Charles Spencer, brother of the late Princess Diana and uncle to Princes William and Harry, has shared an incident in his new memoir “Swan Song - Diana, my sister” that left him feeling notably embarrassed. The Earl Spencer recounts an uncomfortable moment at a dinner party attended by members of various royal families worldwide.
Prior to the event, Spencer was advised to be on his best behaviour and was told he would be seated next to Princess Anne, the sister of King Charles III. Hoping to start a pleasant conversation, he chose to mention that it was the very day of Anne’s daughter Zara Tindall’s christening.
However, rather than responding warmly, Princess Anne gave him a withering look and asked, “Tell me, how’s a christening supposed to go?” This unexpected question left Spencer, who described himself as “seventeen and clueless about dinner-party small-talk,” blushing and momentarily lost for words.
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He contrasted his own experience with that of his brother-in-law, Neil, who was seated beside the Crown Princess of Japan and engaged in an amiable conversation about rice cultivation. Spencer reflected, “It was the luck of the draw that night, whether you were placed next to a royal who was happy to make you feel small, or one who had the grace and manners.”
Beyond this anecdote, Spencer’s book also contains serious allegations concerning King Charles’s conduct following the death of Princess Diana. He claims that during a phone call after Diana’s passing, Charles said, “Rest assured, we’ll forget her soon enough.”
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson declined to comment directly on the book’s contents but emphasised that “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.”
Spencer also recounted feeling that the King exhibited a “giddy elated” tone during discussions about Diana’s funeral arrangements. When questioned by BBC journalist Laura Kuenssberg, he stood by his account, saying, “I felt there was a lightness in his tone about Diana’s death that really jarred with me.”
When pressed if he implied the King was “pleased his former wife was dead,” Spencer clarified, “Every word in this book I report exactly as I saw it and felt it at the time.” He acknowledged uncertainty but stated, “That’s what I assume from the tone is a possibility, and that’s all that I can do.”