A new royal storm is brewing, and this time it's coming from inside the family. Princess Diana's own brother has dropped a bombshell memoir loaded with claims about her final days, her funeral, and the King himself — and Prince William and Prince Harry are staying tight-lipped about all of it.
Nearly three decades after Princess Diana's death, her brother Earl Charles Spencer is pulling back the curtain once more. His upcoming book, "Swan Song: Diana, My Sister," promises a deeply personal account of his sister's life and the chaotic days surrounding her funeral — and early excerpts have already sent shockwaves through royal circles.
According to previews shared with the Daily Mail, Spencer claims that when he broke the news of Diana's fatal car crash to then-Prince Charles, Charles's reaction was anything but grief-stricken, describing him as sounding almost gleeful. Spencer goes further, suggesting Charles may have privately seen the tragedy as a doorway to a future with Camilla Parker Bowles.
Buckingham Palace almost never responds publicly to books about the royal family, but this time was different. In an unusually direct statement, the palace pushed back on Spencer's account, calling attention to how grief "can cloud reason, affect judgment and colour memory," even decades later. Charles's former communications secretary reportedly went a step further, saying the alleged remarks were simply not language he recognized from the King.
Perhaps the most emotional claim in the book involves the funeral itself. Spencer writes that he pushed back hard against plans for a then-15-year-old William and 12-year-old Harry to walk behind their mother's coffin in front of the world's cameras, believing Diana never would have wanted that for her sons. He says he was ultimately overruled — and the now-famous image of the young princes walking the funeral procession became one of the most enduring, and controversial, moments of that period.
So far, neither prince has said a word publicly about their uncle's claims. It's a familiar pattern for the brothers, who have historically avoided engaging with reporters' questions about tell-all books touching on their family, whether the book comes from an outsider or, in Harry's own case, from within. Royal watchers say the silence is likely deliberate, following the same "don't feed the story" playbook the family has leaned on through past controversies.
With the book officially hitting shelves this week, all eyes are now on whether William or Harry will eventually break their silence — or whether the palace's carefully worded statement will be the only response the public ever gets.
Key Takeaways
- Earl Charles Spencer's memoir "Swan Song: Diana, My Sister" is set for release on September 22.
- The book claims King Charles sounded "giddily elated — like a lottery winner" upon learning of Diana's death.
- Spencer also alleges Charles later told him people would "forget her soon enough" days before the funeral.
- Buckingham Palace issued a rare public statement disputing the account as inconsistent with the King's character.
- Spencer claims he fought to stop young William and Harry from walking behind their mother's coffin, but was overruled.
- Neither William nor Harry has directly addressed the explosive claims, continuing the family's long-standing "no comment" approach to tell-all books.
