LONDON: British shoppers rushed to buy a memoir by Princess Diana’s brother on Tuesday after excerpts revived controversy surrounding her marriage to King Charles III.
Charles Spencer, who delivered a widely praised eulogy at Diana’s 1997 funeral, has made fresh claims about the royal family in his book Swan Song: Diana, My Sister.
The memoir includes an allegation that the then-Prince of Wales appeared “giddily elated” after Diana’s death.
Buckingham Palace responded to the claim, saying the king was “mindful that the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, judgment and memory”.
The response came as the royal family faced renewed attention over one of the most difficult periods in its recent history.
Memoir Tops UK Bestseller List
Swan Song: Diana, My Sister was released in Britain on Tuesday.
Excerpts from the book have dominated British newspaper front pages for several days. The publicity helped the memoir reach the top of Amazon’s UK bestseller list.
Outside a central London bookshop, 71-year-old Chris Imafidon said he bought the book after reading reports about Spencer’s allegations.
However, he said he did not consider the claims credible.
“There’s a desire for one to be protective of your sister,” he said.
Other readers said their interest focused on Diana’s personal life and her relationship with her family and children.
“I just hope to hear more about her life with her family, growing up, and with her children,” said 69-year-old Mary Scheible.
Spencer said he wrote the memoir to set the record straight. He also described it as his duty “as an eyewitness to history”.
Claims About Charles’ Reaction
According to excerpts released before publication, Spencer recalled speaking to Charles shortly after Diana’s death was confirmed.
He claimed that Charles sounded unusually upbeat during the conversation.
Spencer wrote that Charles sounded “giddily elated like a lottery winner”, while other callers struggled to express their condolences.
He also suggested that Charles may have focused on the possibility of marrying Camilla Parker Bowles after Diana’s death.
The claims have drawn renewed attention to the troubled relationship between Diana and Charles.
Diana and Charles’ Troubled Marriage
Diana married the then-Prince Charles in 1981 when she was 20. Their wedding attracted worldwide attention and was widely viewed as a royal fairytale.
The couple had two sons, William and Harry.
Their marriage later deteriorated, with both sides facing years of intense media scrutiny and reports of tension.
The couple divorced in 1996, a year after Diana gave her famous BBC interview.
During the interview, Diana referred to Charles’ relationship with Camilla by saying, “there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded”.
Charles married Camilla in 2005.
Diana died in a car crash in Paris in 1997 at the age of 36. Her death sparked a global outpouring of grief and strengthened her enduring status as a cultural icon.
Spencer, who was closely associated with Diana throughout her life, describes the memoir as an intimate and honest portrait of his sister and her transformation into a global figure.
