LONDON, United Kingdom — Princess Diana’s brother Charles Spencer has accused King Charles III of making callous remarks about his former wife following her death, prompting Buckingham Palace to issue an unusual public response.
Spencer made the allegations in his upcoming book, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, which the Daily Mail has been publishing in excerpts ahead of its release next week.
In the latest excerpt published Thursday, Spencer said the then-Prince Charles sounded “giddily elated — like a lottery winner” when they spoke on the night Diana died in a Paris car crash in 1997.
Spencer also claimed Charles told him several days after Diana’s death, “Rest assured, we’ll forget her soon enough.”
Buckingham Palace pushed back against the allegations Thursday, saying grief can affect a person’s memories and judgment.
“His Majesty is mindful that the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgement and colour memory in ways others do not recognize, even many years after such a loss,” a palace spokesperson said.
The palace rarely comments on claims contained in books, making the response unusual.
Spencer also wrote that Charles directed what he described as a “stream of anger” at him after Spencer objected to William and Harry walking behind their mother’s coffin during her funeral procession.
Spencer said Charles expressed anger over the public reaction to Diana’s death and told him the world would eventually forget her.
Julian Payne, who served as Charles’ communications secretary in 2017, questioned Spencer’s account.
“It’s just not language that I recognize,” Payne told the BBC when asked about the alleged remark.
Diana died at age 36 after the car carrying her and companion Dodi Fayed crashed in Paris while driver Henri Paul tried to escape paparazzi photographers.
Her death triggered widespread mourning in Britain and renewed scrutiny of the royal family’s response to her death.
William, then 15, and Harry, then 12, walked behind Diana’s coffin during her funeral procession. Both princes have spoken about the emotional difficulty of the experience.
Spencer’s latest claims add another chapter to the long-running public interest in Charles and Diana’s marriage, which ended in divorce in 1996 after years of marital difficulties.
Diana’s relationship with the royal family has remained a subject of public discussion decades after her death.