BREAKING NEWS: Buckingham Palace unveils powerful move amid Charles Spencer’s intensifying claims
Buckingham Palace has highlighted Prince Edward’s latest public engagement as tensions continue to build between King Charles and Earl Spencer over explosive claims about Princess Diana.
The Royal Family’s official Instagram account shared an update on Sunday, September 20, focusing on the Duke of Edinburgh’s involvement in World Cleanup Day.
Prince Edward, who serves as Patron of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, joined young people, Award participants and community groups for a litter-picking event marking the international initiative.
The Palace celebrated the organisation’s long history of volunteering, writing: “70 years of young people giving back to their communities is something worth celebrating.”
Prince Edward Joins World Cleanup Day
Alongside a series of photographs from the engagement, Buckingham Palace explained how the wider Duke of Edinburgh’s Award community had taken part in activities around the world.
“For #WorldCleanUpDay, our global Award family has come together for a day of collective action,” the Palace said.
“This morning, our Patron, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, joined a litter pick alongside local Award participants, young people, and community groups.”
The Palace also thanked those who had taken part, both in the UK and internationally.
“A huge thank you to all of the young people who joined us, to everyone who participated in World Cleanup Day with us, and to every person across the world who has volunteered through their DofE over the last seven decades,” the message added.
The update offered a focus on the Royal Family’s ongoing public work at a time when attention around the monarchy has increasingly centred on the escalating dispute involving Diana’s brother.
Earl Spencer’s Memoir Fuels Fresh Royal Row
Earl Spencer is preparing to release his new memoir, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, which includes a number of highly critical claims about King Charles.
The 9th Earl Spencer has written extensively about his elder sister and the period surrounding her death in 1997.
In an extract from the book, Spencer claims that Charles, then Prince of Wales, told him shortly before Diana’s funeral: “Rest assured, we’ll forget her soon enough!”
The allegation has prompted an unusually direct response from Buckingham Palace.
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 clearly challenged Spencer’s recollection without directly addressing every allegation individually.
Spencer Makes Further Claim About Charles
Spencer has also alleged that Charles appeared “giddily elated” after hearing about Diana’s death.
That claim, like the others contained in the memoir, represents Spencer’s recollection of private events and conversations from nearly three decades ago.
Buckingham Palace’s response has questioned how grief may have affected those memories.
The dispute has since developed into one of the most public disagreements between Diana’s family and the Royal Household in recent years.
Palace Keeps Focus on Royal Duties
Against that backdrop, Buckingham Palace has continued highlighting the work of senior members of the Royal Family.
Prince Edward’s World Cleanup Day appearance placed the emphasis firmly on community service and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.
The organisation has encouraged young people to volunteer, develop skills and take part in community activities for seven decades, and the latest event was presented as a celebration of that legacy.
The Palace did not connect Edward’s engagement to the controversy surrounding Spencer’s book.
However, the timing means the Royal Family’s public-facing work is continuing while significant attention remains focused on the increasingly bitter disagreement over Diana’s memory.
For now, Spencer is standing by his account, while Buckingham Palace has made clear that it questions the reliability of his recollections.
As the publication of Swan Song: Diana, My Sister approaches, the row shows no sign of disappearing — even as the Royal Family continues to promote its day-to-day public duties.