Earl Spencer stands by Diana claims as Piers Morgan sues over book error

Earl Spencer's new memoir about Princess Diana, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, has been published after a week of serialisation in the Daily Mail, and the row over its claims about King Charles shows no sign of settling. The book and Earl Spencer's broadcast interviews have reopened a bitter dispute about Diana's death, her funeral and the treatment of her sons.

At the centre of the row is Earl Spencer's account of a 1997 phone call with the then Prince of Wales. He says he challenged Charles over the decision for Prince William and Prince Harry to walk behind their mother's coffin. According to Earl Spencer, Charles 'went ballistic' and later said, 'we'll forget her soon enough'. He also claims Charles sounded 'giddily elated like a lottery winner' when he called to tell him Diana had died, and that he suspected Charles was thinking about how the death might free him to marry Camilla. Other extracts claim Charles told Diana before their wedding that he did not love her, that Diana said her husband was in love with his valet, that Diana drove to Beachy Head while contemplating suicide, and that the late Queen initially asked 'what is she up to now?' when told of the crash.

Buckingham Palace responded with an unusually robust statement. It said it did not comment on books as a matter of principle, but added: 'His Majesty is mindful that the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgment and colour memory in ways others do not recognise, even many years after such a loss.' The wording echoed the late Queen's 'recollections may vary' statement after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's Oprah Winfrey interview. The Palace has made no further comment as fresh extracts appeared.

Speaking to the BBC, Earl Spencer stood by his account. He said Charles 'went ballistic' during the call, that he was 'so stunned' by the comment about Diana being forgotten that he hung up, and that he was 'telling the truth'. He accused Buckingham Palace of gaslighting him, calling its statement astonishingly provocative and below the belt. He said his nephews, William and Harry, would not be surprised by the claims, and that he knew more about the King that he had chosen not to publish. He described the book as his 'swan song' and his final word on Diana.

He also drew a parallel between the treatment of Diana and the treatment of Prince Harry and Meghan, describing some press coverage of the Sussexes as a 'cancerous influence'. He said he was not on Harry's side alone but on the side of both his nephews. He added that he worried about Harry's security because he is fifth in line to the throne and had served in the military. In a Mail on Sunday interview, he said Diana would be 'cheering from the rafters' about the book.

Buckingham Palace and the wider royal family have tried to carry on with official duties. The King hosted an AI summit at Dumfries House in Scotland, where he warned about the risks of the technology. The Prince and Princess of Wales visited the Isle of Bute. Prince Harry made his first public engagements since moving back to the UK, attending an Invictus Games awards dinner in London and visiting a school in Birmingham. Both William and Harry declined to comment when asked about their uncle's book. Harry is understood to have been aware of the book but not to have read it.

Publication day brought a separate legal row. Earl Spencer apologised to Piers Morgan after wrongly writing that Morgan was editor of the Daily Mirror when the Mirror Group published covert gym photographs of Diana in 1993. Morgan was then working at the Sun and did not join the Mirror until 1995. Spencer's spokesperson said that as a historian accuracy was important to him and that he apologised for the error. Morgan accepted the apology but said he would still sue, demanded that the book be withdrawn or pulped, and said any damages would go to the King's Trust. He argued that the mistake raised wider questions about Spencer's credibility and his memory of phone calls. Spencer said he stood by the rest of the book and would correct the error in future editions.

The dispute has split commentators. Friends and former aides of the King have disputed Spencer's account, with some saying it does not match the Charles they know. Other royal watchers have criticised Spencer for reopening old wounds and making money from Diana's story, while some have said the media treatment of Harry and Meghan does echo elements of Diana's experience. Buckingham Palace has said it will not respond to every new claim, and William and Harry's teams have stayed silent. The book is now on sale, with further serialisation and interviews expected to keep the story alive.