King Charles and William 'furious' after Earl Spencer's accusations in Diana book

Hannah Furnell Tue, September 29, 2026 at 2:37 PM UTC

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King Charles and Prince William are reportedly "furious" about Earl Spencer's new memoir about Princess Diana, which has made several accusations against the Royal Family.

The 9th Earl Spencer's new book, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, which was released on September 22, marks the first time that he's spoken "openly" and "at length" about his late sister. Spencer was inspired to write it after being "inundated" with interview requests as the 30th anniversary of Diana's death approaches next August.

However, the book also takes aim at the 77-year-old monarch, who divorced Diana in 1996. Spencer claims Charles once said that his ex-wife would be forgotten "soon enough" after she died in 1997, prompting a rare response from the palace. Now, sources have revealed how the Royal Family is dealing with the bombshell claims behind palace doors.

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"What I am hearing concerning the reaction around both households is frustration and anger, but for slightly different reasons," Kinsey Schofield, host of YouTube's Kinsey Schofield Unfiltered, told Fox News Digital. "For the king, I think there is genuine anger at what amounts to an attack on his character almost 30 years after Diana's death," she explained.

"But Charles has also lived with being cast as the villain in the Diana story for decades. Unfortunately, being portrayed as the bad guy in somebody else's version of this story is not new territory for him.

Experts say King Charles and Prince William are 'furious' about Earl Spencer's Diana book (Image: Getty)

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"For Prince William, there is an additional sense of betrayal. This is his uncle, who famously stood at Diana's funeral and promised that her 'blood family' would protect William and Harry."

"William now has to watch that same uncle reopen some of the most traumatic events of his childhood and hear extremely damaging allegations against his father," Schofield said.

Schofield noted that William isn't just Charles' son. He is the future king. So, the monarchy Spencer is "attacking" is the institution William will inherit.

The expert claimed that William is also "reasonably questioning" how "dredging up disputed private conversations from 30 years ago, attacking the current king and reigniting the ugliest chapters" of the Charles and Diana lives together could be in his nephew's "best interests."

Meanwhile, British royal expert Hilary Fordwich told Fox News Digital that William isn't close to his uncle and that sources have told her he is "absolutely furious."

Spencer alleged that after Diana died in 1997, Charles "sounded giddily elated - like a lottery winner." He claimed Charles "went ballistic" during an argument over whether William and Prince Harry, then 15 and 12, should walk in Diana's funeral procession. The chat ended with Charles saying, "Rest assured, we'll forget her soon enough."

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Earl Spencer's Diana book takes aim at King Charles (Image: Getty)

Spencer claims Charles called after learning he opposed William and Harry joining Diana's funeral procession. However, William, now 44, and Harry, now 42, said in the BBC's 2017 documentary Diana, 7 Days, that it was a "group decision" for them to join.

William said at the time, "It wasn't an easy decision, and it was a collective family decision to do that."

Regardless, the exchange between Spencer and the then-Prince Charles got tense, as Spencer writes, "Prince Charles continued his stream of anger, without me interrupting. Then he stopped."

"I assumed the pause signaled an effort to bring himself under control, but then he unleashed down the phone what I have always taken to be his pent-up contempt for Diana, and his horror that the world was so bowled over by her death," Spencer writes. "'Rest assured,' he hissed, 'we'll forget her soon enough!'"

Spencer said he replied, "I can't believe you just said that," before ending the call.

A statement from a palace spokesperson released shortly after the story was published said, "While we do not comment on books as a matter of principle, His Majesty is mindful that the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgment and color memory in ways others do not recognize, even many years after such a loss."

Last week, a royal source told Radar Online, "The Palace is acutely aware of how damaging an allegation of this nature can be because Diana remains such an important figure to millions of people.

Earl Spencer has reaffirmed his claims against King Charles several times (Image: Getty)

"There was a feeling that allowing such a serious claim to circulate completely unanswered would risk it becoming accepted as fact. The response reflects just how seriously this is being taken, and Charles is now in full damage control mode."

Another insider claimed, "This is not an intervention the Palace would make lightly. There is no desire to become involved in a prolonged public argument with Diana's brother, but equally there was determination to challenge his version of such an intensely emotional conversation."

Days ahead of his book's release, Spencer spoke to the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg at his Althorp estate, where he reaffirmed his claims. He said, "I can tell you here and now, those are exactly the words he said."

Reacting to the Palace's statement, Spencer said, "Well, is he furious? Is he furious or is he embarrassed?" He added, "I've only ever had two calls on the line with Prince Charles at any stage of my life.

"I was hyper alert to what he was saying and those are precisely the words that he said and I promise that to you now. Genuinely, that is what he said. I don't hear him saying he didn't say that."

When Kuenssberg asked whether he had evidence to back up the claim, he said he told family and friends at the time what had been said "because it was so monstrous."

When asked which Charles the public was meant to believe, he said, "I'm telling the truth."

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”