Earl Spencer used a GMA interview to explain what set him off: the palace, which by tradition doesn’t respond to books at all, broke protocol to push back on his memoir about Diana, saying His Majesty is mindful that “the…
The Prince of Wales and Earl Spencer in conversation at a Cape Town banquet in November 1997, shortly after the death of Princess Diana. Photo by John Stillwell – PA Images / PA Images via Getty Images.Earl Spencer used a GMA interview to explain what set him off: the palace, which by tradition doesn’t respond to books at all, broke protocol to push back on his memoir about Diana, saying His Majesty is mindful that “the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgment and colour memory.”
At Cairngorms National Park in Aviemore, Scotland, on Sept. 16, 2026, King Charles III — walking stick in hand — greets community members credited with helping contain a major wildfire. Photo by Andrew Milligan-Pool/Getty Images.He didn’t accept the framing. “What I said is straight and true,” he said, calling the palace response condescending and “not straight.”
Earl Spencer, brother of the late Princess Diana, photographed in a file image. Photo by Daniel Deme / WENN.The line at the center of it all is his account that then-Prince Charles told him “Rest assured, we’ll forget her soon enough” in the days after Diana’s death in 1997. Spencer says what surprised him is that the palace statement never directly denied the quote. “It doesn’t say he didn’t say it either. That’s what I found interesting.”
King Charles attends the Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey on March 9, 2026. Photo by MEGA.Spencer has said the words in his book aren’t just his truth but the truth, and he wants them recorded for posterity. His memoir, “Swan Song: Diana, My Sister,” is out Tuesday, Sept. 22, in the UK and US, with more excerpts expected to follow.
Earl Spencer at the ICAP charity day in London on December 9, 2015. Photo by Max Mumby/Indigo / Getty Images.Thanks for reading Thought Catalog. Show us some love on Facebook, and discover more on our website.