Buckingham Palace has pushed back against claims made by Earl Spencer, in a forthcoming memoir alleging that Prince of Wales made callous remarks about Diana, Princess of Wales, following her death in August 1997.
Memoir Claims Focus on 1997 Funeral Arrangements
The controversy stems from excerpts of Earl Spencer’s upcoming book, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, which is currently being serialized in the Daily Mail. In the book, the Earl claims that during discussions regarding the funeral procession in London—where Princes William and Harry, then aged 15 and 12, walked behind their mother’s coffin—the then-Prince of Wales made dismissive comments about the late princess.
The Earl states that a senior aide to Queen Elizabeth II first informed him of the plans, prompting him to tell the official, “that’s not going to happen.”
The memoir alleges that Prince Charles called minutes later to defend the arrangement, pointing out that he had walked behind the coffin of his great-uncle, Lord Mountbatten, at age 30 following his 1979 assassination. Earl Spencer reportedly noted the age difference before the conversation escalated.
The Earl claims in the book that after a pause in the heated phone call, Prince Charles unleashed pent-up frustration regarding public grief over Diana. “Rest assured,” Charles allegedly hissed, according to the serialized book text, “we’ll forget her soon enough!” Earl Spencer states that he then hung up the phone.
Palace Response and Historical Context
Buckingham Palace declined to comment on books as a matter of principle but issued a direct rebuttal regarding the psychological impact of the 1997 tragedy on family members. The Palace spokesperson emphasized that decades-old recollections can be distorted by grief and intense public scrutiny surrounding the historic funeral.
Despite the disagreement over funeral planning, Princes William and Harry ultimately joined their father, their grandfather Prince Philip, and Earl Spencer in walking behind Diana’s coffin from central London to Westminster Abbey. During the funeral service, Earl Spencer delivered a televised eulogy vowing that Diana’s blood family would protect her sons from the pressures of royal duty and tradition.
Publication Details and Reaction
Earl Spencer maintains that he wrote Swan Song: Diana, My Sister to correct falsehoods told about his older sister following her fatal car crash in Paris. The serialization has reignited public attention on the intense family tensions within the British royal family during the late 1990s, offering a rare glimpse into the private friction surrounding the historic state mourning period.
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