Los Angeles [US], September 18 (ANI): The brother of the late Princess Diana, Charles Spencer, has made fresh claims about a conversation he had with King Charles following her death in 1997, according to extracts from his upcoming memoir Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, CNN said.
As per the publication, Spencer has claimed that Charles, who was the Prince of Wales at the time, sounded “giddily elated” when he spoke to him on the night Diana died in a car crash in Paris.
According to an extract published by the Daily Mail, Spencer described Charles as sounding “like a lottery winner” during their conversation. The book is set to include Spencer’s account of his relationship with Diana and his memories of the events surrounding her death.
Spencer has also written about a later phone call in which he said he disagreed with William and Harry taking part in their mother’s funeral procession. Diana’s sons were 15 and 12 at the time.
According to Spencer’s account, Charles became angry during the call before allegedly telling him, “Rest assured, we’ll forget her soon enough!”
Spencer wrote that he was shocked by the remark and replied, “I can’t believe you just said that,” before ending the call.
According to CNN, Buckingham Palace responded to Spencer’s claims in a statement, saying that grief can affect a person’s memory and judgment. The palace said it would not normally comment on books but added that the King was aware of how the pain of losing a sibling can affect memories many years later.
“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 color memory in ways others do not recognize, even many years after such a loss,” a palace spokesperson said in a statement.
The book also looks at Diana’s relationship with Charles and includes Spencer’s account of the problems in their marriage. Some of the incidents mentioned in the book have previously been reported by biographers and other media outlets.
Diana died in August 1997 after suffering serious injuries in a car crash in Paris. Her death was followed by a public funeral in September, where her sons walked alongside other members of the royal family, according to CNN.
Swan Song: Diana, My Sister is due to be published next week and is expected to include Spencer’s personal memories of his sister and the royal family. CNN reported that it had not seen the full book, while a publisher spokesperson confirmed that the passages quoted in the reports are accurate. (ANI)
Princess Diana’s brother Charles Spencer claims King Charles sounded ‘Giddily Elated’ after her death
