Royal watchers were stunned this week as Earl Charles Spencer’s deeply personal Diana memoir began surfacing ahead of publication – but insiders say this day was always coming.
The book, Swan Song: Diana My Sister, is set for release on September 22 and is already dominating global headlines with bombshell claims.
“Earl Spencer bided his time for many years, but he always intended to put pen to paper eventually,” a royal insider tells Woman’s Day. “To a lot of people it’s surprising he took so long to actually pull the trigger, but it didn’t dampen his determination to let rip and share a true, warts-and-all account of his sister.”
The fallout has escalated rapidly following the publication of Spencer’s most jaw-dropping claim yet: that in the frantic days after Diana’s death, then-Prince Charles allegedly remarked, “We’ll forget her soon enough”.
Spencer alleged that Charles became angered over Spencer’s wish for grieving Prince Harry and Prince William to be spared walking behind their mother’s coffin at her funeral, which then led to Charles venting in a “stream of anger”.
“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 assertion prompted a statement from Buckingham Palace, with a spokesperson 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 judgment and colour memory in ways others do not recognise, even many years after such a loss.”
However, sources insist Spencer’s motives run deeper than faded memories. He has never forgiven Charles for Diana’s heartbreak, nor for Camilla’s constant presence throughout their marriage.
“Did he see this book as his chance to avenge his sister and ultimately ruin the King? That’s certainly how it comes across,” says the source. “Charles ruined Diana in so many ways, so it’s only right in Charles Spencer’s eyes that he gets a portion of what he deserves, even if it is 30 years later.”
How have Prince William and Prince Harry reacted to bombshell Diana book?
Other media outlets have reported Prince Harry was aware of the book and its contents, with our source confirming Harry as “been in the loop”.
“Harry is incredibly proud of his uncle. He has been in the loop about the book’s contents and believes it’s an extremely courageous, worthy mission that should be applauded and ultimately cherished, even if he does concede that it puts his father and stepmother in a very difficult and embarrassing position, our insider says.
“He has no doubt it’s all accurate and that this will serve as the definitive memoir or biography of her extraordinary life. They’ve talked at length about the content, the King’s likely reaction, and both of them agreed emphatically that the truth is all that ultimately matters – no matter how many feathers are ruffled in the process.”
As for Prince William, his reaction is understood to be the polar opposite.
“William is disgusted that his uncle has effectively taken off the gloves and decided to hammer his father so brazenly, in the year before his mother’s 30th anniversary, no less,” the insider reveals.
“It’s stirring up unnecessary conflict and putting the monarchy in an impossible and insufferable position, which would most certainly have upset his grandparents as well as many surviving members of the family. And the fact that Harry is behind all this – or at the very least cheering it all on in the background – just sickens William even more.”
William is preparing himself for “plenty more embarrassment and mud-slinging to come” in the leadup to the book’s release.
“William just wants everyone to stop lying and trying to re-write history, especially his brother and uncle, whom he believes are stirring up a hornet’s nest with their sensationalism and willingness to cause conflict and upheaval within the monarchy,” the source continues.
“He just wishes that his brother and uncle would stop sensationalising or telling tales about the past that are impossible to prove either way. To him it’s way below the belt and totally uncalled for on every level.”
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