Four books stolen from a truck in the dead of night in the Dutch countryside isn’t the most explosive story to come out of the British royal family this week.
Yet news that a team of literary criminals were desperately trying to get their hands on a copy of Earl Spencer’s Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, released this Tuesday, sparked conspiracy theories across the globe.
Some suggested it was a PR stunt, while others claimed it could be King Charles desperate to get his hands on what’s being predicted to be the most explosive royal book since Prince Harry’s Spare.
Just 24 hours later, the first excerpt of the memoir was released, sparking a war of words over a conversation allegedly made in the days following Princess Diana’s death on August 31, 1997.
Shock claims
Earl Spencer, 62, claims that a fight broke out over whether Princes William and Harry, then 15 and 12, should walk behind their mother’s coffin in September 1997. When he was told by a palace aide that they would be walking, Earl Spencer objected, telling him, “That’s not going to happen”.
He alleges that minutes later a furious Charles phoned and “went nuts”.
The Earl says he stressed that Diana would not have wanted her young sons to endure such a public ordeal. “Prince Charles continued his stream of anger without interrupting. Then he stopped. I assumed the pause signalled an effort to bring himself under control.
“But then he unleashed down the phone what I have always taken to be his pent-up contempt for Diana, and his horror that the world was so bowled over by her death.
“Rest assured,” he hissed, “We’ll forget her soon enough!’”
Earl Spencer was so stunned he took a few seconds before replying, “I can’t believe you just said that,” and hung up.
Recollections vary
The palace hit back, releasing a statement, saying, “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 judgement and colour memory in ways others do not recognise even many years after such a loss.”
Our source adds, “This is the King’s version of the late Queen’s ‘recollections may vary’ line and it’s quite effective. But there’s a fine line between compassion and pity and suggesting the earl’s memory is faulty is incredibly insulting to Charles, who’s spent years researching this book. He’s quite stunned the palace has done this. The book’s not even out yet and already the King’s on the attack.
“But if you thought the earl was upset, that’s nothing compared to the King. He’s livid to be quoted as saying something so heartless and he’s not going to let this get out of hand like it did last time, which ended with Charles getting death threats because of ridiculous conspiracy theories that ‘he had her killed’.
The King did expect a few gripes from Di’s brother, but he’s not going to stand around and have his words misconstrued.”
Ingrid Seward, editor of Majesty Magazine agrees, “I think Diana would be horrified that her brother would reveal this remark by Charles.
“When I last met her six weeks before her death, she was adamant that she and Charles really loved each other and it was so important to her that their children knew that.”
Worst of all, says our source, Charles feels Di’s brother is driving a wedge again between him and his beloved sons.
“The boys were traumatised by Diana’s death, but to have these comments presented in a way that makes their father out to be heartless…
“He worries they will never forgive either of them for what was said.”
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