Earl Spencer has revealed he was once left red-faced after a conversation with Princess Anne didn't go as planned. The uncle of Prince Harry and Prince William has been reflecting on the death of his late sister, Princess Diana, in his new book, Swan Song - Diana, my sister.
Among his claims about King Charles, he has also opened up about an alleged awkward moment with the monarch's sister, Princess Anne. Earl said he was "warned" to be on his best behaviour while attending a dinner alongside various members of royal families from around the world.
An awkward dinner conversation
Having been told that he was going to sit next to Anne, Earl said he thought of a conversation he could present her with, should she want to engage. As it was her daughter Zara Tindall's christening on the same day, he believed this would be the perfect starting point.
He wrote: "It transpired, to my alarm, that I was actually placed next to Anne, and when she turned my way, I asked, ‘And how did your daughter’s christening go today, Ma’am?’ I expected her to run away with the happy topic of her baby Zara’s baptism.
"But instead she stopped, looked at me witheringly, and asked, ‘Tell me, how’s a christening supposed to go?’ And I, being seventeen and clueless about dinner-party small-talk, turned red and looked at my plate, unable to conjure up a reply."
Earl said his brother-in-law Neil, on the other hand, had a better experience. Sitting across the table next to the Crown Princess of Japan, he had an easy conversation about rice cultivation.
"It was the luck of the draw that night, whether you were placed next to a royal who was happy to make you feel small, or one who had the grace and manners," he added.
Claims about King Charles
In his book, Earl has also made claims about his former brother-in-law. According to him, Charles said: "Rest assured, we'll forget her soon enough," during a heated phone call before Diana's death.
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said of the claim: "While we do not comment on books as a matter of principle, His Majesty is mindful that the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgment and colour memory in ways others do not recognise, even many years after such a loss."
Earl also claimed Charles sounded "giddy elated" when discussing funeral plans.
Asked about this claim in an interview with BBC journalist Laura Kuenssberg, he reiterated: "I felt there was that sort of giddy tone. I felt – I say in the book – I felt there was a giddy tone... and I just felt there was a lightness in his tone about Diana’s death that really jarred with me."
After Laura claimed Earl had made it sound like the King was "pleased his former wife was dead", he replied: "Well, every word in this book I report it exactly as I saw it and felt it at the time."
When the host continued to question him, labelling it an "incredibly damning thing to say," he added: "I cannot be sure. I’m saying that’s what I assume from the tone is a possibility, and that’s all that I can do."
