What King Charles said in response to Charles Spencer’s claims about Princess Diana in his memoir
King Charles responded to claims in Charles Spencer's upcoming memoir regarding the monarch's behavior following Princess Diana's death in 1997. A palace spokesperson suggested that the brother's grief may be clouding his memory of the events surrounding the funeral arrangements.
Why it matters
The public dispute between the British monarch and his former brother-in-law touches on sensitive historical narratives regarding the Royal Family's treatment of Princess Diana.
Britain’s King Charles took the unusual step on Wednesday (September 16, 2026) of responding to criticism from the brother of his late first wife, Diana, with a spokesperson saying that grief could affect reason, judgement and memory.
Princess Diana’s brother, Charles Spencer, alleges in a memoir due to be published shortly that the then Prince Charles told him after her death, “Rest assured, we’ll forget her soon enough”, according to a report in the Daily Mail , which begins serialising the book on Thursday (September 17, 2026).
The claims, made in the forthcoming book, relate to the now monarch’s conduct in the days following Diana’s death in 1997.
Diana was killed at the age of 36 when the car carrying her and her companion, Dodi al-Fayed, crashed in Paris while speeding away from paparazzi photographers on motorcycles.
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