Earl Spencer’s upcoming memoir about Princess Diana, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, isn’t even on shelves yet, but already excerpts from the memoir have made headlines.
Among claims already made, the Earl has said Diana’s ex-husband, King Charles, sounded “giddily elated” at news of her death, and claimed he said: “Rest assured, we’ll forget her soon enough!” ahead of her funeral.
But while the claims made by the Earl, 62, have shocked the public, you may be wondering how this will impact his relationship with his nephews, Prince William and Prince Harry.
When asked if Earl Spencer’s book will effectively end relationships with his nephews William and Harry, on HELLO!’s Right Royal Podcast, HELLO!’s Royal Editor, Emily Nash, said: “Well, to the best of my knowledge, I don’t think he’s particularly close to William. We know Harry stayed with him back in July when he was in the UK.
© POOL/AFP via Getty ImagesHELLO!’s Royal Editor, Emily Nash, said the book will no doubt have an impact on his relationships with his nephews
“So they do have a somewhat closer relationship, but it puts Harry in a difficult situation because, however much he may like to wear his heart on his sleeve when he talks about his mother, he’s been very passionate about being attached to her legacy and wanting to bring that into pretty much everything he does; on the other hand, we know he’s trying to reconcile with his father. So where does this leave him? He can’t very well support what his uncle is saying.”
Harry and his family stayed with Earl Spencer during the summer
As for William, Emily adds: “But William is the person, I think, maybe in the most difficult situation, because whatever his feelings behind the scenes, he has to keep the show on the road. This is his future and his family’s future. And if you’re lobbing a grenade at the institution… Really? Because it’s not just the King who’s being accused of things here, it’s the whole palace machinery. And of course we know from everything that happened around the Panorama scandal, William is sick of people capitalising on his mother’s memory to make money. So I do wonder what he feels about this.”
Earl Spencer’s claims so far
As previously mentioned, the claims made by the Earl have been scathing towards the King.
Spencer claimed that some inside Buckingham Palace were “relieved – indeed pleased” at Diana’s death and alleged that the King sounded “giddily elated – like a lottery winner” on the morning she died.
© Instagram / @charles.earl.spencerThe Earl’s book Swan Song will be published on 22 September
Recalling the moment he was told of his sister’s death, on 31 August 1997, Spencer said that Prince Charles had caught him as he crossed his upstairs landing.
“Unlike my other callers, who were stunned, barely able to articulate their condolences and offers of help, he sounded giddily elated – like a lottery winner, I remember thinking at the time,” he alleged.
Other details shared so far have suggested that the royal family didn’t adhere to what Diana wanted played at her funeral, which Charles said was Mozart’s Requiem.
© AFP via Getty ImagesCharles Spencer with King Charles, Harry and William at Princess Diana’s funeral
The Earl also claimed that the then-Prince of Wales subjected him to a “stream of anger” after he insisted Diana would not have wanted Princes William and Harry, then aged 15 and 12, to have to walk in her funeral procession.
“He [Charles] unleashed down the phone what I have always taken to be his pent-up contempt for Diana, and his horror that the world was so bowled over by her death. ‘Rest assured,’ he hissed, ‘we’ll forget her soon enough’.”
Buckingham Palace’s unprecedented response
In an unprecedented move, Buckingham Palace issued a statement on behalf of the King, responding to the allegations.
It read: “While we do not comment on books as a matter of principle, 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.”