Princess Diana's brother Charles Spencer says King Charles 'gaslit' him over memoir claims
Earl Charles Spencer Accuses King Charles III of “Gaslighting” Over Alleged Post‑Diana Phone Call
Sept. 28, 2026 – Boston, MA
Earl Charles Spencer, the eldest brother of Princess Diana, has publicly challenged the British royal household’s response to allegations he made in his forthcoming memoir, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister. In the book, Spencer claims that six days after Diana’s fatal car crash in 1997, he received a telephone call from the then‑Prince of Wales in which the monarch allegedly told him, “We’ll forget her soon enough.” The palace has disputed Spencer’s account, suggesting that grief can distort memory, and the earl has denounced the response as a case of “gaslighting.”
The Claim
Spencer, who has only had two telephone conversations with the king during his life, described the call in an excerpt released by the Daily Mail earlier this week. He said the king, who was still a prince at the time, was “full of anger” and, after a brief pause, “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.” According to Spencer, the king then hissed, “Rest assured, we’ll forget her soon enough.”
He has reiterated the story during an interview on BBC One’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, where he said he was “hyper alert” to the king’s words and that he had repeated the remark to close friends and family immediately afterward. “I will tell you that these words will not be a surprise to them,” Spencer added, referring to his nephews Prince William and Prince Harry.
The Palace’s Response
In a rare statement, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said the royal family would not comment on books “as a matter of principle.” The spokesperson added that “the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgment and colour memory in ways others do not recognize, even many years after such a loss.” The statement was widely interpreted as a denial of Spencer’s claim but stopped short of repeating the alleged remark.
Spencer called the palace’s response “astonishingly provocative and below the belt,” saying it “essentially tried to say I’d lied without the King being able to deny what I’d said.” He described the statement as a poor imitation of the palace’s well‑known “recollections may vary” phrase used after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey.
The Broader Context
Spencer has previously voiced disagreement with the royal family over the funeral arrangements for Diana. In 1997, he opposed the decision to have William and Harry walk behind their mother’s casket during the funeral procession, a choice that led the younger princes to express that “you can’t make these boys walk behind their mother’s coffin!” in his memoir Spare. He has described the event as “the most horrifying half an hour of my life” and said it remains a source of nightmares.
The alleged phone call is situated against this backdrop of strained relations between Spencer and the royal household. The earl has long been critical of the king’s handling of Diana’s legacy and the subsequent royal narrative.
Public and Media Reactions
Spencer’s comments have attracted attention from both the press and the public. The People magazine reported the palace’s statement, while Fox News Digital’s Lori Bashian contributed to the coverage. The earl’s remarks have sparked debate over the accuracy of memory, the role of grief in shaping recollections, and the propriety of public statements from the royal family regarding private family matters.
Upcoming Publication
- S wan Song: Diana, My Sister* is scheduled for release on September 22. The book promises to offer a close‑up view of the earl’s relationship with his sister and the events surrounding her death. It will also feature the disputed account of the conversation with King Charles, which could further inflame tensions between the earl and the royal household.
A Summary of the Key Points
| Fact | Details |
|---|---|
| Who | Earl Charles Spencer (Princess Diana’s brother) |
| What | Claims a phone call with King Charles III in which the monarch said, “We’ll forget her soon enough.” |
| When | Six days after Diana’s death (August 1997). |
| Where | Phone call; palace response via spokesperson; BBC interview. |
| Why | Spencer alleges the king’s statement reflects contempt for Diana; he sees the palace’s denial as “gaslighting.” |
| Quotes | “It is not every day you wake up to find you’ve been gaslit by the king.” “We’ve only ever had two calls on the line with Prince Charles.” “I’ll tell you these words will not be a surprise to them.” |
| Palace’s Statement | “We do not comment on books as a matter of principle… grief can cloud memory.” |
The situation underscores the enduring sensitivity surrounding Princess Diana’s legacy and the ongoing public scrutiny of the royal family’s handling of personal and public history. As the earl’s memoir approaches its release, observers will watch closely to see whether the alleged conversation—and the palace’s response—will alter public perception of the former prince’s relationship with his brother.