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Princess Diana’s brother exposes King Charles’ ‘odd wish’ for her tragic funeral

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Cite

Todisco, E. (2026, September 17). Princess Diana’s brother exposes King Charles’ ‘odd wish’ for her tragic funeral. New York Post. https://pagesix.com/2026/09/17/royal-family/princess-dianas-brother-calls-out-king-charles-odd-wish-for-her-tragic-funeral/

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

New York Post · collected 2026-09-17 · by Eric Todisco

Quick Summary

Charles Spencer, Princess Diana's brother, revealed in his new book that King Charles III insisted on walking directly behind her casket during her funeral despite their divorce three years prior. Queen Elizabeth II’s deputy privacy secretary suggested this arrangement out of fear that the public might abuse Charles if he walked alone. Ultimately, a compromise was reached where Prince William and Harry joined their father and uncle to walk behind Diana's casket from Kensington Palace to Westminster Abbey.
Written by AI on 2026-09-18, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

In September 2026, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan moved their children, Prince Archie (aged seven) and Princess Lilibet (five), to a new school in Britain after just two days due to security concerns. The couple's spokesperson cited heavy traffic between their home and the original school as the reason for the move. This decision came shortly after Harry and Meghan returned to Britain from California, where they had lived for six years. Additionally, the family's publicly-funded security is currently being reviewed by a government committee known as Ravec (the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures).

Written for “Charles Spencer's Memoir Controversy” on 2026-11-04, grounded in this article and the 141 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Charles Spencer's Memoir Controversy
Entertainment · 142 article(s) covering the same event. See how they differ ↓

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 18% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
CBS News
Hedges 1 of 3 claims Outlet record 65/100
The Sydney Morning Herald
Hedges 7 of 23 claims Outlet record 61/100
Daily Mail
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 2 of 24 claims Outlet record 69/100
“The articles describe different aspects of a row over Princess Diana's funeral arrangements. Article A focuses on Prince Charles allegedly telling Earl Spencer that they would forget about Princess Diana soon, while Article B describes the dispute over who should walk behind her casket.”
Deutsche Welle
Hedges 3 of 17 claims Outlet record 95/100
CBS News
Hedges 5 of 16 claims Outlet record 65/100
“While both articles discuss Charles Spencer's claims about Princess Diana and King Charles III, they describe different aspects of the same broader topic. ARTICLE A focuses on Spencer's book and interview regarding mistreatment by the royal family, while ARTICLE B specifically addresses a claim about Charles' role in Diana's funeral.”
CBC News
Hedges 3 of 17 claims Outlet record 74/100
The Guardian
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 5 of 21 claims Outlet record 66/100
ABC News (US)
Hedges 6 of 20 claims Outlet record 70/100
“The articles cover different aspects of the same book release but describe distinct incidents: one about King Charles' wish to walk behind Diana's casket, and another alleging his reaction to her death.”
BBC News
Hedges 2 of 4 claims Outlet record 68/100
“The articles describe different incidents: one about King Charles' wish to walk behind Princess Diana's casket, and another about a phone call where he allegedly 'went ballistic'.”
Daily Mail
Hedges 2 of 15 claims Outlet record 69/100
“The articles discuss different aspects of interactions between Charles Spencer and Prince Charles regarding Princess Diana, but describe distinct events or statements made at separate times.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
17
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
18%
3 of 17 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
66/100
New York Post's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
142
Entertainment
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-18 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

New York Post · 16647 article(s) · 36 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 36 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Eric Todisco
83 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 Camilla, 79, was quickly given an umbrella to shield her from the rain, while Charles, 77, could be seen looking around for help, wanting an umbrella of his own, according to a BBC video.
🔮 “I would love it to feel like it was rigged and effortless.
🔮 “You could hear it in his accented voice and in the stern honesty with which he told you what he thought and felt.
🔮 “First of all, I said, ‘You could actually pay me the cost of this building, but don’t bother, because I don’t want to continue on under contract.’”
🔮 And I just put ‘maybe,'” Lete recalled.
🔮 “And [she and husband Prince Harry] thought it would be helpful in the moment for there to be a reason for their move.”
🔮 “We stand with Hila and will support her every step of the way,” the statement read.
🔮 “I had said to him, ‘I would rather go to a studio apartment with both of my children than sign this.’”
🔮 Tobin, 40, said she has “anxiety” over the possibility that the “Glee” reboot will be all she’s asked about now — especially if she’s not a part of it.
🔮 “I’ve known Alan for years, I have a lot of love for him, and I respect what he brings to the show,” he told us, adding, “I was simply sharing my opinion on how different the partnership will look with Alan stepping in for Val.
Also by Eric Todisco
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 83 articles by Eric Todisco →

Topics

Buckingham Palace Page Six Daily the Lord Chamberlain’s Office

Subjects

Spencer PERSON · 13× Charles PERSON · 8× Diana PERSON · 6× Harry PERSON · 3× William PERSON · 3× Charles III PERSON · 1× Charles Spencer PERSON · 1× Elizabeth II’s PERSON · 1× Prince William PERSON · 1× Robin Janvrin PERSON · 1×

Narrative

The 9th Earl of Spencer further claimed that the day before the Sept. 1997 funeral, Colonel Malcom Ross, head of the Lord Chamberlain’s Office at the time, called him and said William and Harry agreed to walk behind their mom’s casket, as long as their grandfather, Prince Philip, joined them.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-18
🔮 As Diana’s brother also pointed out, “an ex is never expected to act as chief mourner at their former spouse’s funeral,” but Charles, now 77, “was adamant” about his role.

Claims (17 extracted, 3 hedged)

Princess Diana’s brother, Charles Spencer, claimed that King Charles III’s “odd wish” for her funeral was to walk directly behind her casket, despite their split three years earlier. asserted
wish → claim → split
“It is hard to see why, given his feelings for Diana,” Spencer added. asserted
Spencer → see → Diana
As Diana’s brother also pointed out, “an ex is never expected to act as chief mourner at their former spouse’s funeral,” but Charles, now 77, “was adamant” about his role. asserted
Charles → point → role
Spencer said that at the time, Queen Elizabeth II’s deputy privacy secretary, Sir Robin Janvrin, told the funeral committee that Spencer “must be persuaded to walk” with Charles behind the casket. asserted
Spencer → say → casket
That decision, Spencer said, “was out of fear” that if Charles walked alone, the public “might shout abuse at him.” uncertain
public → say → him
So, the committee decided amongst themselves that if Prince William, then 15, and Prince Harry, then 12, walked with their father and uncle, “that would surely guarantee against insults flying,” Spencer claimed. asserted
Spencer → decide → father
The 9th Earl of Spencer further claimed that the day before the Sept. 1997 funeral, Colonel Malcom Ross, head of the Lord Chamberlain’s Office at the time, called him and said William and Harry agreed to walk behind their mom’s casket, as long as their grandfather, Prince Philip, joined them. asserted
grandfather → claim → them
“I replied that I was fine with this,” Spencer wrote, “while making a handwritten note of my proviso: ‘as long as they are not being dragooned’ into doing so. asserted
they → reply → proviso
I was assured by Colonel Ross that this was not the case.” asserted
this → assure → Ross
Spencer said he was still against the idea of Harry and William walking behind the casket, which led to Charles allegedly calling him and saying, “I gather you’ve got a problem with the funeral arrangements.” uncertain
you → say → arrangements
During the heated exchange, the then-Prince of Wales railed against his former brother-in-law in a “stream of anger,” Spencer wrote in his book. asserted
Spencer → rail → book
Ultimately, Spencer, Charles, Philip, William and Harry all walked behind Diana’s casket from Kensington Palace to Westminster Abbey during her funeral procession. asserted
Spencer → walk → procession
Spencer delivered a 12-minute eulogy where he called his sister “the most hunted person of the modern age.” asserted
he → deliver → age
In his new book, Spencer details the rollercoaster relationship between Charles and Diana, who got married in 1981, separated in 1992, and divorced in 1996. asserted
who → detail → 1996
The exes’ marriage was plagued by extramarital affairs on both ends, with Charles’ being with his now-wife, Queen Camilla. asserted
Charles → plague → wife
After Diana’s death, Charles allegedly vowed that his ex would be forgotten “soon enough” after her passing, according to Spencer’s book. uncertain
ex → vow → book
“His Majesty is mindful that the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgment and color memory in ways others do not recognize, even many years after such a loss,” a Buckingham Palace spokesperson told us. asserted
spokesperson → cloud → us
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