Piers Morgan has launched legal action against Earl Spencer following allegations in his memoir Swan Song: Diana, My Sister. The broadcaster announced on social media, one day after the book's release, that he will sue over what he calls “fabricated inaccuracies” in the text.
The dispute stems from Princess Diana's younger brother suggesting Morgan was responsible for publishing hidden-camera photographs of Diana in a leotard working out in a gym, which appeared in the Daily Mirror in 1993. Although Earl Spencer has since apologised, saying that as a historian “accuracy was important to him,” Morgan has doubled down on his legal threat.
Legal action and apology
Morgan wrote: “Earl Spencer has apologised to me for his defamatory lies published in his new book, Swan Song, published today. But I am pursuing legal action against him and his publisher, Penguin, to have the lies removed and damages paid to the King's Trust.”
He has also vowed to donate any damages to the King's Trust, King Charles' major youth charity. Morgan has written to Spencer and Penguin, stating that the “lie remains in the book” and expressing his determination to have the book “pulped.”
Morgan's defence of the King
Morgan has a long history of publicly defending King Charles and the royal institution. He has criticised Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on social media and on his YouTube show, Piers Morgan Uncensored.
When the King asked Harry and Meghan to vacate Frogmore Cottage, Morgan publicly defended the decision, arguing the King made the move to save the monarchy from “two flamethrowers, who keep wanting to trash it and burn it to the ground.” He also criticised the couple for being intent on “fleecing their royal titles for hundreds of millions of dollars.”
Criticism of the Sussexes
On a recent episode of Royals Uncensored, Morgan highlighted the King's work ethic and commitment to duty, particularly amid his cancer battle. He has labelled Harry and Meghan “royal grifters,” claiming they want royal privileges and wealth without doing the “shift work” required of working royals.
Upon the Sussexes' return to the UK, he blasted their actions as “stinking hypocrisy,” pointing out they routinely criticise the monarchy while Charles actively serves the public despite serious health issues. During an interview on Good Morning Britain, he added: “Every single copy that is now sold with that defamatory lie in it will exacerbate the damage that it's caused.”
