Earl Charles Spencer, the brother of the late Princess Diana, has publicly accused King Charles of “gaslighting” following an official statement from Buckingham Palace regarding excerpts from his forthcoming memoir, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister. The dispute centers on an alleged phone call in August 1997, shortly after the Princess of Wales died in a Paris car accident, during which the Earl claims the then-Prince of Wales remarked that Diana would be forgotten “soon enough.”
The underlying reporting is available from nzherald.co.nz.
In response to the publication of these claims, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson issued a rare rebuttal, stating: “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.”
Speaking to the Mail on Sunday, Earl Spencer described the Palace’s response as “astonishingly provocative.” He explicitly likened the official tone to the statement issued by the Royal Household following the 2021 interview between the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Oprah Winfrey, which famously noted that “some recollections may vary.” The Earl stated, “It is not every day you wake up to find you’ve been gaslit by the King.” The exchange marks a significant public tension between the monarch and the Spencer family, highlighting the enduring sensitivities surrounding the narrative of Princess Diana’s life and death nearly three decades later.
Follow-up Questions
What is confirmed in this story?
Earl Spencer Accuses King Charles of Gaslighting Following Book Publication Princess Diana’s brother Earl Spencer has accused King Charles of gaslighting after the Palace questioned his memory of a 1997 phone call.
What should readers watch next?
Earl Charles Spencer, the brother of the late Princess Diana, has publicly accused King Charles of “gaslighting” following an official statement from Buckingham Palace regarding excerpts from his forthcoming memoir, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister .
What remains unclear: The available reporting does not yet fully settle the next step in the story.
Perspectives
The Spencer Perspective vs The Monarchy’s Perspective
Story lens
The Spencer Perspective
Earl Spencer views the Palace’s dismissal of his memory as a calculated attempt to delegitimize his account of events. By framing his recollection as a product of ‘grief,’ he argues the monarchy is using gaslighting tactics to control the historical narrative surrounding Princess Diana
The Monarchy’s Perspective
The Palace maintains a stance of institutional neutrality, refusing to engage in public debates over memoirs. Their statement functions as a defense of the King’s character, suggesting that the passage of time and personal trauma can lead to subjective, potentially inaccurate recollections of past interactions
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