Earl Spencer’s memoir, Swan Song: Diana My Sister, has sparked controversy with its claims about King Charles and the Royal Family. The book, which hit shelves this week, has attracted criticism, but Spencer says he has “no regrets” about the claims made.
Spencer appeared on Lorraine to discuss his book and the King’s response to his claims. He stated: “It’s impossible to give the full story of Diana’s life without putting it in the context of certain things that were said.” This is not a threat at all because I’m not going to do it, but if I wanted to.
Earl Spencer claims Charles, then the Prince of Wales, told him that the world would “forget her soon enough” after Diana’s heartbreaking death in 1997. He also claimed that the King was “giddily elated” after hearing the news of his former wife’s fatal car crash.
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Spencer explained that his book is a telling of the truth and that he has every right to write about his sister. He added: “But I would like to explain that I was not setting out to do a hit piece on the King at all. The comments [from Charles] that I’ve included in the book are totally in context.”
Response to Criticism
Earl Spencer was one of the people who walked as part of Princess Diana’s funeral procession. He went on to explain that the final statement of his eulogy at Diana’s funeral, in which he said “Diana will never be extinguished from our minds” was a response to the King’s comments. Spencer continued: “So those comments had to be in there in order to explain the eulogy, which I discuss as a strand throughout the entire book. You have to have the context.”
When asked if he felt he was “going against the Royal Family” by writing the book, Spencer said he’s not trying to do that. He stated that his job is to celebrate Diana, and if some people come off poorly in the process, that’s not his concern.
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Buckingham Palace has responded to some of the claims in the book, with a spokesperson saying that the King is mindful that grief can affect judgment and memory. However, Spencer accused the Palace of “classic gaslighting,” saying that they’re trying to discredit his memories of events.
Standing by His Claims
Spencer said he stands by the truth and has no regrets about writing the book. He acknowledged that he knew it would have a controversial effect, but he’s willing to do anything to celebrate his sister’s life and legacy.
As the controversy surrounding the book continues, Spencer remains firm in his stance. He said, “If you look at the words, it’s classic gaslighting. They’ve said ‘Oh, maybe his mind isn’t right to remember these things because of time and grief’, but no one said the King didn’t say those comments, because he did.”
