Princess Diana’s younger brother’s book, “Swan Song: Diana, My Sister” is out today, in which he makes multiple bombshell claims about the royal family — particularly, about King Charles III’s allegedly callous treatment of his ex-wife and how he reacted to her tragic death.
uncertain
he → make → death
Before the book’s release, Charles released a harsh statement about the tome, saying that grief had clouded Spencer’s judgment and memory.
“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 rep told Page Six.
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rep → release → loss
Two of Diana and Spencer’s nannies were allegedly physically abusive towards them
Spencer claims that growing up, he and his sister had two physically “abusive” nannies, whom they never reported to their parents — dad John Spencer, the 8th Earl Spencer, and their mom, Frances Spencer.
He claims one nanny would strike their outstretched palms with a wooden spoon, while another nanny — whom he deems the worse of the two — would sometimes smack their heads against a concrete wall outside the nursery bathroom.
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he → claim → bathroom
“The result was dizzying, throbbing pain and bewilderment,” he writes.
asserted
he → throb → ?
Still, he says he and Diana were not “broken by the cruelty” and continued to be “strong-willed children.”
asserted
he → say → cruelty
Charles allegedly sounded “giddily elated” when Diana died
Spencer claims that Charles also sounded “strangely matter-of-fact” when he informed him that he had already told his and Diana’s children, Prince William and Prince Harry, the heartbreaking news of her death.
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he → sound → death
“Looking back now, I suspect the prince’s first reaction must have been to think more of how this event might free him to marry the woman he loved, rather than appreciating the loss of one he did not,” Spencer writes, referring to now-Queen Camilla, whom Charles wed in 2005.
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Charles → look → 2005
Princess Diana’s dad allegedly had a “romantic connection” with Queen Elizabeth
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dad → have → Elizabeth
According to Spencer, his and Diana’s father initially had a “romantic connection” with Charles’ mother, Queen Elizabeth II, before the late monarch eventually married Prince Philip in 1947.
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monarch → accord → 1947
He alleges that the romance was ended by Lord Mountbatten — Philip’s uncle — who personally told his father to end the “nonsense” immediately.
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who → allege → nonsense
“Perhaps Mountbatten was clearing the way for his nephew, Prince Philip,” he writes.
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he → clear → nephew
Spencer claims that his father stepped aside as commanded, but afterwards, “loathed Mountbatten with a passion.”
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father → claim → passion
Elizabeth’s shocking six-word response to hearing about Diana’s death
Spencer claims that much like Charles’ alleged cold response to Diana’s death, Elizabeth’s first reaction to Diana’s car accident was, “What is she up to now?”
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she → hear → What
The Queen had allegedly not yet learned she had passed away when the comment was made.
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comment → learn → ?
Charles allegedly wanted his mom to abdicate the throne so he could be king
Spencer writes that some people close to Charles claim he wanted Elizabeth to abdicate the throne because he was frustrated at “being a middle-age man still wanting to reign.”
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he → want → throne
He claims that as a result, there was tension between Elizabeth’s staff and Charles’ staff during Diana’s funeral.
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He → claim → funeral
Spencer also alleges that on the day of his dad’s funeral, Charles told him he was “lucky” that his father died early.
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father → allege → him
John died at age 68 of a heart attack in 1992.
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John → die → 1992
He alleges Charles told him during an akward conversation, “You’re just so lucky — you know, inheriting when you’re so young!”
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you → allege → conversation
He claims Charles then proceeded to throw a tantrum about his parents treating him like a child despite him being 43 years old, even allegedly stomping his foot in emphasis.
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him → claim → emphasis
Charles allegedly vowed Diana would be forgotten ‘soon enough’
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Diana → vow → ?
Spencer claims Charles later threw another tantrum years later over him not wanting William and Harry to walk behind Diana’s coffin at her funeral, which Charles wanted them to do.
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them → claim → which
He claims they had an angry phone call, in which he accused the Spencer family of having “no sense of duty.”
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he → claim → duty
“He unleashed down the phone what I have always taken to be his pent-up contempt for Diana, and his horror that the world was so bowled over by her death,” Spencer writes.
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Spencer → unleash → death
“’Rest assured,’” he hissed, ‘we’ll forget her soon enough!’”
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we → rest → her
William and Harry were 15 years old and 12 years old, respectively, at the time, and ended up walking behind their mother’s coffin alongside Charles, Spencer and Philip.
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William → end → Charles
Diana made an eerie comment just 2 months ahead of her death
Spencer says the last time he saw Diana was on her 36th birthday, when they ran into each other unexpectedly while having dinner at London’s Tate Gallery.
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they → make → Gallery
He writes that earlier that day, Diana made a comment about her home looking like a funeral parlor after a family member gave her flowers for her birthday.
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member → write → birthday
He recalls Diana joking, “I’ve been so lucky!
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I → recall → ?
My house is so full of gorgeous flowers that the place looks like a funeral parlour!”
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place → look → parlour
Spencer then observes, “Now here I was, just two months later, trying to write something suitable for her funeral.”
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I → observe → funeral
Diana wanted to pull out of marrying Charles but was forced to go through with it by their dad
Spencer writes Diana was heartbroken when it became obvious Charles did not love her ahead of their wedding day.
He alleges that during Charles’ younger brother Prince Andrew’s 21st birthday celebration, instead of Charles spending time with her, he ignored her, leaving Diana “deeply hurt, confused and increasingly concerned.”
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he → want → Diana
After the party, Spencer claims Diana told their dad that she could not marry Charles when he obviously didn’t love her, but he told her it was impossible to pull out at that point.
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it → claim → point
Later, Spencer alleges that Diana confided in a close friend that the day before her 1981 wedding to Charles, her husband-to-be bluntly told her that while he was happy to marry her, he was not in love with her.
“Diana had to absorb that hammer blow while also feeling certain that Prince Charles was entering their marriage with his heart elsewhere,” he writes.
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he → allege → heart
Diana allegedly contemplated suicide
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Diana → contemplate → suicide
Spencer muses that like him, his sister suffered from Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria (RSD), which he describes as intense emotional pain at being rejected or criticized.
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he → muse → pain
He notes that negative tabloid reports greatly affected her and claims that in her later years, she drove herself multiple times to Beachy Head, the highest cliff in England, “while contemplating ending it all.”
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she → note → it
He says her love for her sons is what stopped her.
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what → say → her
He believes Diana had undiagnosed ADHD
Aside from Spencer believing Diana had undiagnosed RSD, he also says he’s “convinced” she had Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
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she → believe → Disorder
He notes that Diana struggled with learning difficulties in the classroom growing up, but was never tested for anything.
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Diana → note → anything
…and 19 more, not listed.
The Aporia
