Princess Diana's brother says Charles made a cold remark after her death. The palace answered in a rare statement, and it did not hold back.
In his new memoir, Earl Spencer says then-Prince Charles told him, "Rest assured, we'll forget her soon enough," while Diana's 1997 funeral was being planned.
A spokesperson said the King "is mindful that the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgment and color memory," even many years after a loss.
The palace opened by saying it does not comment on books "as a matter of principle." Then it did anyway, which is why royal watchers called the reply so striking.
"Swan Song: Diana, My Sister" runs 384 pages and covers their childhood at the Spencer estate through her fame. Penguin Press releases it in the US on Sept. 22.
The remark allegedly came amid a dispute over whether William and Harry should walk behind their mother's coffin. The funeral was held at Westminster Abbey.
Spencer's eulogy for Diana at the Abbey in 1997 made headlines worldwide. He says this book aims to speak for her again "in an openly positive way."
Diana married Charles in 1981 and became a global star, dancing at the Reagan White House in 1985. The couple divorced in 1996.
Diana died in a car crash in Paris on Aug. 31, 1997, at age 36. She is buried on an island in the lake at Althorp, the Spencer family home.
William and Harry unveiled this statue of their mother at Kensington Palace on July 1, 2021, which would have been her 60th birthday.
The full book lands Sept. 22, so more claims may surface. For now, the palace has said its piece, and Spencer says he is telling the truth about his sister.