ISLAMABAD: New revelations from a forthcoming memoir by Princess Diana’s brother, Earl Charles Spencer, have reignited scrutiny of Diana’s troubled marriage to King Charles III and prompted an unusually pointed response from Buckingham Palace, according to CNN.
Spencer’s book, “Swan Song,” has not yet been published, and CNN has not reviewed the full manuscript. Penguin Random House, however, confirmed that excerpts published by the Daily Mail are accurate.
The passages revisit the aftermath of Diana’s death in a Paris car crash on Aug 31, 1997, as well as her relationship with the then-Prince of Wales.
Buckingham Palace traditionally does not comment on books about members of the royal family. But a palace spokesperson issued a statement addressing the excerpts, saying Charles was mindful that “the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgment and color memory in ways others do not recognize, even many years after such a loss.”
Spencer describes a series of phone calls following Diana’s death and recounts a conversation with Charles in which, he says, the prince appeared “giddily elated like a lottery winner.”
Spencer further claims that Charles later told him, during an argument over whether Princes William and Harry should walk behind their mother’s coffin, “We’ll forget her soon enough.”
Spencer also writes about what he says was Diana’s unhappiness before and during her marriage to Charles. According to Spencer, Diana considered ending their engagement after attending the 21st birthday celebration of Charles’ brother, Andrew, where Spencer says she believed Charles showed little interest in her.
Spencer says Diana subsequently told their father that she could not marry a man who did not love her. He also claims Diana had discovered a bracelet Charles had purchased for Camilla, his longtime companion who is now Queen Camilla.
Spencer further recounts a conversation Diana allegedly had with a close friend on the eve of her wedding in 1981, saying Charles had told her he was happy to marry her but was not in love with her.
Another passage concerns Diana’s struggles with bulimia. Spencer says Charles once squeezed Diana’s waist shortly after their engagement and remarked, “Oh, a bit chubby here, aren’t we?”
Spencer describes the comment as deeply hurtful to Diana and says she later told him that her waist measurement fell from 29 inches to 23½ inches between her engagement and wedding.
The memoir also addresses Diana’s loss of the style “Her Royal Highness,” or HRH, following her 1996 divorce from Charles.
Spencer claims that on the day of Diana’s funeral, Queen Elizabeth II offered to restore the title. He says he rejected the offer, viewing it as an inadequate consolation after Diana’s death.
“I felt that I knew in my bones how she would view this posthumous award,” Spencer writes, according to the excerpt. He recalls telling the late queen’s private secretary, Robert Fellowes: “That’s very kind of the Queen, of course. But what’s the point, Robert? Now? I mean Diana’s dead.”
The excerpts have reopened questions about Diana’s relationship with the royal family and the lasting personal impact of her death on those closest to her.
“Swan Song” is expected to provide a fuller account of Spencer’s memories of his sister and the events surrounding her marriage, divorce and death.