Key Takeaways
- Charles Spencer, brother of Princess Diana, publishes 'Swan Song: Diana, My Sister'.
- Book claims King Charles was 'giddily elated' after Diana's death in 1997.
- Buckingham Palace rejects Spencer's version of events, calling it 'astonishingly provocative'.
Charles Spencer, brother of the late Princess Diana, has sparked controversy with the release of his latest book, 'Swan Song: Diana, My Sister'. The book, set to be published on Tuesday, offers a personal account of his sister's life and her unhappy marriage to the now King Charles.
In pre-released excerpts, Spencer claims that King Charles was 'giddily elated' in the aftermath of Diana's death in 1997, a statement that has reopened a painful episode for the royal family.
Spencer, 62, wrote the book as an 'eyewitness to history', stating it was his duty to share his perspective. However, Buckingham Palace has rejected his version of events, describing it as 'astonishingly provocative'.
The statement from Buckingham Palace added, 'The pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgment and colour memory'. This has intensified the publicity surrounding the book and reignited discussions about the relationship between the royal family and Princess Diana.
Spencer was born into a British aristocratic family with close links to the royal family. The late Queen Elizabeth was his godmother. He was 17 when his 20-year-old sister married Prince Charles in 1981, a fairytale wedding that captured the world's attention.
Despite the global fascination with the young couple, Spencer told CNN in an interview that at the time he was more interested in 'exams and playing my sports at school' than the event. However, behind the scenes, the relationship between Diana and Charles began to unravel.
By the early 1990s, Diana's unhappiness was making headlines, and she and Charles were using the media to brief against each other. They divorced in 1996, and a year later, Diana was killed in a Paris car accident at the age of 36.
Spencer used a eulogy at her funeral to tell an estimated 2 billion people watching around the world that her 'particular brand of magic' meant she would 'never be extinguished from our minds'.
While his words were applauded by the tens of thousands of people who listened on loudspeakers in the streets of London, some of his comments about how Diana's goodness was 'threatening' and how her 'blood family' would need to protect her sons, made uncomfortable listening for the royal family.
