Getty/Instagram
Another day, another royal drama – and this time it’s one which King Charles is unlikely to escape unscathed.
On September 16, splashed onto the pages of Britain’s Daily Mail newspaper came the first stunning revelation from a book written by Earl Charles Spencer, the brother of the late Princess Diana.
The book, Swan Song: Diana My Sister, is set for release on September 22. And as the Mail published the first preview, Palace officials were in damage control.
In the book is Spencer details what happened in days after Diana’s shock death in August 1997. He recounts a phone call with King Charles – the then Prince of Wales – in which the prince allegedly became angered over Spencer’s wish for a grieving Prince Harry and Prince William to be spared walking behind their mother’s coffin at her funeral.
History will tell you that the young princes did exactly that – and yet Spencer’s recalling of the story behind it is quite astonishing.
Spencer claims the pair had a disagreement which led to Charles venting in a “stream of anger” before stopping.
“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!’” Spencer wrote.
The accusation led Buckingham Palace to issue a rare statement in response.
“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 recognise, even many years after such a loss,” a Palace spokesperson said.
Of course, the bombshell is set to be just the first of many headline-making claims made in Spencer’s tome. His relationship with the Royal Family has been famously strained for decades, although Prince Harry remains close to his late mother’s family.
The Palace is believed not to have been given a copy of the book ahead of its publication, meaning senior royals are no doubt bracing for impact.
And as the world began to digest the significance of his new claims, sources revealed that Harry – and by default very possibly his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex – knew all about the bombshell about to be dropped well ahead of time.
“Harry knew what was in the book – it didn’t come as a shock,” one source told Page Six.
Indeed, it is suggested that the Sussexes discussed the subject matter when they made a family visit to Princess Diana’s childhood home back in July.
The latest saga led British broadcaster Jacob Rees-Mogg to ask a significant question as he discussed the matter on the UK TV show GB News.
“I suppose the question is: Is Lord Spencer really like Prince Harry, somebody who wishes to wash family laundry in public, the dirty linen in public, who has recollections that others don’t recognise, and wishes to damage a family which he is at least to some extent part of?” the commentator asked.
“And the next question is: Does it damage the royal family? Those of us who remember 1997 will recall that the royal family, even our beloved late Queen, became unpopular at that period [around Diana’s death].
“That there was a worry practically that the gates of Buckingham Palace could be stormed. The outpouring of grief, a nation that had always prided itself on its sangfroid and its stiff upper lip, suddenly became emotional with wailing and gnashing of teeth outside the palaces.
“At that point, the late queen handled it beautifully and made a wonderful speech that calmed everything down. But does the King need to do that?” the expert asked.
“Will his words about Lord Spencer be sufficient, or is this another problem for the monarchy piled on top of the former Prince Andrew and, of course, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex now back stirring things up in the Cotswolds.”
Of course, there’s no denying that Earl Spencer’s shock new claims make the drama surrounding the Sussexes pulling their two children – Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five – from school after two days amid security fears fade somewhat into the background.
However, that drama continues to roll on – and with a new twist.
On September 16, The Sun reported that Harry and Meghan had now been embroiled in a new security scare – as Meghan had used her personal number on a WhatsApp group chat for school parents.
Meghan had been enthusiastically welcomed to the chat by another parent ahead of the kids’ first day at school.
“Welcome to Meghan who has Archie joining tomo,” the parent wrote.
“Hi moms! Thanks for the warm welcome. So happy to be a part of this community xx”, Meghan replied.
However, screenshots of that chat were swiftly leaked, being shared “multiple times”, the publication reported – ultimately raising yet more security fears for the family.
