Diana memoir renews dispute with Buckingham Palace

Charles Spencer's memoir about his sister Princess Diana went on sale Tuesday, September 22, 2026, setting off a public dispute with Buckingham Palace over his account of King Charles's reaction to Diana's death in 1997. Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, published by Penguin and translated into 12 languages, contains allegations that have drawn a rare response from the Palace. Spencer claims that in a phone call shortly after Diana died in a Paris car crash at age 36, Charles, then Prince of Wales, said, "Rest assured, we'll forget her soon enough." Spencer also writes that the then-heir to the throne sounded "giddily elated," like a "lottery winner," at the news. Buckingham Palace issued a statement saying that while it does 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 color memory in ways others do not recognize, even many years after such a loss." The statement did not directly deny the specific quoted remarks. Spencer, 62, said in a Sunday, September 20 interview on Good Morning America that he was upset by the Palace's response, calling it condescending.