King’s sensational response to Diana’s brother is unprecedented – but Earl portraying him as nasty is wrong, expert says

THE King’s response to Princess Diana’s brother is unprecedented – but the Earl portraying him as “so nasty” was wrong, a royal expert has said. In his memoir, Earl Spencer sensationally alleges Charles said “rest assured, we’ll forget her soon enough” in the days after his ex-wife’s death. Earl Spencer sensationally alleges Charles said ‘rest assured, we’ll forget her soon enough’ in the days after his ex-wife’s death Credit: Getty Portraying Charles as ‘so nasty’ is wrong, a royal expert has said Credit: AFP The alleged comments were made as the pair clashed over whether William and Harry, then 15 and 12, should walk behind Diana’s coffin. The bombshell claims in his tell-all book, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, prompted an urgent response from Buckingham Palace last night. Sign up for the Royals newsletter Thank you! A spokesman for the King hit back, saying: “The pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgment and colour memory.” And while royal biographer Angela Levin praised the King’s unprecedented response, she blasted the “horrendous” claims in the Earl’s book. Angela told how Charles had ‘always loved’ Diana Credit: Getty Di’s brother says they clashed over whether the young princes should follow the procession Credit: PA She told how Charles had “always loved” Diana, even after the pair’s bitter split in 1992 and eventual divorce four years later. Angela pointed to then-Prince Charles’ fight to bring his ex-wife home on a royal plane after her tragic death in a car crash in 1997. She told The Sun: “The King has always loved Diana. Their marriage didn’t work, but that didn’t mean he hated her.” “To portray him as having been so nasty to Diana is horrendous. Most read in Royals “The King, then Prince Charles, fought to secure a royal plane to bring Diana home. “That is not a man who couldn’t care less what happened to her.” Charles, 77, appeared in good spirits today as he met with AI leaders at Dumfries House in Scotland, the headquarters for The King’s Foundation. Di’s brother says they clashed over whether the young princes should follow the procession during the funeral in September 1997. The Earl claims he was told by a senior Palace aide that the princes would walk behind her coffin, to which he replied: “That’s not going to happen”. He says Charles phoned minutes later, before allegedly questioning the Spencer family’s sense of duty. The then-Prince of Wales is said to have referenced his own role at his great-uncle Lord Mountbatten’s funeral in 1979. And the Earl’s suggestion that Diana would not have wanted her sons to endure such a public ordeal was met with fury by Charles, he claimed. He writes: “Prince Charles continued his stream of anger without me interrupting. “Then he stopped. I assumed the pause signalled an effort to bring himself under control. “But then he unleashed down the phone what I have always taken to be his pent-up contempt for Diana, and his horror that the world was so bowled over by her death. “’Rest assured’, he hissed, ‘we’ll forget her soon enough!’” A Palace spokesperson firmly denied the incendiary claims. They said: “While we do not comment on books as a matter of principle, His Majesty is mindful that the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgement and colour memory in ways others do not recognise, even many years after such a loss.” It echoes the late Queen’s “recollections may vary” response to claims of racism by Harry and Meghan in an interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021. And discussing the funeral plans, Angela told how the late Prince Philip had raised concerns of a fight between the two Charleses. She continued: “Prince Charles wanted to walk behind the coffin because he felt very strongly about it. “Charles Spencer wanted to do it as well because she was his sister. “Prince Philip was worried there could be a confrontation between Charles and Earl Spencer as they walked down the road.” “Diana said towards the end, ‘We are now good friends. We just don’t have the same interests.’ And actually, that’s fair enough.” Comment now