Charles Spencer's Memoir Rocks Palace: King Charles Accused of Being 'Jubilant' After Diana's Death

The late Princess Diana's brother, Charles Spencer, has leveled a shocking accusation against King Charles in his upcoming memoir, set to be released on September 22. In the book titled Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, the 9th Earl Spencer claims that King Charles—then still Prince of Wales—sounded "as jubilant as a lottery winner" when he called him shortly after Diana died in a car crash in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel, Paris, on August 31, 1997.

The tragic accident also claimed the lives of Diana's partner, film producer Dodi Fayed (42), and their driver, Henri Paul (41). According to Spencer, his phone "rang non-stop" after the incident. However, the call from Charles—now 77 years old—struck him as different from other mourners who were shocked and struggled for words. Spencer wrote that Charles delivered the news of Diana's death in a "very flat" tone and informed him that he had already broken the news to Princes William and Harry in their rooms at Balmoral that morning.

In an excerpt from the book published by the Daily Mail, Spencer speculates that Charles's reaction at the time was driven more by the thought that the event freed him to marry Camilla Parker Bowles—now Queen Camilla—rather than by a sense of loss. "It is hard to feel too much sympathy for an ex-partner, or those who cared deeply for her, after a bitter divorce," he wrote.

The memoir also reveals several other controversial claims. Spencer states that leading up to Diana and Charles's wedding at St. Paul's Cathedral on July 29, 1981, Diana was told by a close friend that Charles was "very happy to marry her, but did not truly love her." This information was described as a "devastating blow" that convinced Diana that Charles was entering the marriage with his heart set on someone else. According to Spencer, Diana even tried to call off the engagement after discovering a bracelet Charles had bought for Camilla, but her father, John Spencer, the 8th Earl Spencer, rejected the idea, deeming it impossible to back out of such a major commitment.

Another equally painful claim: a few days after the engagement was announced on February 24, 1981, Charles allegedly squeezed Diana's waist and remarked, "Oh, a bit chubby here, aren't we?" Spencer states that Diana was struggling with an eating disorder at the time, and her waist size shrank from 29 inches to 23.5 inches between the engagement and the wedding. Spencer also believes Diana suffered from ADHD and Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria, like himself.

"I suspect the prince's first reaction was to think how this event might free him to marry the woman he loved, rather than feel the loss of someone he did not love." — Charles Spencer in his memoir.

The book also highlights moments leading up to Diana's funeral on September 6, 1997. Spencer claims that palace officials debated who should walk behind the coffin. Charles was said to have "insisted" on participating, but the funeral committee worried the public would shout abuse at him if he walked alone. Ultimately, they concluded that persuading Spencer and Diana's two sons—William (15) and Harry (12)—to walk with him "would ensure no insults were hurled."

The day before these accusations, Spencer also claimed that a few days after Diana's death, Charles hissed, "Calm down, we'll soon forget about it!" According to Spencer, he and Charles had an argument while discussing whether William and Harry should participate in the funeral procession. After Charles mentioned he had walked at Lord Mountbatten's funeral in 1979, Spencer pointed out that Charles was 30 years old at the time, and his assertion made the prince "furious."

In response to these allegations, a spokesperson for King Charles issued a rare statement: "While we do not comment on books as a matter of principle, His Majesty recognizes that the pain of losing a sibling can cloud judgment, affect perception, and color memories in ways that others may not recognize, even years after the loss."

For the Indonesian public, this story is more than just palace drama. The phenomenon of memoirs revealing the darker side of royal families shows how historical narratives can be reshaped by those within the inner circle. In the age of social media, where every claim can go viral in hours, news consumers are urged to be more critical: what is fact, and what is personal interpretation? Moreover, this book is set to be released just before the year-end holiday season, when global attention begins to shift to other issues. Will Spencer's accusations permanently shake the British monarchy, or will they merely become a footnote in the long history of the House of Windsor?