01 / 10
Spencer memoir alleges Charles dismissed Diana's memory
A memoir by Diana’s brother has prompted Buckingham Palace to question how grief shapes memory.
What happened
Earl Spencer’s forthcoming memoir alleges that King Charles, then Prince of Wales, said Diana would be forgotten shortly after her 1997 death. Spencer places the alleged remark in a dispute over funeral arrangements. Buckingham Palace responded that fraternal grief can affect reason, judgment and memory.
Numbers
- 1997Year of Diana’s death
- 15 and 12Princes’ ages at funeral
- 6 Sep 1997Date of funeral procession
- 22 SepScheduled English publication date
Questions
- Who made the extract public?
- The Daily Mail published the extract, allowing public scrutiny before readers can assess the memoir in full themselves.
- Why did Spencer oppose the procession?
- Spencer writes that he opposed William and Harry walking behind their mother’s coffin because he believed Diana would not have wanted it.
- Why was the Palace response notable?
- The Palace generally does not comment on books and also remained publicly silent when Prince Harry published his memoir Spare.
- What motivated Spencer’s book?
- Spencer has described the book as his perspective on Diana and a correction to what he considers falsehoods about her.
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
Support and opposition
Who supports this, and why
Spencer — The disputed funeral decision ignored what Diana would have wanted for her sons after their mother’s death.