KEY POINT
- Charles Spencer says the then-Prince Charles sounded “giddily elated” during a phone call after Diana’s death.
- Spencer links his interpretation to the possibility that Charles felt freer to marry Camilla Parker Bowles.
- Buckingham Palace has said grief can affect judgment and memory, while offering no new comment on the latest excerpts.
In excerpts from Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, published by the Daily Mail on Thursday, Spencer recalls speaking with Charles after Diana died in a Paris car crash in August 1997. He wrote that the then-prince sounded “like a lottery winner,” contrasting his tone with other callers who were struggling to express their condolences.
Spencer said that, looking back, he believed Charles may have been thinking about how Diana’s death could allow him to marry the woman he loved. That interpretation is Spencer’s recollection and does not establish Charles’ private thoughts at the time.
Charles and Diana had separated in 1992 and divorced in 1996. Charles later married Camilla Parker Bowles in 2005, eight years after Diana’s death.
Buckingham Palace Response
The latest excerpts follow an unusual statement from Buckingham Palace responding to earlier claims from Spencer’s book. The palace said grief can “cloud reason,” affect judgment and influence how memories are recalled years after a loss.
There was no additional statement from the palace specifically addressing the newest excerpts.
Diana’s Final Years
The book also contains Spencer’s account of Diana’s emotional struggles. He wrote that she drove more than once to Beachy Head on England’s south coast while contemplating suicide, but said her love for William and Harry prevented her from going further.
Diana died at 36 when the car carrying her and Dodi al-Fayed crashed in Paris while being pursued by paparazzi.
The latest revelations are part of Spencer’s forthcoming memoir, which revisits his memories of Diana and the events surrounding her death. The competing accounts highlight that the claims come from Spencer’s recollection, while Buckingham Palace has questioned how grief can affect memory and judgment.
