AMP in the post
The serialized version of Earl Charles Spencer’s book, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, has already been discussed by many royal experts, and on Saturday, it was the turn of Dickie Arbiter, the former Buckingham Palace spokesman.
Previously, Neil Sean had suggested that Prince William was so angry that his relationship with his uncle had hit rock bottom. He described it as being as cold as ice. Did Arbiter concur?
Allegations By Spencer
In a GB News video on YouTube, a panel discussed the Earl’s claims. The introduction to the video noted that “Earl Spencer could be set to make ‘millions’ from his upcoming memoir on Princess Diana.”
The outlet also cited Earl Spencer as saying that “then-Prince Charles said Diana would be forgotten ‘soon enough’ after her tragic death in 1997.”
AMP in the post
When Buckingham Palace issued a statement about the contents of the book, it said:
While we do not comment on books as a matter of principle, 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 BBC Interview
The anchor opened the segment by saying, “Earl Spencer, younger brother of the late Princess Diana, has aired some extraordinary claims about King Charles III following her death, and the spat shows no sign of abating.”
Next, the video switched to an interview by the BBC where Spencer was seen saying that after the death of Princess Diana, “[Charles] ranted for a while. I have no idea how long, but it was a significant period.”
AMP in the post
Spencer said, “And I just listened. And then he stopped and I thought, ‘Oh, now he’s going to pull himself together and say something more appropriate.'”
According to Spencer, Charles then said, “We’ll forget her soon enough.” Spencer claimed that he replied, “I said, ‘I cannot believe you just said that.’ And I hung up on him.”
Spencer said he only talked to Charles “twice” in his life. But he insisted when pressed, “I’m telling the truth.”
Arbiter Weighs In
On GB News, the anchor noted that it seemed rather “extraordinary,” before introducing Dickie Arbiter, who gave his take on the claims by Earl Spencer.
First, they discussed how the late Queen Elizabeth might have reacted to the allegations by Spencer. Arbiter, who knew the Queen very well, said, “She would have been shocked by it.”
Having worked around King Charles for years, Arbiter said he didn’t believe Charles ever said it, “let alone thought it.” He added, “It’s just not in his DNA.”
He also believed that Charles simply doesn’t think like that, and he personally thinks the King would be “incapable” of it.
Furthermore, he believes that Charles Spencer “really has got an axe to grind.” He also wondered why it took so long for the claim to arrive in the book. Notably, there was the 25th anniversary of the death of Princess Diana, so he wondered why Spencer waited 29 years.
Then he said, “It’s a good line. It sells books. And the books will fly off the shelves if people indeed want to read it or believe it and he’ll make a lot of money.”
The panel also heard how Dickie recalled that back in 1998, Spencer said, “I will not profit on my sister.”
The Possible Motive
Moving on, the anchor speculated that perhaps Earl Spencer had seen what Prince Harry did with his book and realized that there’s profit to be made.
Of course, the panel was referring to the book Spare. In the opinion of Dickie Arbiter, there is an appetite for that sort of book, particularly in the USA, and he agreed that there is always profit in this type of gossip story.
As for Spencer’s possible motivation, Arbiter speculated that his divorce and associated financial costs could be a factor. He added, “Divorce is very expensive and he needs money and he needs lots of it. And undoubtedly he’s going to get lots of it from the sale of this book.”
Talking About King Charles
Another member of the panel asked if Dickie could imagine how King Charles was feeling during the latest scandal. Arbiter believed that while King Charles would be angry, he would be even more disappointed.
He also noted that Princess Diana “cooperated with Andrew Morton in a book, Diana: Her True Story. In 1995 she did the Panorama interview. On both occasions she was heavily critical of Charles. Not once, not once has Charles been critical of her.”
Dickie felt that the whole drama might “split the family.”
Turning their attention to Prince William, the anchor suggested he must be “pretty mortified” watching his uncle attack his father. Arbiter agreed that William’s “emotions will be all over the show” and that “he’ll be angry.”
Arbiter also felt there was a difference between the brothers, saying that “William mourns his mother in private and Harry mourns his mother in public.”
The concluding argument by the anchor was that there’s a lot of claims that just “don’t meet the smell test.”
Viewers React
In the comments section, responses were mostly skeptical of the motives behind the book. One person wrote, “It’s a money grab for Charles Spencer. He’s disgusting. He won’t let Diana rest in peace.”
Another commenter said, “I feel bad for HRH PRINCE WILLIAM! I hope Tom Bowers writes a book about Charles Spencer! I am glad PRINCE WILLIAM has a wonderful wife and children to go home to everyday! Prayers for HRH PRINCE WILLIAM and HRH PRINCESS CATHERINE and family!”
Here’s another opinion: “I found an old video on YouTube were Charles Spencer gives an interview with Larry King and Charles Spencer says that Prince Charles was very polite and never said anything nasty about Diana.”
Your thoughts? Join the discussion and then come back here for more royal family news and updates.