Earl Spencer should be protecting Di’s memory, not trying to ruin it – bombshell memoir is incredibly cruel, expert says

EARL Spencer should be protecting Diana’s memory instead of “trying to ruin it” with bombshell claims, a royal expert has slammed. The Earl was blasted as “incredibly cruel” after launching a vicious attack on the King and making sensational allegations about his sister’s death. Earl Spencer was blasted as ‘incredibly cruel’ after launching a vicious attack on the King Credit: Getty The Earl Spencer should be protecting Diana’s memory instead of ‘trying to ruin it’ with bombshell claims, a royal expert says Credit: AP1991 He’s now doubled down on his claims in an interview with the BBC saying he’s “telling the truth” about the phone call where the now-King went ballistic. In his memoir, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, the Earl claims Charles behaved like an “elated lottery winner” when delivering news of Diana’s death. Sign up for the Royals newsletter Thank you! He writes that his first reaction “must have been to think more of how this event might free him to marry the woman he loved (Camilla)”. Buckingham Palace sensationally hit back following earlier allegations then-Prince Charles said “rest assured, we’ll forget her soon enough”. read more on earl spencer In his memoir, the Earl accuses Charles of behaving like an ‘elated lottery winner’ when delivering news of Diana’s death Credit: PA Ingrid Seward, editor in chief Editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine, described the Earl’s claims as ‘cruel and unkind’ Credit: Keith Butcher And after sparking a war of words with the King, Earl Spencer, 62, has been accused of “ruining” Diana’s legacy by royal biographer Ingrid Seward. She told The Sun: “Yes, I think he is [ruining Diana’s legacy]. “I feel that Charles should be protecting his sister’s memory, not trying to ruin it. “It’s the memory of his sister… why did he have to do that? There were plenty of other things that he could have said. Most read in Royals “No one can really quite believe that he said the things he has. I’m really very surprised by some of the things in this book.” In his memoir, out next Tuesday, the Earl says he was in Cape Town when Diana died aged 36 in a Paris car crash on August 31, 1997. He claims Charles was “giddily elated” when the pair spoke on the phone in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy. An excerpt from the book reads: “The phone rang constantly. Prince Charles caught me as I crossed the landing upstairs. Ms Seward told The Sun Earl Spencer was ‘ruining Diana’s legacy’ Credit: Getty Swan Song will be published in the UK next Tuesday ahead of the 30th anniversary of Diana’s death Credit: PA “Unlike my other callers, who were stunned, barely able to articulate their condolences, he sounded giddily elated — like a lottery winner, I remember thinking at the time.” King Charles was also said to have sounded “strangely matter-of-fact, given the enormity of the disaster,” the Earl alleged. Sources close to the King insisted that the behaviour suggested in the book is “just not in the King’s nature”. They said that he wouldn’t have used “this kind of language” about Diana. Ms Seward, Editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine, described the Earl’s comments as “cruel and unkind”. She added: ” I don’t believe for one moment that Charles said the things that he is supposed to have said. “They had a massive, massive row, and Spencer hung up the phone on him. So, I mean, Charles could have said almost anything. “Both Charleses have very explosive tempers, but for him (The Earl) to go and write that, I think he’s incredibly cruel and incredibly unkind. “He didn’t have to do that. The book was going to sell anyway. “I don’t understand why he’s done it. He must really hate the King.” Buckingham Palace did not respond to the attacks made in the latest excerpts from Swan Song: Diana, My Sister. But on Wednesday, it strongly rejected claims that Charles had said Diana would be forgotten “soon enough”. The alleged comment was made during a row over whether William and Harry, then 15 and 12, should walk behind Diana’s coffin. The Earl also alleges Diana tried to call off their engagement, suffered from ADHD and drove to Beachy Head considering suicide several times. His sensational claims threaten to reopen the wounds of the “War of the Waleses”, the bitter split and Charles’ eventual divorce from Diana. Swan Song will be published in the UK next Tuesday ahead of the 30th anniversary of Diana’s death. Referencing his infamous eulogy at her funeral at Westminster Abbey, Charles said he wanted to tell the “truth” about his older sister. Comment now