Buckingham Palace Addresses Earl Spencer’s Claims Over King Charles and Diana's Funeral in Upcoming Memoir

Buckingham Palace has issued a rare response following contentious assertions made by Earl Spencer in his forthcoming memoir, in which he claims that King Charles dismissed the lasting public legacy of Diana, Princess of Wales, only days after her death in 1997.

According to an extract from the impending book published by the Daily Mail, the late princess’s brother alleged that the then-Prince of Wales made a callous remark during a heated telephone confrontation. Earl Spencer wrote that Charles insisted to him that the world would soon move on from Diana, declaring that she would be forgotten before long.

The volatile conversation between the two men reportedly stemmed from a deep disagreement regarding the arrangements for Diana's funeral cortege. Earl Spencer maintains that he strongly resisted the idea of her two young sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, who were aged 15 and 12 at the time, walking behind their mother's coffin in the public procession.

Addressing the published excerpt, a spokesperson for Buckingham Palace released a statement highlighting how deep personal bereavement can distort an individual's recollection of past events. The Palace noted that while it does not routinely comment on biographical works as a matter of established policy, the King is conscious of how brotherly mourning can alter perceptions across time.

The official statement explained that His Majesty is mindful that the enduring pain of fraternal grief has the capacity to cloud reason, compromise judgment, and colour memory in manners that other people involved might not recognise, even decades after suffering such a profound family tragedy.

The explosive allegation is featured in Earl Spencer’s memoir, titled *Swan Song: Diana, My Sister*, which is scheduled for general release next week. The volume is widely anticipated to present a highly critical perspective on the Royal Family and their treatment of the late Princess of Wales, though BBC News has not yet reviewed the manuscript in its entirety.

In the first publicised extract, Earl Spencer detailed the sequence of events leading up to the disputed telephone exchange. He recounted being initially informed by a senior Palace official that William and Harry would be required to march alongside their mother's coffin during the procession to Westminster Abbey, a proposal to which Spencer immediately registered his firm objection.

Shortly after voicing his protest to the aide, Earl Spencer claims he received a direct telephone call from Charles. In the memoir, Spencer described Charles as delivering a barrage of anger during the conversation, writing that the then-heir to the throne gave voice to what Spencer interpreted as long-held bitterness toward Diana and disbelief at the scale of global public mourning.

According to the written account in the book, Earl Spencer alleged that Charles unleashed down the telephone line his pent-up contempt for Diana and his shock that the public had been so profoundly moved by her passing. Spencer wrote that Charles hissed a reassurance that she would be forgotten soon enough.

The imminent publication of the memoir threatens to revisit one of the most turbulent and delicate eras in the modern history of the monarchy. The fatal car crash in Paris that claimed Diana’s life in 1997 triggered an unprecedented outpouring of international grief and plunged the Royal Family into a period of severe public relations scrutiny.

In the immediate aftermath of the tragedy, the monarchy faced widespread public criticism for appearing emotionally detached, slow to react, and out of touch with the national mood. Earl Spencer’s fiery and emotional eulogy delivered inside Westminster Abbey at Diana’s funeral further intensified the tension between Diana's family and the royal institution.

The question of whether the young princes should have walked in the funeral cortege has remained a subject of discussion over the years. Prince Harry has previously reflected on the ordeal, remarking in earlier interviews that walking behind his mother’s coffin at the tender age of 12 was an assignment that no child should ever have been asked to undertake.

However, during a 2017 interview with the BBC, Prince Harry offered a reflective perspective on the event. He stated that he did not hold a definitive view on whether the decision was right or wrong, but noted that looking back on the proceedings, he felt grateful to have taken part in honoring his mother on that day.

The high-profile release of Earl Spencer’s book has also been marked by security issues ahead of its official launch. Earlier on Wednesday, news surfaced that four copies of the unreleased Dutch-language translation were stolen from a transport vehicle in the Netherlands while traveling between the printing facility and the publisher's distribution warehouse.

With the full text of *Swan Song: Diana, My Sister* set to reach bookshops next week, the contentious revelations and the Palace’s counter-statement indicate that the historical rifts surrounding Princess Diana’s life, death, and funeral continue to generate significant institutional friction.