I KNOW Charles was devastated when Diana died – he’s kind not cruel & wouldn’t be so flippant about mother of his kids

“REST assured, we’ll forget her soon enough.” That is what Earl Spencer says the then Prince of Wales told him days after Diana died. Only two men were on that phone call and only they know what was said in the heat of the moment. Earl Spencer, William and Harry, and their father Prince Charles, walk behind Diana’s coffin Credit: PA Princess Diana in a dress designed by Valentino in Lille, France, November 1992 Credit: Getty I have reported on the royals for 35-plus years, in the early days as royal reporter for The Sun, at the height of the War of the Waleses. I have written a bestselling biography of the King, travelled the world alongside him, interviewed him twice and spoken at length to those close to him. I believe I have a fair assessment of the man. Sign up for the Royals newsletter Thank you! I was in Westminster Abbey for Diana’s funeral, in the press seats, close enough to see the expressions on the Royal Family’s faces. Earl Spencer, whose new book Swan Song chronicles his row with Charles, delivered that powerful rapier thrust of a eulogy within feet of Diana’s lead-lined coffin, in front of the entire family. READ MORE ON CHARLES V CHARLES The late Queen, Spencer’s godmother, and the Queen Mother, were stony-faced. Charles, flanked by his sons, looked very emotional throughout. Heartbroken. Then, sounding like rain sweeping in from outside, the applause at the end of his address swept into the abbey. The congregation joined in. The royals had to take it on the chin. No reaction. As Tavener’s Song for Athene was sung, Charles looked close to tears. Not a man dismissive of England’s Rose, who the world was saying goodbye to. Most read in Royals In reality, Charles was devastated after Diana’s death. He sought solace with a familiar face, the Queen Mother’s long-time servant and confidant, William ‘Billy’ Tallon, whom he had known since he was a boy. He went to the Gatehouse Lodge, where Billy lived, and opened his heart. He confided in Tallon, saying, “You know, we were very much in love in the early days.” King Charles allegedly told Princess Diana’s brother, Earl Spencer, that ‘we’ll forget her soon enough’ Credit: PA:Press Association The remark is said to have come during a fiery exchange between the pair over Diana’s funeral arrangements Credit: PA We don’t really know the context of the row between Charles and Spencer. Whilst this cruel comment about the mother of his sons does not sound like him, you have to place it in context. It was a fraught time, to say the least. Two men, who never really got on, clashing over William and Harry, days after Diana’s death. The Palace’s response has been to question the legitimacy of Spencer’s comments without actually calling him a liar. They say his fraternal grief must have clouded his memory. Not wise in my view. Best to say nothing. Clearly, the King wants to correct things from the past that he believes distort and impact his legacy. One must remember, he was preoccupied that week with protecting his grieving sons. He fought hard, too, to make sure Diana’s body was brought back, that she had a funeral — a ceremonial one at that — befitting his first wife, despite their divorce. Some, including the late Queen, did not quite appreciate how huge the moment was. I was writing the “Show Us You Care” story then, and the row about the royals letting the palace flagpole remain without a flag, and not flying one at half-mast. There was a furious row about the Queen not sending the appropriate jet to pick up Diana’s body because she was no longer an HRH, and Charles intervening. He was fighting many fires that week between the death of his first wife and her being laid to rest. He was more of a champion for the princess than has been suggested. That doesn’t sound like a man who would be flippant about the memory of the mother of his two children. I know the King has been particularly upset when people have written untrue things about him. I remember correcting a few. One was that he had smuggled Camilla into Buckingham Palace the night before he got married. Earl Spencer, left, is said to have been opposed to Prince William and Prince Harry taking part in the funeral procession Credit: PA The exchange is reported to have taken place just days after her death Credit: Getty – Contributor He was saying to friends, who passed it on to me: “What sort of man do people think I am?” It deeply upset him. Another was that he had smuggled Diana aboard the royal train before they wed, which led to people saying he had to marry her. It wasn’t even her. It was the wife of a former private secretary, coming on board to see her husband. Charles felt he was “permanently between the devil and the deep blue sea” — forced to choose between going through with a marriage he knew was a mistake or calling it off. He felt intense pressure to marry, not from his family, but the British press, who he felt were more powerful back then. The media had built up a massive, unstoppable narrative around the “fairytale” couple. He knew, too, that his ex-wife had spread many of these lies about him. Earl Spencer had a key role in the Diana story that is now part of history, and he is entitled to his take on it, otherwise history gets distorted. In 100 years people will be writing about all this and the sources will matter. Earl Spencer delivered a raw and defiant eulogy at Diana’s funeral at Westminster Abbey Credit: PA:Press Association William, Earl Spencer, Harry and Charles walk behind Di’s coffin in 1997 Credit: AFP Now, anyone who knows King Charles knows he can have a filthy temper. It was more explosive when he was younger. He is not a vindictive man, but cross him and he can lose it. We all saw it, in its mildest form, days after the Queen died, when he lost patience with a leaking pen at the signing desk. It flares up, it doesn’t last long, and he doesn’t hold grudges. He apologises soon afterwards. But he can say things in the heat of the moment, and it shouldn’t be dismissed that this could have been said. Funerals are one of the most emotional times for any family, royal or not. It should be remembered that towards the end of her life, he and Diana were getting on much better. And I witnessed the grief and pain etched across his face in that abbey as he tried to protect those two boys — all for Spencer then to say the blood family would be there to support them and ensure they were raised as Diana would have wanted them to. Ouch. The King is not a cruel man. He’s a kind man. The comment Spencer claims he heard hissed down the phone line wasn’t kind. Robert Jobson is the author of the Sunday Times bestseller Our King: Charles III. Comment now