Earl Spencer’s upcoming memoir, *Swan Song: Diana, My Sister*, includes claims about King Charles’s reaction on the night Princess Diana died in 1997. Multiple outlets report that Spencer’s account says Charles sounded “giddily elated,” likened to “a lottery winner.” Excerpts were published in the *Daily Mail* ahead of the book’s release.
Several reports frame the episode as part of a wider set of disputed portrayals of the royal family in the memoir. The *Evening Standard*, *Yahoo UK News* and others highlight that the excerpts circulated alongside strong responses from Buckingham Palace. *7News Australia* and *NBC News* say the palace denies the claims, stating that “the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason,” and NBC notes the denial is rare and strongly worded.
The disagreement extends to commentary by people connected to Diana’s life. *The Independent* reports that former butler Paul Burrell responds to Spencer’s portrayal, including by describing Charles’s reaction differently from the memoir’s characterization. Overall, coverage focuses on what Spencer writes, how the palace counters it, and how other former insiders dispute elements of the account.
