Buckingham Palace has issued an unusually strong response to claims made by Princess Diana’s brother, Charles Spencer, in his forthcoming memoir about the events surrounding her death and funeral in 1997.
In Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, Spencer alleges that the then-Prince Charles told him, “Rest assured, we’ll forget her soon enough,” during an argument over whether Diana’s sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, should walk behind their mother’s coffin at her funeral.
Spencer says he opposed the plan because he believed Diana would not have wanted her sons, who were 15 and 12 at the time, to take part in the procession. He writes that Charles called him after learning of his objections and that the conversation became heated.
Buckingham Palace, which generally does not comment on books about the royal family, responded by saying the King was mindful that “the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgment and colour memory” many years after a loss. The statement effectively disputed Spencer’s recollection without directly addressing the alleged conversation.
Julian Payne, who previously served as Charles’ communications secretary, also told the BBC that the alleged remark was “just not language that I recognize”.
Diana died aged 36 in a car crash in Paris on August 31, 1997. Her death prompted widespread public mourning in Britain, while the decision for William and Harry to walk behind her coffin became one of the most emotionally debated aspects of her funeral.
Spencer has said the purpose of his memoir is to present Diana’s story from her brother’s perspective. Swan Song: Diana, My Sister is due to be published on September 22, with further excerpts expected to emerge before its release.
