Buckingham Palace Denies Charles Spencer's Claim King Charles Said Diana Would Be Forgotten
Buckingham Palace has strongly denied claims by Diana's brother, Charles Spencer, that King Charles said the princess would soon be forgotten. In a new book, Spencer alleges they argued in 1997 over William and Harry walking behind her coffin. The palace suggested grief may have affected his memory.
Public rebuttals are rare for the royal household, and this one was extremely strong by its usually measured standards. It reopens the long-running rift between the Windsors and Diana's aristocratic Spencer relatives, tensions dramatised in "The Queen" and "The Crown", and touches directly on Princes William and Harry.
The Daily Mail published the first in a series of extracts late Wednesday, with "Swan Song: Diana, My Sister" due out next week. More claims, and possibly further palace responses, are likely as extracts roll out.
1981: Prince Charles, 32, marries 20-year-old Lady Diana Spencer at St. Paul's Cathedral
1992–1996: The couple separate, then divorce
Aug 31, 1997: Diana is killed in a Paris car crash; William is 15, Harry 12
Sept 6, 1997: Prince Philip, William, Earl Spencer, Harry and Prince Charles walk in the funeral procession outside Westminster Abbey
2017: Spencer says he was misled about the princes wanting to walk behind the coffin
Sept 16, 2026: First book extracts published; palace issues denial
Next week: Book publication
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1. Associated PressView Original
