry — understood to have been aware of the book in advance, though not its specific contents — making his first UK public appearance since returning from the United States, attending the inaugural Invictus Spirit awards in London.
Swan Song: Diana, My Sister is due to be published next week.
