Charles Spencer Says He Told Barbara Walters About King Charles’ Shocking Comment After Princess Diana’s Death

Stephanie PetitMon, September 28, 2026 at 2:34 PM UTC

0

Charles Spencer; Barbara WaltersCredit: David Buchan/Getty; John Lamparski/WireImage -

Charles Spencer says he told Barbara Walters about a shocking comment made by King Charles in the wake of Princess Diana’s death

In his new book about his sister, Spencer wrote that the now-British monarch said, “We’ll forget her soon enough,” after Diana died in a 1997 car accident

The 9th Earl Spencer shared the tidbit during an interview with Gayle King on CBS Mornings

Charles Spencer is sharing who knew about King Charles’ shocking remark about Princess Diana in the wake of her 1997 death.

The 9th Earl Spencer appeared on CBS Mornings on Sept. 28 to discuss Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, his new book about his sibling that came out last week. Host Gayle King brought up Buckingham Palace’s rare response to the text, released following the publication of a book excerpt in which Spencer recalls a phone call with then-Charles.

Spencer, 62, said in the latest interview, “The part of the conversation they’re particularly upset by is when he said to me about Diana, ‘We’ll forget her soon enough.’ And I know I heard that. I’ve only had two conversations on the phone with the now-King, so it’s definitely the case.”

He continued that he told people about the comment after it occurred, including a major journalist.

“I told people at the time. I told Barbara Walters, actually, at the time,” Spencer said. “But they have to gaslight; they have to sort of pretend there’s something wrong with my mind or my memory. There’s nothing wrong with either.”

Walters, who died in 2022, was not known to have a close relationship with Spencer, but the pair were photographed together at events through the years, including an April 1997 White House correspondents dinner. Walters covered Diana’s wedding to Prince Charles, and she interviewed the now-King in 1984.

After the Daily Mailpublished the first preview of the book this month, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said, “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 color memory in ways others do not recognize, even many years after such a loss.”

Spencer doubled down on his recollections in a BBC interview published on Sept. 18. When asked about the palace comment, he replied, “I’m telling the truth.”

Advertisement

In the book, Spencer recalled a conversation with then-Prince Charles about whether Prince William and Prince Harry, then ages 15 and 12, would walk behind her coffin in the funeral procession. Spencer said he was against the idea after being informed by a royal aide, and then he recalled receiving a phone call from Prince Charles, where the exchange became heated.

Spencer wrote, “Prince Charles continued his stream of anger, without me interrupting. Then he stopped. I assumed the pause signaled 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.”

“ ‘Rest assured,’ he hissed, ‘we’ll forget her soon enough!’ “ Spencer added.

Some of the biggest revelations in the book include Spencer’s claim that the future King Charles sounded “giddily elated” when they spoke over the phone in the hours after Diana’s death and Princess Diana’s claim that her husband was “in love with his valet.”

Speaking exclusively to PEOPLE this month, Spencer said, “Part of my duty, I am a historian, is to lay down facts, and that’s what I’m doing. There’s no viciousness. I’m not resentful or bitter or any of those things. It’s just a straightforward fact that that was the case, and I think that’s important for people to know.”

Charles SpencerCredit: Matt Holyoak

Can’t get enough of PEOPLE’s Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!

Spencer told PEOPLE, “This book, in my view, is something [Diana] would like. She always loved it when I paid compliments, and this is 350 pages of compliments.”

What’s more, he added, “I think this does give me the opportunity to lay certain myths to rest.”

on People

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”