Royal residence fires back at Earl Spencer's Diana bombshell with 'grief clouds memory' riposte

From the Newshound archive · first published 19 September 2026.

Buckingham Palace issued an extraordinary statement accusing Earl Spencer of letting grief distort his memory, hours before the first extract of his explosive new book is published this afternoon. The book claims King Charles told Spencer days after Diana's death: 'Rest assured, we'll forget her soon enough.' Charles's aides shot back that 'fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgement and colour memory in ways others do not recognise.'

The palace's barbed response was widely seen as a deliberate echo of the late Queen's 'recollections may vary' rebuke to Harry and Meghan after their Oprah interview.

Despite the row, senior royals pressed ahead with engagements — William and Kate made their first ever visit to the Isle of Bute, watching shinty at Rothesay's historic club.