Charles Spencer has rejected a rare statement from Buckingham Palace that suggested grief can distort his memories of a conversation with the then-Prince Charles hours after Princess Diana’s death. Spencer insists the prince said, “We’ll forget her soon enough,” calling the palace response "condescending" and likening it to being "gaslit by a king." He has repeated his account on BBC and in interviews as his memoir Swan Song: Diana, My Sister prepares for release.
Charles Spencer Rebukes Buckingham Palace — Says He Was "Gaslit By A King" Over Diana Claim
Then-Lady Diana Spencer (Diana, Princess of Wales), right, with her brother Charles, Viscount Althorp, (Earl Spencer), left, at their home in Berkshire in 1968. Central Press via Getty Images
Charles Spencer has publicly pushed back against a rare statement from Buckingham Palace that questioned an account in his forthcoming memoir, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister.
An excerpt published by the Daily Mail ahead of the book’s Sept. 22 release recounts a conversation Spencer says he had with the then-Prince Charles only hours after Princess Diana's fatal crash, in which Charles allegedly told him, “We’ll forget her soon enough.”
Buckingham Palace responded to HuffPost with an unusually public remark, saying in part:
"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."
Speaking to ABC’s Maggie Rulli, Spencer described the palace response as “condescending” and said the phrasing felt like being “gaslit by a king.” He added: “What I said is straight and true. And what did they come back with? That. It doesn't say he didn't say it either. That's what I found interesting. I was really shocked, actually.”
From Left: The Duke of Edinburgh, Prince William, Earl Spencer, Prince Harry and Prince Charles walk outside Westminster Abbey during the funeral service for Diana. AFP via Getty Images
On the BBC, the 62-year-old reiterated his certainty about the phone call. “I can tell you here and now, those are exactly the words he said,” Spencer said, recalling that he had been unusually alert during one of the only two calls he says he ever had with Prince Charles.
Asked by People magazine whether he had any fear about writing candidly about someone who is now king, Spencer replied: “Not really, no. I respect the institution of the Crown... but when I'm writing this book, I'm not interested in who people are in terms of status. I'm looking at them as people. And the central person, the only one that really matters, is Diana.”
HuffPost has again contacted Buckingham Palace for further comment on other claims in Spencer’s book, though the palace is not expected to expand on its initial statement. The memoir and its excerpt have reignited public debate about the royal family’s conduct and the differing recollections of those close to Diana.
Context: The exchange comes nearly three decades after Diana’s death and ahead of the full publication of Spencer’s memoir, which aims to offer his perspective on Diana’s life, death and the events that followed.
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