Palace Responds to Insensitive Comments Allegedly Made by King Charles

Buckingham Palace is engaged in a war of words with Earl Spencer, the brother of Diana, Princess of Wales, following controversial claims in his upcoming memoir about her life and death, according to BBC. King Charles is accused of making an insensitive comment to Earl Spencer after Diana’s death in 1997, saying, “we’ll forget her soon enough,” as reported in the Daily Mail. The Palace has responded strongly, attempting to cast doubt on the claims. The Palace statement noted that “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.”

Book to Reopen Old Wounds for the Royal Family

Earl Spencer’s book, titled “Swan Song: Diana, My Sister,” is set to be published next week and is expected to reopen a difficult chapter in the Royal Family’s history. The book is written from the perspective of the Spencer family. The death of Diana, a highly popular figure, had created a volatile atmosphere, with the royals accused of appearing out of touch with public sentiment and failing to show adequate empathy. Earl Spencer’s emotional speech at her funeral further added to the sense of grievance surrounding her death, while the book is expected to provide an insider’s perspective on these events. In the published excerpt, Earl Spencer claims that the then-Prince of Wales subjected him to a “stream of anger” after he insisted Diana would not have wanted Princes William and Harry, then aged 15 and 12, to walk in her funeral procession.

Palace Criticizes Book and Security Issues Arise

Earl Spencer wrote in the book: “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 Palace has rejected these claims, describing them as entirely out of character for someone with a deeply compassionate nature. Prince Harry has previously expressed discomfort over walking behind his mother’s coffin at age 12, stating that no child should be asked to do so; Earlier on Wednesday, it was reported that copies of Earl Spencer’s unreleased book had been stolen from a truck in the Netherlands. Julian Payne, the monarch’s former communications secretary, told the BBC that the King’s apparent comments in the book were “just not language that I recognise.”

Payne added that the Palace’s “highly unusual” statement demonstrated the “strength of feeling” that must have existed for them to feel the need to correct the claims. The dispute occurs amid multiple royal events vying for public attention; King Charles is set to address the issue of artificial intelligence, calling on industry leaders to prevent it from becoming a destructive force. He is expected to host a gathering of leading AI firms at Dumfries House in Ayrshire — the King will be joined by AI minister Kanishka Narayan and representatives from tech firms such as OpenAI, Anthropic, Nvidia, and Google DeepMind. He will discuss how the benefits of AI can be applied while ensuring its safety and whether international cooperation can be achieved in preventing its misuse.

Prince William and Catherine will visit community and volunteering projects on the Isle of Bute during the day — the couple, known as the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay in Scotland, 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 efforts to protect the island’s natural environment; Later, Prince Harry will hold his first significant public event since returning to the UK 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 occurring simultaneously, but it could signal a new pattern with Prince Harry and Meghan back in the UK and running their own engagement program. A letter sent on behalf of the King last week clarified that the Sussexes are not carrying out royal engagements, but as “private citizens,” they are likely to receive substantial press attention for their visits. The controversy over the letter suggested some tension in their return and raised questions about how they will integrate into wider royal arrangements; Harry and Meghan have already been in the news this week for switching schools for their children due to security concerns over the school run.