Charles Spencer, Princess Diana’s younger brother, has accused Prince Charles of sounding "giddily elated — like a lottery winner" when the then-Prince called to deliver the news of Diana’s death in Paris on August 31, 1997. In a new extract from his memoir, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, Spencer describes the phone call as "strangely matter-of-fact," contrasting it with the stunned silence of other mourners. He writes that Charles informed him that he had already told their sons, William and Harry, at Balmoral that morning.
Spencer, who suspects the King’s immediate reaction was relief at being free to marry Camilla Parker Bowles, says the tone of the conversation haunted him for decades. "I suspect the prince's first reaction must have been to think more of how this event might free him to marry the woman he loved," he writes. The book details the couple's turbulent marriage, which began in 1981, ended in separation in 1992, and was finalized in divorce in 1996, just a year before Diana died in a paparazzi-chased crash at age 36.
Buckingham Palace issued an unusually pointed rebuttal on Wednesday. A spokesperson said the Palace does not typically comment on books but addressed the specific claim directly. "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 read. This response follows earlier extracts where Spencer claimed Charles told him during a funeral argument, "Rest assured, we'll forget her soon enough."
The memoir is set for publication next week, promising to further scrutinize the royal family’s handling of Diana’s death and the subsequent decade. Spencer says he wrote the book to correct what he sees as untruths about his sister’s life. The release will land as public interest in the 1997 tragedy remains high, particularly given the King’s marriage to Camilla in 2005 and the ongoing scrutiny of the royal household's private moments.