'Giddily Elated': Earl Spencer's Bombshell Memoir Accuses Charles of Sounding Thrilled After Diana Died

Earl Spencer claims King Charles III sounded 'giddily elated' on the phone shortly after Princess Diana's death, according to explosive extracts from his forthcoming memoir serialised this week.

In Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, out next Tuesday, Spencer recalls taking calls as news of the Paris car crash spread in 1997. He writes that most callers were 'stunned, barely able to articulate their condolences and offers of help', but that Charles, then Prince of Wales, was different.

'He sounded giddily elated, like a lottery winner, I remember thinking at the time,' Spencer writes, adding that the prince's reaction 'all sounded strangely matter-of-fact, given the enormity of the disaster'.

Spencer writes that he suspected Charles's 'first reaction must have been to think more of how this event might free him to marry the woman he loved, rather than appreciating the loss of one he did not'.

Palace Issues Rare Public Rebuttal

The claim follows an earlier extract in which Spencer alleged that Charles told him, during a row over funeral arrangements, 'Rest assured, we'll forget her soon enough.' Buckingham Palace did not address the individual claims but responded with a statement on Wednesday.

'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 colour memory in ways others do not recognise, even many years after such a loss,' the palace said.

Julian Payne, the King's former communications secretary, told the BBC's Today programme that the language attributed to the King was 'just not language that I recognise'.

Memoir Sets Out Wider Claims About Charles and Diana

The memoir, which Spencer says he wrote to challenge 'untruths' about his sister, makes several other unverified allegations. He claims Diana confided to a friend that on the eve of their 1981 wedding, Charles told her he was 'very happy' to marry her but 'was not actually in love with her'.

Spencer also alleges Diana wanted to call off the engagement after finding a bracelet Charles had bought for Camilla Parker Bowles, now Queen Camilla, but that their father persuaded her it was too late to withdraw.

Spencer further writes that Charles may have contributed to Diana's eating disorder, claiming her waist shrank from 29in to 23.5in between engagement and wedding after Charles remarked, 'Oh, a bit chubby here, aren't we.'

He writes that he believes Diana had ADHD and what he calls Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria, and describes her driving to Beachy Head while, he says, contemplating suicide before turning back for the sake of Princes William and Harry.

The extracts reported so far do not provide independent documentary or medical evidence for several of the claims, which are presented as Spencer's recollections and beliefs. Buckingham Palace has not addressed the individual claims in detail.

Coffin Procession Row Resurfaces

The book also revisits the dispute over whether William and Harry, then 15 and 12, should walk behind their mother's coffin. Spencer says he opposed the idea but agreed after being told palace officials feared members of the public might shout abuse at Charles if he walked alone.

Royal Duties Continue Amid Book Furore

Those duties continued this week regardless. On Thursday, Charles hosted an AI summit at Dumfries House in Ayrshire, warning of the 'existential dangers' of the technology.

William and Catherine visited a shinty club and met community leaders and volunteers on the Isle of Bute, while Prince Harry attended the inaugural Invictus Spirit awards in London, his first UK public appearance since returning to the country from the US last month. His representatives declined to comment on his uncle's claims.