Earl Spencer, the brother of the late Princess Diana, has written a memoir containing serious accusations against King Charles and the Royal Family. In excerpts published a week before the book's release, the earl claims Charles seemed 'giddily elated' upon hearing the news of Diana's death and said the world would 'forget her soon enough' during discussions of her funeral arrangements.
In an unprecedented move, King Charles issued a statement in response to the claims on Wednesday. The statement reads: "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."
Charles's phone call after Diana's death
The earl made claims that King Charles was "giddily elated" and sounded like a "lottery winner" when he called him after Diana's death. In the serialisation, the earl claims Charles's phone call following the 1997 car crash "all sounded strangely matter-of-fact".
The passage reads: "Unlike my other callers, who were stunned, barely able to articulate their condolences and offers of help, he sounded giddily elated – like a lottery winner, I remember thinking at the time."
ADHD and mental health claims
The earl also claimed in the serialisation that he is convinced his late sister had ADHD and Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria, and that Diana went to Beachy Head in East Sussex multiple times but stopped herself from "ending it all" due to her love for her sons, Princes William and Harry.
He writes: "I am convinced now that Diana had ADHD, and that as part of that condition she suffered from Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (as do I). This is an intense emotional pain in the face of others’ rejection or criticism, which amplified her wounded response to her husband’s suggestions. It is a sad fact that, in her later years, Diana drove herself more than once to Beachy Head, the highest chalk sea cliff in England, while contemplating ending it all. Her love for her sons stopped her from going further."
Diana's death 'freed' Charles and funeral row
Spencer recounted how Charles told him that William and Harry had been informed of their mother's death, but the earl noted the tone in Charles's voice when speaking about the tragedy. The earl wrote: "It all sounded strangely matter-of-fact, given the enormity of the disaster. Looking back now, I suspect the prince’s first reaction must have been to think more of how this event might free him to marry the woman he loved, rather than appreciating the loss of one he did not."
The earl also wrote that he was strongly against the idea of Princes William and Harry walking behind Diana's coffin in the funeral procession, and butted heads with Charles over the idea. He told Charles that "Diana would never have wanted to put them through anything so ghastly", prompting fury from the then Prince of Wales. Spencer recalled that Charles said: "But I did it at Lord Mountbatten’s funeral!" to which the earl replied: "But you were 30, sir, and he wasn’t your mother." The earl explained: "He went nuts. ‘That’s the problem with your family. They’ve got no bloody sense of duty!’ he started, before descending into a general rage."
William and Harry, who were 15 and 12 respectively at the time, did take part in the funeral procession, along with Charles, Earl Spencer, and Prince Philip.
Charles's comments and Diana's HRH status
In the first excerpt, Spencer claimed a slew of comments "unleashed" by the King following Diana's death on August 31 1997, reflected "his pent-up contempt for Diana, and his horror that the world was so bowled over by her death". Spencer said that just days after Diana's death, Charles said: "Rest assured, we’ll forget her soon enough".
The earl also writes that on the day of his sister's funeral, the late Queen Elizabeth had offered to posthumously restore Diana's royal title, which had been stripped following her divorce from then Prince Charles. Spencer recounted how he was told of the offer by Robert Fellowes, the Queen's Private Secretary and his brother-in-law, as they travelled by Royal Train to Diana's private burial at Althorp House.
Writing in the book, the earl said Diana was 'dreadfully hurt' by the 'petty and vindictive' removal of her HRH title, and that despite the Queen's 'well-meaning' gesture, he decided to reject the 'consolation prize'. "I felt that I knew in my bones how she would view this posthumous award," he writes. "That's very kind of the Queen, of course. But what's the point, Robert? Now? I mean – Diana's dead."
