Princess Diana's brother reveals what sparked King Charles' outburst after she died
Princess Diana's brother reveals what sparked King Charles' outburst after she died
Chiara Fiorillo Tue, September 29, 2026 at 7:52 AM UTC
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Earl Spencer insisted King Charles told him 'we'll forget her soon enough' after Diana's death (Image: CNN)
Princess Diana's brother has revealed what sparked King Charles' alleged outburst during a tense phone call about her funeral.
In his memoir Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, Charles Spencer claimed the monarch, who was then the Prince of Wales, told him, "Rest assured, we'll forget her soon enough," while sounding "giddily elated."
Buckingham Palace issued a rare statement addressing the claim, stating that His Majesty is mindful that "the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgment, and color memory in ways others do not recognize." It comes as Earl Spencer said he has "no regrets" regarding allegations made about Charles and the royal family in his book.
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Diana's younger brother, 62, has now doubled down on his claims during an appearance on CNN's The Source With Kaitlan Collins.
He told the journalist, 34, that after Diana's death in August, he told Charles that he believed William and Harry, who were 15 and 12 at the time, should not walk behind their mother's coffin during the funeral procession - but the prince disagreed with his children's uncle.
Princess Diana's brother was interviewed by Kaitlan Collins on CNN (Image: CNN)
It was during a tense phone call, Earl Spencer claims, that Diana's ex-husband allegedly told him, "Rest assured, we'll forget her soon enough."
In the interview, Kaitlan asked the historian, "He really said that to you?"
"He genuinely said that," Earl Spencer insisted. "I call it those five words. And I told people at the time about it close to me."
He continued, "It was so shocking. And it stemmed from our severe disagreement about whether William and Harry should, at age 15 and 12, have to walk in front of the world behind their mother's coffin.
"I thought it was an absurd idea and really not right. And he saw things very differently. And we had a difference of opinion."
Earl Spencer added, "I kept very calm. And we all know he has a temper. You may remember the scene where he loses his temper with a fountain pen when he's signing a document when he became king.
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"It was probably one of those moments for him. But for me as a grieving brother, it was very shocking."
The author said it was "severely surprising" to hear Charles' remarks to the point that he allegedly told him, "I cannot believe you said that," and hung up on the prince.
Asked by Kaitlan whether he has spoken to the king since, Earl Spencer replied, "Well, I have at family things. And even actually just before the funeral, I had to sit with him before we processed behind Diana's coffin.
"So, I mean, we can still be civil face to face, but those are words you don't forget."
Princess Diana died in August 1997 (Image: Getty)
Kaitlan then questioned Diana's brother about Buckingham Palace's statement, to which he replied, "Two things jumped out at me. One was, there's no denial that he said it.
"And the second one was, that's a clear case of gaslighting. But I would like to say, I know this interview is quite short. You're rightly concentrating on this.
"The point of my book is a celebration of Diana and her unique abilities to connect with people, which you touched on.
"And I get that this is interesting about the king, et cetera. But I wouldn't want that to overshadow the point of this book, which is really positive about Diana."
William and Harry walked behind Diana's coffin with Earl Spencer, Prince Charles and Prince Philip (Image: Getty)
In their statement following the serialization of the book, a representative for the King stated, "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."
In a searing eulogy at his sister's funeral, Earl Spencer vowed that her "blood family" would carry on her "imaginative and loving" legacy in raising her two sons. The speech was widely considered a swipe at the royals.
At the time, many in Britain and beyond felt Queen Elizabeth II and the royal family were too slow to acknowledge the global outpouring of grief over Diana's death and that the monarchy was deeply out of touch with the public mood.
Swan Song: Diana, My Sister was published on September 22.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
