Earl Charles Spencer has faced a new blow just days after his book Swan Song: Diana, My Sister topped the Sunday Times bestseller list at the weekend. While in its first week alone the book had over 100,000 sales, it has definitely been controversial.
This is because it contains some very strong accusations, especially against King Charles. This includes the accusation that the monarch acted like a “lottery winner” when his ex-wife Princess Diana, the mother of his two sons, died. Another claim was that Charles, who was a prince at the time, said that people will “forget” about Diana soon enough.
Buckingham Palace responds
Buckingham Palace issued a statement in response to the accusations, claiming that grief can “cloud” memory. While the book painted the King in a bad light, many royal fans have swarmed to defend him. This has resulted in many not even buying Earl Spencer’s book, which hit the shelves in September.
Here at the Express, we launched a poll shortly after 2pm on Sunday asking readers whether they have read the book. The poll, which closed at 1pm today, found that 95% of respondents said they had not read the book.
Poll results and royal reaction
A total of 3% said they had read the book. While 2% said they haven’t read it but they will. These results are likely to be a blow for Earl Spencer, who has been promoting the book heavily over the last few weeks.
While Buckingham Palace released a statement in response to the book, Earl Spencer’s nephews Prince Harry and Prince William have not commented on the new book all about their late mother. Instead, they have both kept a dignified silence. This is despite the fact that when they have been out at public events over the last few weeks, questions about what they think about the book and if they have read it have been shouted out to them. Both princes have ignored them.
Earl Spencer, who is close with Harry, has claimed that the duke is “fine” about the book and has been ever since he found out about it. Meanwhile, reports have suggested that William is “furious” about the book.
A source told RadarOnline.com: "William is beyond furious that all of this has been dragged into public again. For him, this is not ancient royal history or material for another book – it is his mother, his father and the most traumatic period of his childhood.
“He has spent years wanting Diana's memory treated with dignity rather than endlessly turned into fresh controversy. The fact that these allegations are now coming from his own uncle makes the situation particularly painful.
"William understands that Charles Spencer has his own memories and his own relationship with Diana. But there is a feeling that publishing claims this incendiary inevitably forces William and Harry back into events they experienced as grieving children, which has led William to become beyond furious over its release."
