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Earl Spencer made an explosive claim about Charles. The Palace answered with a rare public rebuke.
In a forthcoming memoir, Diana's brother recounts a bitter 1997 argument over William and Harry walking behind her coffin. Buckingham Palace disputes his memory of it.
- Observed threads
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- Source clusters
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- Observed
- Updated
The allegation
Spencer says he opposed making William, 15, and Harry, 12, join the funeral procession. He alleges that Charles replied: "Rest assured, we'll forget her soon enough."
The response
The Palace said it normally does not comment on books, then argued that fraternal grief can cloud reason, judgment and memory. It offered no alternative account of the call.
Why this lands
The dispute is bigger than one alleged sentence. It reopens the decision to put two grieving boys into a global public ritual—and turns a 29-year-old family argument into a fight over whose memory counts.
Sources
- Associated Press, the allegation and Palace response ↗
- Sky News, Buckingham Palace's response ↗
- The Guardian, why the royal response is unusual ↗
- ABC News Australia, the funeral-procession dispute ↗
- Penguin Random House, Swan Song publication details ↗
- X discussion, CBS News ↗
- X discussion, Global News ↗
- X discussion, Daily Mail ↗
- X discussion, The Hollywood Reporter ↗