Buckingham Palace Rejects Claims in Earl Spencer Book London 2026

Key Points

• Buckingham Palace responded directly to allegations in Earl Charles Spencer’s upcoming memoir, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, departing from its usual policy of not commenting on books.
• In the book, Earl Spencer alleges that then-Prince Charles said “rest assured, we’ll forget her soon enough” during a telephone argument after Princess Diana’s death in September 1997.
• The argument involved whether Prince William and Prince Harry should walk behind their mother’s coffin during the funeral procession.
• A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said King Charles III is aware that “the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgment and colour memory”.
• Dutch police are investigating the theft of advance copies of the book in the Netherlands ahead of its scheduled release.

LONDON (Edinburgh Daily) September 17, 2026— Buckingham Palace has taken the extraordinary step of publicly challenging severe personal allegations made by Charles Spencer, the 9th Earl Spencer, in his upcoming memoir concerning the immediate aftermath of Princess Diana’s death in 1997.

The formal pushback addresses claims serialized in national media, in which Diana’s younger brother alleges that the now-King Charles III made dismissive remarks regarding his late ex-wife’s public legacy whilst arranging her funeral procession. Rejecting the account, official representatives for the royal household emphasised that decades-old memories can be distorted by personal bereavement, marking a rare break from the monarchy’s traditional policy of maintaining silence on memoirs.

What Did Earl Spencer Claim Regarding King Charles III?

As reported by reporter Kinsey Schofield and serialised excerpts published by the Daily Mail, Earl Spencer details a series of tense exchanges with the royal household in the days following the fatal car crash in Paris on 31 August 1997.

In his forthcoming book, titled Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, Earl Spencer recounts a particularly heated telephone conversation with the then-Prince Charles regarding the arrangements for Princess Diana’s funeral. According to Spencer’s text, the central point of contention was whether Prince William, then aged 15, and Prince Harry, then aged 12, should walk behind their mother’s coffin during the public procession through London. Earl Spencer maintains that he voiced strong opposition to the plan, arguing that his sister would never have wished her young sons to endure such an ordeal.

As detailed in the excerpts, Earl Spencer alleges that Charles lost his temper during the debate. Describing the conversation, Spencer writes:

“Prince Charles continued his stream of anger, without me interrupting. Then he stopped. I assumed the pause signalled an effort to bring himself under control, but then he 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”.

According to Earl Spencer, the conversation culminated in Charles making a striking statement regarding the international outpouring of grief: “Rest assured, we’ll forget her soon enough”. Ahead of the release, Earl Spencer stated: “The aim of this book is to tell the truth about Diana from her brother’s perspective. I want to speak on Diana’s behalf and do so in an openly positive way”.

How Has Buckingham Palace Responded to the Allegations?

As reported by international news outlets including the BBC, CBC News, and The Hindu, Buckingham Palace issued a direct rebuttal on Wednesday evening.

Breaking with the royal household’s standard stance of refusing to comment on private publications, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson issued a carefully worded official response addressing the King’s stance:

“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”.

As further reported by WION News, royal sources indicated that palace officials were instructed to push back against the claims to prevent unchecked personal recollections from becoming accepted historical fact. The Palace’s strategy focuses on questioning the objectivity and memory accuracy of Earl Spencer after nearly three decades, rather than entering a direct public argument.

What Other Circumstances Surround the Book’s Publication?

The public friction between the Palace and the Spencer family coincides with an ongoing criminal investigation in mainland Europe. As reported by WION, Dutch law enforcement authorities are currently investigating the theft of four advance copies of Swan Song: Diana, My Sister from a transport delivery vehicle in the Netherlands.

Publishing representatives described the targeted theft as highly unusual, as the perpetrators bypassed other valuable cargo to secure the advance copies of the manuscript ahead of its global release on 22 September. Publishing sources cited by the press have indicated that the industry had been anticipating significant revelations from the text, given Earl Spencer’s long-standing role as a custodian of his sister’s memory.

Background of the Particular Development

The relationship between the Royal Family and the Spencer family has contained elements of public and private friction since the formal separation of Prince Charles and Princess Diana in 1992 and their subsequent divorce in 1996.

Following Princess Diana’s death in Paris in 1997, tensions over public perception and the handling of her memory came to a head during her funeral at Westminster Abbey. In his eulogy, Earl Spencer delivered a speech in which he pledged that Diana’s “blood family” would protect her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, ensuring their upbringing retained the imaginative and warm style characteristic of their mother. The address was widely interpreted by observers as a direct criticism of the Monarchy’s established institutional protocols.

Over the succeeding decades, the events of September 1997 have remained a subject of intense global analysis. While the Royal Family gradually adapted its communication and public engagement strategies following the public reaction to Diana’s death, claims regarding behind-the-scenes decision-making during the funeral preparation have periodically resurfaced in memoirs, biographies, and historical dramatisations.

Prediction: How This Development Can Affect the British Public and Royal Institutions

This public disagreement between Buckingham Palace and Earl Spencer is likely to impact public sentiment, institutional communications, and royal historical records in several distinct ways:

• Impact on Public Perception of King Charles III: The publication of these allegations reopens long-standing debates regarding the events surrounding September 1997. For the British public and international audiences, claims concerning private royal conversations during a period of national mourning may influence personal views of the King’s character and early reign.
• Shift in Palace Communications Strategy: By issuing a formal statement rather than maintaining silence, Buckingham Palace has demonstrated a willingness to directly counter memoirs that challenge the royal narrative. This establishes a clear precedent for how the royal communications team may handle future biographical publications or disputed historical accounts.
• Media Coverage and Family Dynamic: The explicit disagreement between the King and his former brother-in-law brings renewed scrutiny to the relationship between the House of Windsor and the Spencer family. Media analysis surrounding the 30th anniversary of Princess Diana’s death will likely reference both Earl Spencer’s claims and the Palace’s rebuttal when evaluating the history of the era.