Charles Spencer has reopened one of the royal family’s most painful disputes with Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, a memoir containing sharply contested claims about King Charles III’s behavior after Princess Diana’s death.
The book is scheduled for publication on September 22, nearly 30 years after Diana died in a Paris car crash at age 36. Advance extracts and Spencer’s promotional interviews have already generated an unusually forceful response from Buckingham Palace.
The palace has challenged Spencer’s recollection of a conversation with the future king, while Prince William and Prince Harry have not publicly addressed their uncle’s allegations.
Spencer Says Charles Claimed Diana Would Be Forgotten
The most explosive claim concerns an alleged telephone argument during preparations for Diana’s September 1997 funeral.
Spencer says he opposed plans for William, then 15, and Harry, then 12, to walk publicly behind their mother’s coffin. According to his account, the future King Charles reacted angrily and told him: “Rest assured, we’ll forget her soon enough.”
Spencer has also described Charles as sounding “giddily elated” during an earlier call following Diana’s death. That description represents Spencer’s interpretation of the king’s tone, not an independently verified fact.
The Associated Press reported that Buckingham Palace has forcefully rejected the account. No recording or transcript of the private conversations has been made public, leaving the competing versions dependent on personal recollection.
The Book Revisits William and Harry’s Funeral Walk
Spencer’s account also returns to the lasting controversy over Diana’s sons walking behind her coffin with their father, grandfather Prince Philip and uncle.
He says he repeatedly objected because he believed Diana would not have wanted the boys subjected to such an intensely public ordeal. Spencer further claims palace officials viewed the princes’ presence as a way to reduce the possibility of hostility toward Charles during the procession.
Another extract describes Prince Philip overruling Charles about the order in which the five mourners would walk. According to Spencer, Philip placed him in the middle, between William and Harry, rather than allowing Charles to take the central position.
William and Harry have both discussed the procession in later years, with Harry describing its emotional toll. Previous accounts have nevertheless presented the final decision as a collective family choice, complicating any suggestion that the boys were simply ordered to participate.
Spencer Alleges Harry Was Left Without Enough Support
Spencer writes that he was troubled by what he perceived as a lack of emotional care for Harry immediately after the funeral.
He recalls seeing his 12-year-old nephew isolated in his grief and argues that Harry needed sustained attention and guidance. Spencer connects that alleged absence of support to the difficulties Harry experienced in later life.
That conclusion is Spencer’s personal assessment. He does not present medical evidence establishing a direct link between the days after the funeral and Harry’s subsequent choices.
The memoir therefore adds another perspective to a history Harry has already explored in Spare, but it cannot serve as a definitive account of his private care or mental health.
Diana Reportedly Had Serious Doubts Before Her Wedding
The book also revisits Diana’s 1981 marriage to the then-Prince Charles.
Spencer claims Diana learned shortly before the wedding that Charles was willing to marry her but was not in love with her. He says she approached their father, John Spencer, about ending the engagement, only to be told that withdrawing so late would create an unacceptable scandal.
These claims are presented through conversations Spencer says Diana had with relatives or friends. They reinforce the long-established history of strain in the marriage, but the specific private exchanges cannot now be independently tested.
An official Penguin extract offers a less combative picture of the relationship’s beginning, describing Diana as initially smitten with Charles and recalling how the press surrounded her before she received royal protection.
Buckingham Palace Issued a Rare and Pointed Response
Buckingham Palace normally avoids answering claims made in royal books. This time, it responded before publication.
A spokesperson said the King believes “the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgment and colour memory,” directly casting doubt on Spencer’s recollection without providing a detailed alternative account.
Spencer subsequently stood by his version during a BBC interview, saying the words he attributed to Charles were exact. He later characterized the palace’s response as an attempt to undermine his memory.
Importantly, the palace statement addressed the central allegation concerning Charles. It should not be treated as a point-by-point response to every story in the memoir. Kensington Palace has not issued a public statement on William’s behalf, and Harry has not publicly endorsed or disputed the claims.
What Is Confirmed—and What Remains Disputed
It is confirmed that Spencer opposed the princes’ funeral walk and that he used his Westminster Abbey eulogy to criticize the pressures surrounding Diana and her sons.
It is also confirmed that Buckingham Palace has now challenged his memory of the private confrontation with Charles. What remains unverified is the precise wording, tone and motivation Spencer assigns to conversations that occurred almost three decades ago.
Penguin Random House describes the 384-page book as Spencer’s first extended account of his sister’s life. Spencer says he wrote it to correct stories he considers untrue and to present Diana from a brother’s perspective.
That perspective makes Swan Song historically significant, but it does not make every allegation settled history. Its release is likely to intensify scrutiny of both Spencer’s evidence and the palace’s unusually personal rebuttal.
