Charles Spencer, the brother of the late Princess Diana, has released new claims regarding the British royal family's conduct following his sister's death in 1997. In a forthcoming book titled \"Swan Song: Diana, My Sister,\" Spencer alleges that the then-Prince Charles dismissed concerns regarding Diana's legacy and the participation of her children in her funeral procession. Buckingham Palace issued a statement on Wednesday evening questioning the accuracy of Spencer's recollections.
The claims center on the period leading up to the funeral of Princess Diana, who died in a car crash in Paris nearly 30 years ago. According to excerpts published by the Daily Mail, Spencer objected to the plan for Princes William and Harry, then aged 15 and 12, to walk behind their mother's coffin. The boys ultimately joined the procession, resulting in widely circulated images of the event.
In his book, Spencer writes that when he raised his objections, the future King Charles III questioned the Spencer family's sense of duty and stated, \"Rest assured, we'll forget her soon enough.\" Spencer further accuses the monarch of having \"contempt\" for his former wife. In response, Buckingham Palace stated that the King \"is mindful that the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgement and colour memory.\"
Roya Nikkhah, the Royal Editor for The Sunday Times and a CBS News contributor, stated on Thursday that these claims are expected to be part of a larger serialization ahead of the book's release. She noted that the palace may be forced into a \"reactive mode\" as more details emerge. The allegations arrive as King Charles and Catherine, Princess of Wales, continue to undergo treatment for unspecified forms of cancer.
For the general public and followers of royal affairs, the concrete change involves the introduction of new, firsthand testimony into the historical record regarding the 1997 funeral. Readers will notice a shift in the media cycle toward these personal disputes, which may overshadow current royal duties and the ongoing health treatments of the King and the Princess of Wales. The claims also highlight the continued estrangement between different branches of the family, including the documented rift involving Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex.
The knock-on effects include a potential shift in palace communications strategy. According to Nikkhah, the palace must decide whether to address each claim individually or maintain a single definitive response. This development sets a precedent for how the palace handles memoirs from close relatives of the royal family. What happens next includes an exclusive interview with Spencer on \"CBS Sunday Morning\" this weekend, followed by the full publication of \"Swan Song: Diana, My Sister\" next week.