BREAKING NEWS: King Charles dealt devastating blow in huge win for Harry and Meghan
A royal commentator has suggested Earl Spencer’s latest claims about King Charles are likely to find a ready audience among people who already believe Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s criticism of the monarchy.
Speaking on GB News Breakfast, royal commentator Alex Larman said the controversy surrounding Spencer’s forthcoming book, Swansong: Diana My Sister, was likely to reinforce existing divisions rather than change many minds.
The book includes a series of striking allegations about Charles’s behaviour following Princess Diana’s death in 1997, including Spencer’s claim that the then-Prince of Wales appeared unusually upbeat during a phone call shortly after the tragedy.
Larman stressed that the truth of the claims remains disputed, but argued that public reaction may depend heavily on people’s existing views of the Royal Family.
‘People Are Firmly on One Side or the Other’
Speaking to presenters Ellie Costello and Mark White, Larman said the Diana story has always produced strongly divided opinions.
“Whether we believe or we disbelieve what the good Earl has written here, there will be those, and there always have [been] in this terrible, terrible, tragic episode in the history of the royal family, who are firmly on one side or the other,” he said.
He added that some people are already so entrenched in their views that they are likely to accept either Spencer’s version of events or the King’s side almost automatically.
Larman then linked the latest controversy to the long-running debate surrounding Harry and Meghan.
He suggested that people who were previously sympathetic to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s claims about life inside the monarchy may now also be more inclined to believe Earl Spencer.
“I think is that a lot of the people who would have believed Harry and indeed Meghan will now believe Charles Spencer,” he said.
Conversely, he argued that those who have consistently sided with the Royal Family are likely to continue doing so.
Commentator Says There Is ‘Space in the Middle’
Larman also suggested the dispute should not necessarily be viewed in completely black-and-white terms.
He said there was “a space in the middle” and pointed to King Charles’s reputation for occasionally showing frustration.
According to Larman, Charles has been known to lose his temper and say things when angry.
He referenced the widely seen moment shortly after Charles became King when he was filmed expressing frustration over a pen.
However, Larman also offered important context in Charles’s defence.
He pointed out that Diana’s death was one of the biggest news stories in the world and that Charles was under extraordinary pressure at the time.
‘Extraordinary State of Stress’
Larman said Charles was at the centre of worldwide attention following Diana’s death in Paris on August 31, 1997.
“You’re talking about something absolutely massive, and he was at the centre of it,” he said.
He argued that Charles faced more direct scrutiny than many other public figures at the time because of his former marriage to Diana and his role as father to Prince William and Prince Harry.
“He was the person everyone was looking at,” Larman said.
“So you are in an extraordinary state of stress.”
His comments appeared to suggest that even if Charles had expressed anger or spoken harshly during that period, the circumstances surrounding Diana’s death should be taken into account.
That does not confirm Spencer’s allegations, but it adds another layer to the debate over how events from almost three decades ago should be interpreted.
Earl Spencer’s Explosive Claim
In an extract from his upcoming book, Spencer recalls receiving a phone call from Charles shortly after Diana’s death.
“The phone rang constantly,” he wrote.
“Prince [King] Charles caught me as I crossed the landing upstairs.”
Spencer then offered his own interpretation of Charles’s tone during the conversation.
“Unlike my other callers, who were stunned, barely able to articulate their condolences and offers of help, he sounded giddily elated – like a lottery winner, I remember thinking at the time.”
The description is Spencer’s recollection and interpretation of a private conversation and has not been independently established.
Fresh Claims Risk Reopening Old Divisions
The renewed scrutiny comes at a time when Harry and Meghan’s own past allegations about the Royal Family remain part of the public debate.
Larman’s argument is that Spencer’s memoir may not persuade people to switch sides, but instead reinforce beliefs they already hold.
Those who are sceptical of the monarchy may see the new excerpts as further support for previous criticism.
Meanwhile, those who remain supportive of Charles and the wider Royal Family may view Spencer’s recollections with far more caution.
As more material from Swansong: Diana My Sister emerges, the dispute is likely to keep returning attention to the events of 1997 — and to the deeply divided interpretations that still surround Diana’s death and its aftermath.
