Four Major Claims Earl Spencer Makes About King Charles in His New Book

Earl Spencer, the younger brother of the late Princess Diana, is set to release his new book Swan Song: Diana, My Sister on September 22. The memoir looks back at Diana’s life, her marriage to then-Prince Charles and the events following her tragic death in 1997.

Ahead of the book’s release, extracts have revealed several claims made by Spencer about the royal family and Charles’ reaction to Diana’s death.

One of the major claims concerns a heated conversation between Spencer and Charles over Diana’s funeral arrangements. Spencer alleges that Charles told him people would “forget her soon enough” while they were discussing the public reaction to her death and the decision for Prince William and Prince Harry to walk behind their mother’s coffin.

Spencer also claims that Charles sounded unusually cheerful when he spoke to him shortly after Diana’s death. While other callers were reportedly struggling to express their grief, Spencer recalled that Charles sounded “giddily elated” and compared his tone to that of a lottery winner.

The memoir also revisits Diana’s troubled marriage. Spencer claims his sister once told him that she planned to divorce Charles. According to his account, Diana made a personal remark about Charles and his relationship with his valet during their conversation.

Another serious claim in the book concerns Diana’s mental health. Spencer alleges that she experienced periods of deep despair in the later years of her life and drove to Beachy Head while contemplating suicide. He said her love for her sons, William and Harry, stopped her from going further.

The claims are based on Spencer’s personal recollections and have attracted attention ahead of the book’s publication. The memoir comes nearly three decades after Diana’s death and offers Spencer’s account of his sister’s life, marriage and final years.