Earl Spencer's bombshell Diana memoir ignites royal fury as explosive claims about the Palace, King Charles and Prince Harry divide experts and family alike
From the Newshound archive · first published 19 September 2026.
Prince Harry pictured with his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, whose brother's memoir claims King Charles sounded "giddily elated — like a lottery winner" when he rang Spencer hours after her 1997 death.Queen Elizabeth II, whose offer to restore Princess Diana's royal title on the day of her funeral was rejected by Earl Spencer as a meaningless "consolation prize," according to his new memoir.An Lochan Uaine in the Cairngorms. King Charles III's memoir battle with Earl Spencer includes the claim that he sounded "giddily elated — like a lottery winner" when he rang Spencer after Diana's death.
Veteran broadcaster David Dimbleby has declared that Princess Diana remains 'still deeply resented' inside Buckingham Palace, fuelling the already explosive row sparked by Earl Spencer's memoir 'Swan Song: Diana, My Sister'. Dimbleby, who spent decades covering royal events, told BBC Radio 4's 'Today' programme that Diana's freshness and public adoration made her a target of palace resentment that has never faded. He warned the monarchy is 'still not facing up to the biggest issues' and that the Spencer-Charles feud 'reignites all that.'
Earl Spencer insists 'those are exactly the words he said' after the Palace suggested grief had clouded his 'reason, judgment and memory'.
Kemi Badenoch has weighed in, declaring 'I'm always on the side of His Majesty' — as a YouGov poll found Britons split almost three ways on whether the allegations are true.
Publishing insiders suggest Spencer could pocket up to £10 million from the memoir — despite a 1998 vow to 'never profit from my sister's life'.
