‘Hypocrite’ Earl Spencer set to make millions from bombshell memoir despite vow to NEVER make money from Diana’s death

EARL Spencer was branded a hypocrite after previously vowing to never make money from his sister Diana’s death. He is set to make millions from his memoir, featuring vicious attacks on the King. But in a 1998 interview, the Earl insisted he would “never profit from my sister’s life”. Earl Spencer during his interview with the BBC Credit: PA The brother of Princess Diana has been slammed over the extraordinary claims in his new memoir Credit: Getty It comes after he doubled down on his savage attacks on King Charles, insisting he was “telling the truth”. He accused Charles of being “giddily elated” in the wake of his former wife Diana’s death in 1997, and says the then-prince hissed down the phone: “Rest assured, we will forget her soon enough.” Sign up for the Royals newsletter Thank you! Buckingham Palace responded, saying fraternal grief can “affect judgment and colour memory”. However the Earl insisted from his 15,000-acre Althorp estate in Northamptonshire: “I can tell you here and now, those are exactly the words he said.” Read more on Earl Spencer He told the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg: “I’ve only ever had two calls with Charles at any stage of my life. I was hyper-alert to what he was saying and those are precisely the words he said.” It comes amid further attacks on the royals in the latest serialisation of his book, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, which is published next Tuesday. The Earl claims the late Queen’s initial reaction to the news Diana had been in a car crash was “tetchy”. She is said to have asked: “What is she up to now?” Meanwhile, he was facing accusations of hypocrisy after it emerged he previously vowed to never profit from his sister’s death. Most read in Royals Earl Spencer, pictured at his 21st birthday with Diana, is facing accusations of hypocrisy after previously vowing to never profit from his sister’s death Credit: Keith Butcher He accused Charles of being ‘giddily elated’ in the wake of Diana’s death Credit: Getty In a 1998 interview, called Diana: My Sister, The Princess, he said: “Can you imagine anybody making a profit out of their brother or sister’s death? I mean it’s so low it’s inconceivable … I’ll never profit from Diana’s death.” Royal expert and author Christopher Wilson said: “Earl Spencer is a hypocrite and is doing what he has always done and making eye-watering amounts from Diana’s memory.” Tory leader Kemi Badenoch added: “I have a side and it’s always on the side of His Majesty.” Royal observers yesterday said he was driven by “simmering anger” and “resentment” at the royals. They accused him of “cashing in” on Diana’s memory despite his vast fortune, which we can reveal is driven by a property empire of 159 homes and parcels of land. Publishing sources revealed he had landed an advance of £750,000 to £1million for his memoir – but could bank up to £10million if it is popular in the US. An insider claimed bad publicity around the book could hamper its success in the UK, but it would likely do well overseas. They said: “The advance was quite small – between £750,000 and £1million – because there were only two publishers involved and that went down to one, which is Penguin. Royal observers say Earl Spencer, pictured with then-Prince Charles in 1997, was driven by ‘simmering anger’ at the royals Credit: PA King Charles presenting a medal this week Credit: PA “What has been revealed so far has gone down badly with the British public – which means the book may not do that well here. “But it will sell millions in the States, and he could make £5million to £10million from it.” The Earl has also previously been accused of making £25million to £30million from events linked to Diana. Much of the money came from an exhibition, “Before Diana: A Celebration”, which opened at the family’s ancestral home in Althorp in 1998 and closed in 2013. It was estimated 2.5million visitors flocked there to see artefacts including her Emanuel wedding dress from 1981. With an entrance fee of £15 per adult, that meant takings of £37.5million. The exhibition also went to the US and Canada, at venues including a shopping mall in Edmonton, Alberta, and a casino and resort run by native Americans in Connecticut. The Earl’s team suggested at the time proceeds were going to charity, but there have been questions over how much was passed to good causes. Mr Wilson said: “Financially, with the book, he’s doing what he has always done – which is to make money from Diana’s legacy. “He has made an eye-watering amount of money from his association with Diana.” Earl Spencer with the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg at his 15,000-acre Althorp estate Credit: BBC Earl Spencer delivered a defiant eulogy at Diana’s funeral at Westminster Abbey Credit: PA:Press Association An audit of his empire by The Sun shows he has at least 159 mansions, homes and areas of land. As well as Althorp, where Diana is buried on an island, his portfolio includes the huge Spencer House, a palace-like property overlooking London’s Green Park, off Piccadilly. It is currently leased to RIT Capital Partners, a wing of the Rothschild banking dynasty, which uses it as an HQ and opens for tours on Sundays. Most of his properties are in the name of two companies controlled by the Earl via private trusts. In December last year, he was ordered to pay £2million in legal costs following a privacy lawsuit brought by then-girlfriend Cat Jarman against his former wife Karen. Ms Jarman has since become his fourth wife. Mr Wilson, whose books include “Diana v Charles” and “A Greater Love: Charles and Camilla”, went on: “Earl Spencer is a very angry man. “I think he is motivated by a simmering rage and resentment of King Charles and the Royal Family. Earl Spencer comes from a disjointed and unhappy upbringing – the same as Diana. “He is on his fourth marriage, seems incapable of holding down long-term relationships and tends to fall out with everyone. “He never got on with Charles and has now decided to turn his guns on the Royal Family when he thinks they are weak.” Ex-BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond added: “The portrait made by Earl Spencer of Charles does not match the man I know. “King Charles was not vindictive and not a nasty man, as Earl Spencer is suggesting. Spencer’s book is bristling with hostility and is so rude. It’s very unpleasant.” A spokesperson for Earl Spencer declined to comment. Extracts from Swan Song – published in the UK by Penguin Michael Joseph – are being serialised in the Daily Mail. KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON, WILLS By Phil Dampier, Royal Commentator I’M SURE Prince William is seething beneath the surface, but he has made a conscious decision not to get into a public slanging match with either his brother or his uncle. That is not to say he won’t be feeling anything about this muck-raking book. He must be silently raging. I am sure it is very difficult and he must be heartbroken, but I think he is making the right decision. He will be very upset by his mother’s death being raked up again, just a few years after the controversy over how Martin Bashir got his 1995 Panorama interview with Diana. William issued a statement then, but he would have hoped that would have been the end. He won’t want to do it again now, nearly 30 years after his mother’s death. He would much rather she were allowed to rest in peace. The only time in recent years when William has been tempted to return fire came when Harry and Meghan so annoyed him with their claim that Royal Family members had made “racist” remarks about their children. Otherwise Prince William and Princess Catherine have quietly been getting on with the job, as shown on their visit to the Isle of Bute in Scotland two days ago. They happily chatted to locals, William sipped a cider or two, and Catherine positively glowed with health, having recovered from her cancer ordeal. I am convinced her battle against illness has given William a sense of perspective, and a determination to be positive and ignore the negativity currently engulfing the monarchy. And that approach is succeeding, with the pair often topping opinion polls of popularity among the public. We have enough drama with Harry and Meghan, the former Prince Andrew, Earl Spencer, and ex-BBC fossils like David Dimbleby and John Humphrys stirring up republican sentiments in boring documentaries. The general public are over-whelmingly in favour of keeping a monarchy, and see Prince William and Princess Catherine as a safe pair of hands for the future. William is more concerned with his children — George has just started at Eton — and is running the Duchy of Cornwall. He’s also preparing to become King and is busy following the fortunes of Aston Villa. He doesn’t want to rake up the past and publicly feud with his family. He wants to highlight causes like homelessness and his Earthshot Prize. His only frustration will be that the current lurid headlines detract from his work. He and Princess Catherine are keeping calm and carrying on. Prince William knows his mother wasn’t perfect and has said himself she was paranoid in her later years. He also knows that to visit her grave he must deal with his uncle at Althorp and at least be on speaking terms. Now in his mid-40s, Prince William has seen enough royal scandals and seismic events to know they eventually blow over, and what matters most is his immediate family and planning for the modern monarchy he wants to promote. If Diana was the People’s Princess, William and Catherine are the 21st-century equivalents. And at present, the public are right behind them. 6 comments6