BREAKING NEWS: Charles Spencer hits back at Palace statement with shocking words
Earl Spencer has issued a defiant response to King Charles after Buckingham Palace challenged claims made in his forthcoming book about Princess Diana.
Diana’s brother has sparked fresh controversy with Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, which includes a series of highly personal recollections about the Royal Family and the period surrounding his sister’s death.
The memoir has already generated headlines before its release, particularly over Spencer’s claims about Charles’s reaction to Diana’s death in 1997.
According to Spencer’s account, Charles sounded as though he had “won a lottery” after learning of Diana’s death.
He also alleges that Charles told him: “We’ll forget her soon enough.”
Those claims represent Spencer’s recollection of private conversations and have now been publicly challenged by Buckingham Palace.
Palace Issues Rare Response
Buckingham Palace responded to the allegations with an unusually direct statement.
A Palace spokesperson said: “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.”
The statement did not directly address each allegation individually, but it clearly questioned the reliability of Spencer’s recollections.
That response has now prompted Spencer to hit back.
Spencer Claims He Has Been ‘Gaslit’
Rather than backing away from his account, Spencer accused the King of attempting to undermine his version of events.
Speaking to The Mail, he described the Palace reaction as “astonishingly provocative and below the belt”.
He then made an even stronger accusation.
“It is not every day you wake up to find you’ve been gaslit by the King,” Spencer said.
His response marks another escalation in an increasingly public dispute between Diana’s brother and the Royal Family.
The term “gaslit” reflects Spencer’s own characterisation of the Palace response rather than an independently established description of what happened.
Diana Book Creates Fresh Royal Tension
Swan Song: Diana, My Sister focuses heavily on Spencer’s memories of Diana and his experiences surrounding some of the most painful periods in the family’s history.
The extracts released ahead of publication have already reopened debate around Charles, Diana and the aftermath of her death.
Spencer’s allegation that Charles appeared unusually positive after hearing the news has been among the most controversial claims.
His reported recollection of the phrase “We’ll forget her soon enough” has also attracted significant attention.
Buckingham Palace’s intervention shows how seriously the claims have been received, particularly because the Royal Household generally avoids commenting on books.
Spencer Refuses to Back Down
The latest exchange suggests Spencer has no intention of withdrawing or softening his version of events.
By accusing the King of “gaslighting” him, he has turned the dispute from a disagreement over memory into a more direct personal confrontation.
The Palace, meanwhile, has framed the issue around grief, memory and the passage of time.
Neither side appears to agree on how the events of nearly three decades ago should now be understood.
For King Charles, the publication represents another difficult chapter involving Diana’s legacy being brought back into public focus.
For Spencer, however, the memoir appears to be an attempt to put his own recollections on record — even when they directly conflict with the Palace’s version.
With the book still generating headlines before its full release, the dispute between Diana’s brother and the King may continue to dominate attention around the Royal Family.
