Princess Diana’s brother, Charles Spencer, has defended his claim that King Charles III once told him Diana would soon be forgotten, rejecting a Buckingham Palace statement which suggested grief may have affected his memory.
Spencer made the comments during his first live television interview in the US, following the publication of his book, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister.
In the book, Spencer recounts a conversation with the then Prince Charles about Princes William and Harry walking behind their mother’s coffin during her funeral procession. He says he objected to the boys taking part before Charles replied: “Rest assured, we’ll forget her soon enough.”
Buckingham Palace responded earlier this month by saying the King “is mindful that the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgement and colour memory”.
But Spencer insisted he had accurately recalled the exchange. “I know I heard that,” he said.
He added that he had spoken to the future king only twice by telephone and had told others about the conversation at the time, including the American broadcaster Barbara Walters.
Spencer said only his wife and publishers knew he was writing the book before its release. He said he had deliberately kept it from the rest of the family until shortly beforehand, including Harry, with whom he stayed during the summer, so that nobody would think either prince had been involved.
He said he had spoken to both William and Harry since the book was published.
Released nearly 30 years after Diana’s death, the book also reflects on the eulogy Spencer delivered at her funeral in 1997. He said his intention was to “celebrate Diana” and to remind readers that she was “someone really fabulous who had given life a hell of a go, and sadly, the life was terribly short”.
