Earl Spencer, brother of Diana, Princess of Wales, has triggered a significant confrontation with Buckingham Palace through allegations in his forthcoming memoir. The book contains claims that King Charles made a striking remark to Spencer in the days following Diana's death in 1997, according to reporting in multiple outlets. Spencer asserts that the then-Prince of Wales told him:
Rest assured, we'll forget her soon enough. In response, Buckingham Palace issued an unusually strong official statement rejecting the account, suggesting that grief can distort recollection.
The dispute comes at a particularly crowded moment for the Royal Family, with King Charles set to intervene in debates about artificial intelligence, Prince William and Catherine visiting the Isle of Bute, and Prince Harry holding his first major public event since returning to the UK at the inaugural Invictus awards ceremony.
The Daily Mail obtained the exclusive extract from Spencer's upcoming work, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, which the publication says
lifts the lid on an incendiary row with the now King over funeral arrangements. Spencer's account describes how the then-Prince subjected him to
a stream of angerafter Spencer objected to the young Princes William and Harry walking in their mother's funeral procession, arguing that Diana would not have wished this. In the published excerpt, Spencer wrote:
He [Charles] 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'.
The Daily Telegraph characterized the Palace's response as
a highly unusual move. In its statement, the Palace contended that
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. According to a source close to the King cited by the Daily Telegraph, the alleged comment was
just not in his nature, particularly at a time when he was
absolutely grief-stricken.
The Sun drew parallels to a previous royal controversy, headlining its coverage
Recollections may vary..... again. The phrase echoes the Queen's famous statement from 2021 regarding allegations made by Prince Harry and Meghan, and the newspaper noted the similarity in the Palace's latest response.
What is the background to this dispute?
The row centres on arrangements for Diana's funeral on 6 September 1997. William and Harry walked behind their mother's coffin alongside Charles, Philip and Earl Spencer. Spencer had previously described the decision to make the princes walk behind the coffin as cruel and said he had been lied to about their wishes.
The death of Diana, a hugely popular figure, had created a volatile atmosphere in which the royals were accused of failing to show feeling and empathy, and had seemed out of touch with the public mood. Earl Spencer's emotional and defiant speech at her funeral added to the cloud of grievance hanging over Diana's sudden death. His forthcoming book will give an insider's view on those events from the perspective of the Spencer family.
The memoir represents Spencer's first extended public account of Diana in book form. The book is being published by Penguin Michael Joseph, a division of Penguin Random House, with a UK release date scheduled for 22 September 2026. Pre-orders were being promoted in August ahead of publication. The work has already attracted attention beyond the UK: four copies of the Dutch-language edition were reported stolen from a truck in the Netherlands while in transit from the printer to the warehouse.
The Times assessed that the row between Spencer and the King will be viewed as a further crisis for the monarchy, with the Royal Family preparing for additional allegations contained in the book.
What other stories dominated the papers?
The disappearance and death of three-year-old Noah Woods featured prominently across multiple front pages. The child went missing from a playground in Brantham, Suffolk, after becoming separated from a relative on Tuesday. Police confirmed that a child's body had been found in a nearby pond. The Independent published photographs of Noah, while the Daily Mirror's front page carried the single word
Heartbreak.
Economic news dominated several publications. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch warned in the Daily Express that Britain is
paying the pricefor Labour's economic failures following inflation's rise to 3.1%, with forecasts suggesting it could exceed 4% in the coming year. Prime Minister Andy Burnham responded by stating the government
won't take risks with people's living standards, according to the i Paper. Economists quoted by the same publication identified capital gains tax as among the most probable tax increases in the Budget scheduled for the following month.
A long-running criminal mystery reached a grim conclusion. Nine years after the "Putney Pusher" incident—when a jogger pushed a woman into the path of a bus on Putney Bridge—the suspect has been found dead, the Metro reported. Nicholas Brandram, a 44-year-old banker, was arrested in June on suspicion of attempted grievous bodily harm and was subsequently released under investigation. The Daily Star featured his photograph and reported that he was a direct descendant of Queen Victoria.
International financial developments also made headlines. The Financial Times reported that US interest rates have been raised for the first time in more than three years, occurring despite US President Donald Trump's
calls for lowering borrowing costs.
Prison capacity emerged as a pressing policy issue. A national newspaper reported that the UK prison service has drawn up plans to
double uphundreds of prisoners in cells originally designed for one occupant, based on leaked documents. The proposal would involve using temporary prefabricated cells to house two inmates, potentially increasing prison estate capacity by 476 spaces. The Ministry of Justice stated it is
pulling every lever availableto ensure sufficient space to detain dangerous offenders.
In education news, the Daily Mail reported on controversy at Frome Community College in Somerset. The school's new headteacher, Dan Jeffries, suspended 25 pupils during the first week of term. While Jeffries justified the punishments as responses to
persistent disruption, some parents compared his strict approach to a military regime.
What is happening at the Palace today?
The memoir row comes as the Royal Family faces a particularly crowded schedule of engagements. King Charles is set to intervene in debates about artificial intelligence, calling on industry leaders to prevent it becoming a destructive force.
Those in our world who value our humanity and its vital moral component are anxiously seeking your reassurance that we will not lose control of our destiny, the King is expected to say on Thursday as he hosts a gathering of leading AI firms at Dumfries House in Ayrshire.
The development of AI, its substance and its pace, are both intriguing and deeply concerning in equal measure, he will say. The King will be joined by AI minister Kanishka Narayan and representatives of tech firms such as OpenAI, Anthropic, Nvidia and Google DeepMind. He will ask how the benefits of AI can be harnessed while ensuring it remains safe, and raise the issue of international co-operation in protecting it from misuse.
The decisions taken at this formative time will shape the world inherited by future generations, he will say.
And so, the task before you is not merely to advance technology, but to ensure that it remains firmly in the service of humanity, community and the natural world.
Meanwhile, Prince William and Catherine will visit community and volunteering projects on the Isle of Bute. The couple—who are called the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay in Scotland, rather than the Prince and Princess of Wales—will make their first official visit to the town of Rothesay. They will see the traditional sport of shinty, visit a community-owned pub and hear about those working to protect the island's natural environment.
Later, Prince Harry will hold his first big public event since returning to the UK, when he appears at the inaugural Invictus awards ceremony. This will celebrate the "resilience, service and unconquered spirit" of those involved in the sports events for injured service personnel. It is not yet known whether he will be accompanied by his wife, Meghan.
It is unusual to have so many royal events at the same time, but it could be a sign of things to come, with Prince Harry and Meghan back in the UK and running their own programme of engagements. A letter sent on behalf of the King last week made clear that the Sussexes are not carrying out royal engagements, but even as "private citizens" they are likely to get plenty of press attention for their visits.
When will the memoir be released?
Earl Spencer's memoir is scheduled for UK publication on 22 September 2026. The book is expected to contain further revelations about his relationship with the Royal Family and his sister's life and death.
Key Facts
- Earl Spencer claims King Charles told him Diana would be forgotten
soon enough
days after her 1997 death - Buckingham Palace rejected the allegation, stating grief can
colour memory
and describing the claim as out of character for the King - The memoir, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, will be published on 22 September 2026 by Penguin Michael Joseph
- William and Harry walked behind Diana's coffin at her funeral on 6 September 1997, a decision Spencer had previously criticised as cruel
- Four copies of the Dutch-language edition were stolen from a truck in the Netherlands before publication
