Royal author Andrew Lownie has criticised Earl Charles Spencer's new memoir, Swan Song, describing it as "petty" and "irrelevant". Speaking on News24, Lownie said the Earl had "undermined his own argument" with the book, which explores his relationship with his late sister, Princess Diana.
Memoir described as 'revenge served cold'
Lownie accused the Earl of spoiling the memoir with bitter and irrelevant content. "I think there was a lost opportunity with the book. I think people would have had a new impression of Diana," he said. "A lot of things he says are right, but he's spoiled it with all sorts of other things which are petty, bittered, irrelevant."
"He's undermined his own argument," Lownie added.
Book's reception and royal criticism
News24 contributor Sophie Elsworth explained that the book has received "very bad press" in the UK, noting that the Royal Rota, which extensively covers the Royal Family, has "turned against" Earl Spencer. She also pointed out the irony of the Earl giving a sit-down interview to the BBC, given the network's role in the Martin Bashir fiasco with Princess Diana.
"I've read the book from cover to cover. He's very bitter. We know he dislikes the King and it's very much about Earl Spencer. I don't think he's done himself any favours from this," Elsworth said.
Claims against King Charles and family reaction
In the book, Earl Spencer made explosive claims about King Charles, alleging that he "sounded giddily elated – like a lottery winner" when they spoke on the phone after Diana's death. Buckingham Palace responded, saying "fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgment and colour memory".
Earl Spencer claimed Prince William and Prince Harry were warned about the book before its publication and that he has spoken to both since its release. "I haven't asked about approval," he said on CBS Mornings. "Harry was sort of like, 'Is there anything in there that would be embarrassing to me?' I said, 'Absolutely not.' I'm very specific about people's privacy."
He added: "I didn't tell any of the family until just before it was released publicly as a thing because I didn't want anyone to think – particularly with Harry, who people know I had to stay in the summer – that he was in any way involved in this."
