Buckingham Palace responds to new book claims
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What new claims in Earl Spencer’s biography sparked the feud with King Charles?
The Clare Byrne Show on Newstalk. With Aviva Insurance. You might have heard Princess Diana's brother has been engaged in a war of words with King Charles over the last 18 hours or so. The conflict arose from new claims in Earl Spencer's biography of his sister, which has prompted a rare statement from the palace. Sheila Fogarty is with me, LBC presenter. Good morning, Sheila.
Hi, Clare, good to be
on. So what has happened in the last number of hours?
Well, the book is due to be published formally in a few days, next week. But some copies have come out and we don't quite know how that happened. We don't know how these handful of books were stolen. And now we know some elements of the conversation that the Earl Spencer, Diana's brother, claims took place in the days after the Princess of Wales, the late Princess of Wales, died. The big question over here, I think, Claire, is going to be which statement chimes with which people. And I think those who really want the Diana years forgotten, not necessarily herself forgotten because she's pretty unforgettable, but the impact she had on the country. But those who think enough now, move on.
How did the leaked copies of the book appear before its official release?
You know, 30 years have gone by almost. Charles and Camilla, clearly a happily married couple. good king. He's unwell. Let's give him our support. So there'll be a tranche of the public that think that, but there'll be lots of other people. And I would put myself in this group. There's lots of other people who just know that the marriage was a disaster and obviously very painful for both of them. Her death was a horrendous shock. I mean, I would compare it to I mean, it felt different in nature to the death of Queen Elizabeth a few years ago because the Queen was in her 90s. It was expected. There was a great deal of respect for her. But what there wasn't for the Queen, I don't think, was the same sense of knowing her and sort of almost adoring her that existed in this country at the time that Diana was around, and particularly around the time of her death.
And I think for an awful lot of people, and again, I'll put myself in this bracket, I think it chimes with me that I don't know whether the exact words that are reported in Charles Spencer's book are accurate.
Why do some listeners think the royal family wants Diana’s legacy to be forgotten?
How could I possibly know that? But it chimes with me that on her death... All of the royal family, not just Charles, then Prince Charles, would think, awful though this is, and I don't doubt that they thought it was awful, let's draw a line under this life. Let's forget it and move on.
And they certainly didn't know in the early days how to react. And people will remember that, that they
made some
missteps, to be
fair, in the beginning.
But then it's another step forward. for us now to be told by Earl Spencer that King Charles said, rest assured, we'll forget her soon enough. I mean, that is cruel on so many levels.
Yeah, it's brutal. It's absolutely brutal. And again, I couldn't possibly say what's true and what's not. But I'll go back to that word I've used, chime. It chimes with my understanding that of Charles Windsor.
What does the discussion reveal about Charles and Diana’s marriage and its impact?
I'll have to use the surnames now because they're both called Charles. It chimes with my understanding of Charles Windsor that his... experience of being married to diana was so destructive to him as well as her but it was so destructive to him and he was so clearly unhappy in it and unhappy frankly if you look at the videos of their wedding day he looks like a lamb to the slaughter and she looks like somebody who doesn't quite realize what's going on um and he he In the end, he did have loathing for the position he felt she had put him in. I mean, I'm sure she felt the same as well. But it chimes with me that he could say, she'll be forgotten soon enough. Let's get this over with. Not necessarily in a vicious shouting way, but that chimes with me.
I mean, she even dared, and even now... The kind of brand Charles and Diana is still a more powerful global brand, if I can use that word. It's not quite the right word, but you know what I mean. The two names together, Charles and Diana, is still a more powerful combination in many people's minds across the globe than Charles and Camilla.
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Chapters
7 chapters
1
What new claims in Earl Spencer’s biography sparked the feud with King Charles?
0:01–1:23
2
How did the leaked copies of the book appear before its official release?
1:23–2:30
3
Why do some listeners think the royal family wants Diana’s legacy to be forgotten?
2:30–3:28
4
What does the discussion reveal about Charles and Diana’s marriage and its impact?
3:28–4:41
5
How does the palace’s rare statement reflect a ‘chips‑are‑down’ moment?
4:41–5:20
6
What historical royal‑media responses are compared to today’s controversy?
5:20–6:16
7
Why might the Spencer family’s claims be seen as both credible and contentious?
6:16–7:41