The publication of Charles Spencer's book about his late sister, Princess Diana, which contains numerous sensational revelations, has prompted a rare and sharp response from King Charles III.
Nearly three decades after Diana's death in a car crash in Paris in 1997, interest in her life and tragic death remains. The memoir 'Swan Song: Diana, My Sister,' written by Diana's younger brother, was published by Penguin and translated into twelve languages.
However, excerpts published in the British tabloid Daily Mail in recent days have sparked major headlines. Spencer stated that he wrote the book to 'speak for Diana' and correct 'misconceptions that have become common over time.' He told Mail on Sunday over the weekend that 'Diana would undoubtedly have been pleased with this book.'
The published fragments alleged that her ex-husband Charles, then Prince of Wales and now King, told Spencer by phone shortly after Diana's death: 'Don't worry, we will forget about her soon.' Her death at the young age of 36 caused a wave of mourning in Britain for the woman known as the 'people's princess.' This also fueled accusations that the monarch at the time, Queen Elizabeth II, did not react quickly enough with sympathy and understanding.
Spencer claimed that Charles 'sounded wildly ecstatic, like a lottery winner' upon hearing of Diana's passing. Furthermore, he recounted that Charles 'went crazy' after insisting that Diana did not want her sons, Princes William and Harry, then aged 15 and 12, to walk behind her coffin in the funeral procession.
A spokesperson for Buckingham Palace issued a rare reaction from the 77-year-old King, stating: 'His Majesty understands that the pain of fraternal grief can cloud the mind, influence judgments, and color memories in ways that others may not recognize, even many years after such a loss.'