Britain's royal family has taken the unusual step of publicly challenging claims made by Princess Diana's brother, Earl Spencer, in his upcoming memoir.
Departing from the monarchy's traditional "never complain, never explain" approach, Buckingham Palace responded Wednesday to Spencer's recollection of a phone call between himself and King Charles, in the wake of Diana's death in 1997. According to Spencer, the call took place after Spencer objected to Prince William and Prince Harry, then 15 and 12, walking behind their mother's coffin at her funeral.
In an excerpt from the book Swan Song: Diana, My Sister published by Britain's Daily Mail, Spencer wrote, "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. 'Rest ****** ured,' he hissed, 'we'll forget her soon enough.'"
While the palace didn't directly address whether the comment was made, the statement questioned the reliability of Spencer's recollection, saying, "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."
The statement echoes the palace's reaction to claims made by Harry and Meghan Markle during their 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey that an unnamed royal had made a remark about their son's skin color before he was born and that the monarchy failed to help a suicidal Meghan. A response issued on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II at that time said that "recollections may vary."

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