Memoir: Charles called 'like lottery winner' after Diana died
Earl Spencer's forthcoming memoir claims King Charles sounded "giddily elated" when ringing him after the 1997 car crash that killed Princess Diana.
Earl Spencer's memoir is called Swan Song: Diana, My Sister. In it, he describes a phone call from Charles after Diana's death.
Charles sounded "giddily elated - like a lottery winner". He mentioned telling William and Harry about their mother's death.
Spencer found his tone "strangely matter-of-fact". Spencer suspects Charles was mainly thinking about freedom to marry the woman he loved, not about grief over Diana's loss.
The Palace responded with a brief statement: "The pain of grief can cloud reason, affect judgment and colour memory." It did not directly address the claim.
- 1997
- Year of death
- Giddily elated, like a lottery winner
- Charles's tone
- Swan Song: Diana, My Sister
- Memoir title
- Earl Spencer, Diana's brother
- Witness
Why it mattersThe memoir opens decades-old questions about the royal family's feelings when Diana died. It challenges what has long been accepted about how they handled the tragedy.
AustraliaNo direct Australian effect yet, but the memoir excerpt has been published in UK media and is circulating globally, likely to feature in Australian coverage of the British royal family.
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 7 d ago
