King Charles Sounded ‘Giddily Elated — Like a Lottery Winner’ After Princess Diana Died, Claims Earl Spencer in Bombshell Book
The British monarchy has been rocked by explosive historical revelations following the release of the first serialized excerpt from Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, the forthcoming memoir penned by Princess Diana’s brother, Charles Spencer. Published by the Daily Mail, the 62-year-old 9th Earl Spencer recounts the devastating hours immediately following the tragic August 1997 car crash in Paris that claimed Diana’s life. The text details Spencer’s immediate telephone communication with the then-Prince of Wales, leveling unprecedented personal accusations regarding the future monarch’s initial demeanor.
Writing from his then-residence in Cape Town, South Africa, Spencer recalls receiving endless condolence calls from shell-shocked friends and family before Prince Charles caught him on the landline. In stark contrast to others who could barely articulate their grief, Spencer claims that the future King “sounded giddily elated — like a lottery winner.” The Earl notes that Charles’s disclosure of how he broke the news to young Princes William and Harry at Balmoral felt unsettlingly matter-of-fact, leading Spencer to suspect that the royal’s immediate reaction was relief over being finally free to pursue a legitimate marriage with Camilla Parker Bowles.
The excerpt also delves into the bitter backstage dispute regarding Diana’s funeral procession, specifically the decision to have 15-year-old William and 12-year-old Harry walk behind their mother’s coffin. When Spencer aggressively opposed the mandate, Prince Charles phoned him in an apparent fury over the funeral arrangements. According to the book, the exchange culminated in Charles venting long-standing contempt for his deceased former wife, allegedly hissing: “Rest assured, we’ll forget her soon enough!” before a stunned Spencer abruptly severed the call. The Earl additionally asserts that several senior figures within palace walls were privately relieved by Diana’s sudden passing.
Buckingham Palace firmly stood by its pointed diplomatic response when pressed for comment, reiterating: “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.” Penned ahead of the upcoming 30th anniversary of Diana’s death, Spencer described the project as a brother’s unapologetic, definitive tribute, expressing total confidence that his late sister would have endorsed every word.