Sept. 17, 2026
Buckingham Palace Responds To Allegation King Charles Said Princess Di Would Be Forgotten “Soon Enough”
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RSS Feed The brother of Princess Dianna, Charles Spencer, has authored a new book leading up to the 30th anniversary of her death. In the book, “Swan Song: Diana, My Sister” Spencer writes about a phone call he had with then Prince Charles after the death of Diana, where he claims Charles said “Rest assured. We’ll forget her soon enough.” In a rare move, Buckingham Palace chose to respond to the released passage by saying “His Majesty is mindful that the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgment and color memory.” Damn!
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00:00:02
Speaker 1: Hey there, folks. It is Thursday, September 17th, and a rare, really rare statement from Buckingham Palace. Rare not just because they don't put out statements that often. Rare because when they do, they don't sound like this kind of a clapback against Princess Di's brother. And with that, welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ. The brother has reason to be pissed if the story he's telling robs his troops.
00:00:31
Speaker 2: And actually, the world has reason to be pissed. And so, yes, that is why Buckingham Palace felt the need to respond because, yes, Princess Diana is beloved. She was beloved when she was alive. And after her death, she's been nearly sainted at this point. People love Diana and they will defend her. And if you hear anything that anyone has said against her, especially Now King Charles, yes, it just shows you why they responded as quickly and as, I don't know if I would say severely, but as pointedly as they did.
00:01:09
Speaker 1: It was pretty sharp. And this was a different type of a tongue lashing. They said it in the most proper and British of ways. We're going to let you hear exactly what it was. It wasn't long, but it was very effective. And a reminder here, Lady Di died in 1997. And Rose, a reminder to everybody at that time, it took Charles quite a while To get any semblance of reputation and popularity back. And even the entire royal family was seen as in some way being insensitive to what was going on with Princess Di.
00:01:40
Speaker 2: Absolutely, because they, I mean, and especially if anyone watched The Queen or any of the many documentaries or fictionalized adaptations of what went on there, the narrative pretty much is that she was left to twist in the wind, that they wanted nothing to do with her, and she was left to fend for herself. And ultimately, many people believe that that led to her death in a way, because she was being chased and hounded by the paparazzi. and of course that fiery death in that tunnel in Paris that so many of us remember where we were when that happened. So yes, they had a major PR problem, and they still do in some ways when it comes to the story of Princess Diana, how she was treated by Charles, and how she was treated by the royal family.
00:02:26
Speaker 1: But time does heal, even if not all, most wounds.
00:02:30
Speaker 3: And look.
00:02:31
Speaker 1: Prince Charles is now King Charles, and he does have a different reputation. Now, Rose, he's been accepted differently now. And Camilla, yes, same thing. And what was key to that relationship and key to Charles moving forward was how the queen navigated that whole situation. So I say all that to say, Rose, it's been 30 years since Princess Di died, and now.
00:02:58
Speaker 1: To finally get, it took a long time to get better footing, and now Lady Di's brother is bringing up something that you can't help but be pissed at the king about if this is true.
00:03:10
Speaker 2: Yes, and so Charles Spencer is the younger brother of Princess Diana, and he has authored this book, a much-anticipated book.
00:03:19
Speaker 3: He has been asked to speak, he has been asked to comment.
00:03:21
Speaker 2: For years and years and years, and he claims after, yes, 30 years now, he finally decided to put down his memories and his recollections of his sister and of that time surrounding her death in into words and it is timed with the 30th anniversary of her death, August 31st, 1997. So it'll be next August, which will be her exact 30 year anniversary. But this excerpt has been released ahead of time and it.
00:03:52
Speaker 3: Is a doozy.
00:03:54
Speaker 1: So the headline you see everywhere, uh, and we'll give more context to it, but that the, the particular quote wrote just that one line, um, I mean, that's really damning. That is a really awful, awful headline that does deserve some explanation and fuller context. But the quote itself that's making the headlines is that King, now King Charles, when he was Prince Charles, almost immediately after Princess Di's death, said, and I quote, rest assured, we'll forget her soon enough. That is... People are clicking on that left and right online, and Robes, that's awful, and it's actually in line with how people were feeling about the royal family at the time and how they were behaving when it came to Princess Di's death, even.
00:04:49
Speaker 2: Yes. So that quote is exactly, as you put it, in line with what people felt the sentiment was about Princess Diana.
00:04:57
Speaker 3: Like everybody just, you know, why does everyone care so much?
00:05:00
Speaker 2: It was almost as if they were annoyed by how much people loved Princess Diana. They were irritated that she was constantly getting positive press.
00:05:09
Speaker 3: She was out there.
00:05:11
Speaker 2: Involved in the major AIDS epidemic in Africa, helping children. And so she just had this image that she was the Mother Teresa of the royals. And it just felt like it irked the heck out of the rest of the family, especially in the divorce, in the aftermath of her divorce from Prince Charles. It was like he could do nothing right and she could do nothing wrong.
00:05:35
Speaker 1: Well, there was a reason for that. Because when we see her, if he's standing next to African orphans, we see him, he's standing next to Camilla.
00:05:43
Speaker 3: Yeah, the woman who was the third woman in their marriage.
00:05:46
Speaker 1: So, yeah, that was justified. There was a reason for that. And we understand that. And, yes, it drove the royal family absolutely crazy. So with that as the background, Robes, to see this headline that that's possibly something that King Charles said, first of all, people will read it and go, okay, yeah, that makes sense.
00:06:04
Speaker 2: Yeah, it does.
00:06:05
Speaker 1: And that's a problem. And that's maybe, Robes. How many books are written about the royal family? How many articles are written? I mean, these are coming out daily. This is the one they chose to respond to. They didn't respond to Harry when he put out Spare and blasted them all for being racist and all kinds of stuff behind the scenes. They didn't speak. They spoke on this one. That's a big deal.
00:06:27
Speaker 2: Yes. And look, they say, I'm not saying that Charles Spenceler wrote this book out of revenge, but man, when people have put out the quote, revenge is a dish best served cold, this might be exhibit A because yes, 30 years later, we still do care. 30 years later, we still do remember. And people still have those feelings of anger and distrust towards the royal family because of what happened to Princess Diana.
00:06:57
Speaker 1: And look, she is, no matter what, she is fresh on our minds. We might not be saying her name, Robes, every time we do a Harry and Meghan story, every time we do a Harry and Charles story, every time we do a Harry and William story, but she is absolutely playing in every single one of these with Harry and Meghan. Yes, we want Harry and William to be okay. That all has to do with how we feel about Princess Di. Actually, Meghan Markle, we try at least. She's made some missteps, you could argue. But sympathize because we do see some similarities as an outsider coming into this family. She's always present with us. Lady Di is, Robes. And now this is putting her name front and center with the guy who's now king. Robes, the family does not want the king now. given all the negative headlines coming with Harry coming back, they don't. They don't need this.
00:07:54
Speaker 3: No, they don't.
00:07:55
Speaker 2: And exactly, this is probably, well, there's never a good time for this, but this is terrible timing.
00:08:01
Speaker 3: And I don't know how Charles.
00:08:03
Speaker 2: Spencer is revered or regarded in Great Britain, in the UK, but he doesn't seem as if he's someone who has been outspoken or....
00:08:15
Speaker 3: Who is seeking attention.
00:08:17
Speaker 2: And so I do imagine the weight of his words are a part of this. And so as the excerpt has been revealed, here's the setup. He describes a phone call between then Prince Charles and himself. And he said that he didn't want Harry and William to walk in the funeral procession behind Lady Di's casket.
00:08:40
Speaker 1: Have you heard this story? I'd never heard the behind the scenes, but the boys were 15 and 12 at the time. I had no idea that this was the stuff going on, but they thought, at least Lady Di's family, that the boys were too young for this. Don't put them out there.
00:08:54
Speaker 2: It's something that, yeah, that they would have to remember and carry with them in a way that it just put them in a position that he said no son, no young son should have to carry his mother's casket or walk behind his mother's casket, I believe, something to that effect. Right. And then, so here is where the book picks up. Prince Charles continued his stream of anger without me interrupting.
00:09:19
Speaker 3: Then he stopped.
00:09:21
Speaker 2: I assumed the pause signaled an effort to bring himself under control. But then he unleashed down on 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. Rest assured, he hissed, That's.
00:09:44
Speaker 1: Awful. And again, there's sometimes Robes allegations are made or things that come up that are so out of left field or out of the blue that you go, oh, that doesn't sound right. This is one that, yeah, that reads. That's how people will see that. And maybe the king knows that. Maybe the palace knows that. And maybe that's why they had to put a response out. And I'm a little surprised, Robes, if you're going to put one out, say a little more. They said less, and I guess it was pretty effective.
00:10:11
Speaker 3: Yes, Buckingham Palace said this.
00:10:13
Speaker 2: 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 color memory in ways others.
00:10:27
Speaker 3: Do not recognize, even many years after.
00:10:30
Speaker 1: Such a loss. Wow. That was the most polite smackdown I've ever heard.
00:10:35
Speaker 2: But it almost felt like there was sarcasm dripping basically from every word because they basically said Charles Spencer is lying.
00:10:45
Speaker 3: He is not telling the truth.
00:10:47
Speaker 1: But they gave heroes, which I, again, this is incredible to me, that they are recognizing, they are being dismissive of his story by embracing him as somebody who's still in pain. Yeah.
00:11:03
Speaker 3: Again.
00:11:04
Speaker 1: Forgive his words. He knows not what he says. He's still in pain over the loss of his sister.
00:11:09
Speaker 3: It's very patronizing.
00:11:11
Speaker 1: It is, but it's strong. It's strongly worded, and it's clear in its wording. I don't know who they have in that office. This is incredible fraternal grief. The king is mindful. Keep in mind the pain of the loss can cloud your judgment, your reason, and your memory. I mean, I don't know what relationship Princess Di's family has had at all with the palace. They have no need to have one, do they? The boys are old enough. The boys aren't getting along. There's no reason to still have all these folks together. Robes, I don't know what they feel about this guy. I don't know what this guy feels about the palace. But that signals something strong going on behind the scenes right now.
00:11:59
Speaker 3: I don't imagine that they have.
00:12:02
Speaker 2: christmas together or have family gatherings or sit around the fireplace at balmoral castle and reflect on the good old days no i don't think that that's ever happened and this book and that response um if.
00:12:16
Speaker 3: There was any relationship i imagine there.
00:12:19
Speaker 1: Is none now yeah that seems like something that you know what imagine if translate that into trump If Trump was in the same situation and somebody said something, book coming out, he said this crazy damning quote, Trump would have said the same thing but said it differently.
00:12:39
Speaker 2: Right.
00:12:40
Speaker 1: He just flat out said he doesn't know what he's talking about. All these years later, all that happened to him, his judgment is all off, his memory is all off, even his reason. It can cloud your reason.
00:12:52
Speaker 2: Oof. Man, I mean, they know how to insult with, that's the politest insult I've ever, or denial and insult I've ever read.
00:13:03
Speaker 1: Well, this is all about a book. It's called Swan Song, Diana, My Sister. That is the name of it. It's not out just yet, but stay here. We'll let you know what the actual publishing house, how they describe this upcoming bombshell of a book.
00:13:29
Speaker 3: Welcome back, everyone, to Amy and TJ.
00:13:31
Speaker 2: Yes, this book, Swan Song, Diana, My Sister, is going to be, let's just say, a bestseller around the world. This is highly, highly anticipated, and it's set to be released September 22nd.
00:13:48
Speaker 3: 2026.
00:13:50
Speaker 2: So yeah, just in a matter of days now, we're going to be able to read all of it. But Charles Spencer said he wanted to write the book for the 30th anniversary, which is coming up this next August. And he said he has constantly asked for interviews, constantly asked about his sister, so he decided to put it down. And what he said is, the aim of this book is to tell the truth.
00:14:13
Speaker 3: About Diana from her brother's perspective.
00:14:17
Speaker 2: He said he will speak on Diana's behalf and do so in an openly positive way. I guess that also includes telling negative stories about.
00:14:27
Speaker 3: The royal family.
00:14:28
Speaker 1: Openly positive?
00:14:29
Speaker 2: Didn't seem too positive with what was released.
00:14:31
Speaker 1: How much of that? I mean, look, we've dealt with book publishers before. And sometimes before a book is even written, they're asking you for an excerpt. They're asking you for a line or something to pull in somebody's big name that's going to, so we can put out this little thing that's going to sell books. I don't know how much that played into it. But Robes, what was the line? Openly, what did you say?
00:14:54
Speaker 3: That's what I thought was funny.
00:14:55
Speaker 2: I wanted to speak on Diana's behalf and do so in an openly positive way.
00:15:01
Speaker 1: He wanted to get that off his chest, maybe.
00:15:03
Speaker 2: You knew, right?
00:15:05
Speaker 1: What that line was going to do and what it was going to mean. That's not positive. And that's fine. He has every right to say what he wants to say. But Rose just, it flies in the face to say this is openly positive. He just threw the king under the bus in a major way at a significant time when they don't need any more negative headlines. And Rose, Princess Diana, I mean, Camilla doesn't want to hear this right now.
00:15:31
Speaker 3: God, no.
00:15:32
Speaker 1: I mean, so now she's got to be the focus again of being.
00:15:35
Speaker 3: The other woman. That's... The third woman in Princess Diana's marriage. Yeah, he said that.
00:15:43
Speaker 1: Third person, right?
00:15:44
Speaker 3: What did I say?
00:15:44
Speaker 1: Third woman. I'm just making sure there wasn't somebody else I didn't know about.
00:15:47
Speaker 2: No, I meant to say third person. That is a very important word that I swapped out. So yes, that she was the third person in their marriage. But yes, Charles Spencer said he hopes the book will be of interest... to the many who still cherish the memory of Diana when she was alive.
00:16:03
Speaker 3: And he basically said he's.
00:16:04
Speaker 2: Hoping that the people out there who are too young to remember her in her heyday, when they read this, they'll get to actually feel like they know who she really was. A dynamic character full of love, charisma, and self-doubt who gave life a hell of a go and left the world a far better place despite exiting the stage while still alive.
00:16:24
Speaker 3: So young. And maybe it is.
00:16:25
Speaker 2: Maybe the rest of the book is positive. Maybe the rest of the book is a celebration of her life. And maybe that was just the one excerpt that they knew. I mean, look, they do look for those excerpts to make headlines. That was a hell of a book. hell of a headline. And that is absolutely going to sell books.
00:16:43
Speaker 3: There's no question.
00:16:44
Speaker 1: And it's absolutely, I mean, it's almost perfect in the, excuse me, from a PR, from a sales standpoint world, because obviously the world did not forget and still has not forgotten Diana. She's burned into our memories with that short blonde hair. I could see her still walking through fields in Africa. I could still see her with those big earrings on. I could still, like those things are burned in our memory and where I was when I heard about the accidents and college, I knew exactly where I was sitting in front of the TV. I just, for that line, of all lines for him to possibly say, and how it has stood up over the past 30 years, it's like the perfect thing to sell books.
00:17:24
Speaker 3: It really is. It really was. And look, and to your point, it reads. It's believable. It seems as though it was... What he said, like.
00:17:36
Speaker 2: I believe he said that I don't find it hard to believe that. And so to hear, I just feel like, look, I understand that it was, it was a, it was a shot across the bow veiled and dripping in politeness, but I didn't like it because it felt inauthentic again. It's like, I know what you're saying, his majesty. I know what you're saying, Buckingham palace. but you're trying to act like you're being kind and loving towards Charles Spencer when you're absolutely feeling the exact opposite. I don't like how that feels. It feels disingenuous to me. You know that they're not actually worried about his grief or concerned about how he's seeing things.
00:18:20
Speaker 3: No, they're pissed.
00:18:23
Speaker 1: They're pissed. They put out a short, sweet statement. They did not put out a denial statement. There's nothing in that statement that says that what this man said is not true. They just suggested his memory's a little clouded. Can the majesty, his majesty not remember? Why wouldn't you say this is a flat-out fabrication? His purposes we don't know. But why try to dishonor this lady's memory? We still honor. We still love. This statement does not deny it being the truth.
00:18:59
Speaker 2: I wonder if the royal family think denying something is beneath Possibly.
00:19:05
Speaker 1: I always remember that it's like it's Harry that uses the line a lot. Don't complain and don't explain. That is the mantra for the royal family when it comes to all this stuff. Don't complain, don't explain. It's pretty good. Way to go about things. I've used it plenty of times.
00:19:20
Speaker 3: Well, we shall see. Look, this is very rare.
00:19:22
Speaker 2: I think most people know who are royal watchers that the Buckingham Palace does not release statements. Maybe a birth and a death, and that's about it. You rarely hear anything beyond that.
00:19:32
Speaker 1: So that'd be all they would be doing all day long is writing statements in response to everything somebody's writing. So, no, they can't do this. This one they did.
00:19:39
Speaker 2: Yes, and we shall see if there will be any more bombshells between the covers of this new book. Again, due out in just a matter of days. But we always appreciate you listening to us, everyone. I'm Amy Robach, alongside TJ Holmes.
00:19:53
Speaker 1: We'll talk soon.
Speaker 1: Hey there, folks. It is Thursday, September 17th, and a rare, really rare statement from Buckingham Palace. Rare not just because they don't put out statements that often. Rare because when they do, they don't sound like this kind of a clapback against Princess Di's brother. And with that, welcome to this episode of Amy and TJ. The brother has reason to be pissed if the story he's telling robs his troops.
00:00:31
Speaker 2: And actually, the world has reason to be pissed. And so, yes, that is why Buckingham Palace felt the need to respond because, yes, Princess Diana is beloved. She was beloved when she was alive. And after her death, she's been nearly sainted at this point. People love Diana and they will defend her. And if you hear anything that anyone has said against her, especially Now King Charles, yes, it just shows you why they responded as quickly and as, I don't know if I would say severely, but as pointedly as they did.
00:01:09
Speaker 1: It was pretty sharp. And this was a different type of a tongue lashing. They said it in the most proper and British of ways. We're going to let you hear exactly what it was. It wasn't long, but it was very effective. And a reminder here, Lady Di died in 1997. And Rose, a reminder to everybody at that time, it took Charles quite a while To get any semblance of reputation and popularity back. And even the entire royal family was seen as in some way being insensitive to what was going on with Princess Di.
00:01:40
Speaker 2: Absolutely, because they, I mean, and especially if anyone watched The Queen or any of the many documentaries or fictionalized adaptations of what went on there, the narrative pretty much is that she was left to twist in the wind, that they wanted nothing to do with her, and she was left to fend for herself. And ultimately, many people believe that that led to her death in a way, because she was being chased and hounded by the paparazzi. and of course that fiery death in that tunnel in Paris that so many of us remember where we were when that happened. So yes, they had a major PR problem, and they still do in some ways when it comes to the story of Princess Diana, how she was treated by Charles, and how she was treated by the royal family.
00:02:26
Speaker 1: But time does heal, even if not all, most wounds.
00:02:30
Speaker 3: And look.
00:02:31
Speaker 1: Prince Charles is now King Charles, and he does have a different reputation. Now, Rose, he's been accepted differently now. And Camilla, yes, same thing. And what was key to that relationship and key to Charles moving forward was how the queen navigated that whole situation. So I say all that to say, Rose, it's been 30 years since Princess Di died, and now.
00:02:58
Speaker 1: To finally get, it took a long time to get better footing, and now Lady Di's brother is bringing up something that you can't help but be pissed at the king about if this is true.
00:03:10
Speaker 2: Yes, and so Charles Spencer is the younger brother of Princess Diana, and he has authored this book, a much-anticipated book.
00:03:19
Speaker 3: He has been asked to speak, he has been asked to comment.
00:03:21
Speaker 2: For years and years and years, and he claims after, yes, 30 years now, he finally decided to put down his memories and his recollections of his sister and of that time surrounding her death in into words and it is timed with the 30th anniversary of her death, August 31st, 1997. So it'll be next August, which will be her exact 30 year anniversary. But this excerpt has been released ahead of time and it.
00:03:52
Speaker 3: Is a doozy.
00:03:54
Speaker 1: So the headline you see everywhere, uh, and we'll give more context to it, but that the, the particular quote wrote just that one line, um, I mean, that's really damning. That is a really awful, awful headline that does deserve some explanation and fuller context. But the quote itself that's making the headlines is that King, now King Charles, when he was Prince Charles, almost immediately after Princess Di's death, said, and I quote, rest assured, we'll forget her soon enough. That is... People are clicking on that left and right online, and Robes, that's awful, and it's actually in line with how people were feeling about the royal family at the time and how they were behaving when it came to Princess Di's death, even.
00:04:49
Speaker 2: Yes. So that quote is exactly, as you put it, in line with what people felt the sentiment was about Princess Diana.
00:04:57
Speaker 3: Like everybody just, you know, why does everyone care so much?
00:05:00
Speaker 2: It was almost as if they were annoyed by how much people loved Princess Diana. They were irritated that she was constantly getting positive press.
00:05:09
Speaker 3: She was out there.
00:05:11
Speaker 2: Involved in the major AIDS epidemic in Africa, helping children. And so she just had this image that she was the Mother Teresa of the royals. And it just felt like it irked the heck out of the rest of the family, especially in the divorce, in the aftermath of her divorce from Prince Charles. It was like he could do nothing right and she could do nothing wrong.
00:05:35
Speaker 1: Well, there was a reason for that. Because when we see her, if he's standing next to African orphans, we see him, he's standing next to Camilla.
00:05:43
Speaker 3: Yeah, the woman who was the third woman in their marriage.
00:05:46
Speaker 1: So, yeah, that was justified. There was a reason for that. And we understand that. And, yes, it drove the royal family absolutely crazy. So with that as the background, Robes, to see this headline that that's possibly something that King Charles said, first of all, people will read it and go, okay, yeah, that makes sense.
00:06:04
Speaker 2: Yeah, it does.
00:06:05
Speaker 1: And that's a problem. And that's maybe, Robes. How many books are written about the royal family? How many articles are written? I mean, these are coming out daily. This is the one they chose to respond to. They didn't respond to Harry when he put out Spare and blasted them all for being racist and all kinds of stuff behind the scenes. They didn't speak. They spoke on this one. That's a big deal.
00:06:27
Speaker 2: Yes. And look, they say, I'm not saying that Charles Spenceler wrote this book out of revenge, but man, when people have put out the quote, revenge is a dish best served cold, this might be exhibit A because yes, 30 years later, we still do care. 30 years later, we still do remember. And people still have those feelings of anger and distrust towards the royal family because of what happened to Princess Diana.
00:06:57
Speaker 1: And look, she is, no matter what, she is fresh on our minds. We might not be saying her name, Robes, every time we do a Harry and Meghan story, every time we do a Harry and Charles story, every time we do a Harry and William story, but she is absolutely playing in every single one of these with Harry and Meghan. Yes, we want Harry and William to be okay. That all has to do with how we feel about Princess Di. Actually, Meghan Markle, we try at least. She's made some missteps, you could argue. But sympathize because we do see some similarities as an outsider coming into this family. She's always present with us. Lady Di is, Robes. And now this is putting her name front and center with the guy who's now king. Robes, the family does not want the king now. given all the negative headlines coming with Harry coming back, they don't. They don't need this.
00:07:54
Speaker 3: No, they don't.
00:07:55
Speaker 2: And exactly, this is probably, well, there's never a good time for this, but this is terrible timing.
00:08:01
Speaker 3: And I don't know how Charles.
00:08:03
Speaker 2: Spencer is revered or regarded in Great Britain, in the UK, but he doesn't seem as if he's someone who has been outspoken or....
00:08:15
Speaker 3: Who is seeking attention.
00:08:17
Speaker 2: And so I do imagine the weight of his words are a part of this. And so as the excerpt has been revealed, here's the setup. He describes a phone call between then Prince Charles and himself. And he said that he didn't want Harry and William to walk in the funeral procession behind Lady Di's casket.
00:08:40
Speaker 1: Have you heard this story? I'd never heard the behind the scenes, but the boys were 15 and 12 at the time. I had no idea that this was the stuff going on, but they thought, at least Lady Di's family, that the boys were too young for this. Don't put them out there.
00:08:54
Speaker 2: It's something that, yeah, that they would have to remember and carry with them in a way that it just put them in a position that he said no son, no young son should have to carry his mother's casket or walk behind his mother's casket, I believe, something to that effect. Right. And then, so here is where the book picks up. Prince Charles continued his stream of anger without me interrupting.
00:09:19
Speaker 3: Then he stopped.
00:09:21
Speaker 2: I assumed the pause signaled an effort to bring himself under control. But then he unleashed down on 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. Rest assured, he hissed, That's.
00:09:44
Speaker 1: Awful. And again, there's sometimes Robes allegations are made or things that come up that are so out of left field or out of the blue that you go, oh, that doesn't sound right. This is one that, yeah, that reads. That's how people will see that. And maybe the king knows that. Maybe the palace knows that. And maybe that's why they had to put a response out. And I'm a little surprised, Robes, if you're going to put one out, say a little more. They said less, and I guess it was pretty effective.
00:10:11
Speaker 3: Yes, Buckingham Palace said this.
00:10:13
Speaker 2: 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 color memory in ways others.
00:10:27
Speaker 3: Do not recognize, even many years after.
00:10:30
Speaker 1: Such a loss. Wow. That was the most polite smackdown I've ever heard.
00:10:35
Speaker 2: But it almost felt like there was sarcasm dripping basically from every word because they basically said Charles Spencer is lying.
00:10:45
Speaker 3: He is not telling the truth.
00:10:47
Speaker 1: But they gave heroes, which I, again, this is incredible to me, that they are recognizing, they are being dismissive of his story by embracing him as somebody who's still in pain. Yeah.
00:11:03
Speaker 3: Again.
00:11:04
Speaker 1: Forgive his words. He knows not what he says. He's still in pain over the loss of his sister.
00:11:09
Speaker 3: It's very patronizing.
00:11:11
Speaker 1: It is, but it's strong. It's strongly worded, and it's clear in its wording. I don't know who they have in that office. This is incredible fraternal grief. The king is mindful. Keep in mind the pain of the loss can cloud your judgment, your reason, and your memory. I mean, I don't know what relationship Princess Di's family has had at all with the palace. They have no need to have one, do they? The boys are old enough. The boys aren't getting along. There's no reason to still have all these folks together. Robes, I don't know what they feel about this guy. I don't know what this guy feels about the palace. But that signals something strong going on behind the scenes right now.
00:11:59
Speaker 3: I don't imagine that they have.
00:12:02
Speaker 2: christmas together or have family gatherings or sit around the fireplace at balmoral castle and reflect on the good old days no i don't think that that's ever happened and this book and that response um if.
00:12:16
Speaker 3: There was any relationship i imagine there.
00:12:19
Speaker 1: Is none now yeah that seems like something that you know what imagine if translate that into trump If Trump was in the same situation and somebody said something, book coming out, he said this crazy damning quote, Trump would have said the same thing but said it differently.
00:12:39
Speaker 2: Right.
00:12:40
Speaker 1: He just flat out said he doesn't know what he's talking about. All these years later, all that happened to him, his judgment is all off, his memory is all off, even his reason. It can cloud your reason.
00:12:52
Speaker 2: Oof. Man, I mean, they know how to insult with, that's the politest insult I've ever, or denial and insult I've ever read.
00:13:03
Speaker 1: Well, this is all about a book. It's called Swan Song, Diana, My Sister. That is the name of it. It's not out just yet, but stay here. We'll let you know what the actual publishing house, how they describe this upcoming bombshell of a book.
00:13:29
Speaker 3: Welcome back, everyone, to Amy and TJ.
00:13:31
Speaker 2: Yes, this book, Swan Song, Diana, My Sister, is going to be, let's just say, a bestseller around the world. This is highly, highly anticipated, and it's set to be released September 22nd.
00:13:48
Speaker 3: 2026.
00:13:50
Speaker 2: So yeah, just in a matter of days now, we're going to be able to read all of it. But Charles Spencer said he wanted to write the book for the 30th anniversary, which is coming up this next August. And he said he has constantly asked for interviews, constantly asked about his sister, so he decided to put it down. And what he said is, the aim of this book is to tell the truth.
00:14:13
Speaker 3: About Diana from her brother's perspective.
00:14:17
Speaker 2: He said he will speak on Diana's behalf and do so in an openly positive way. I guess that also includes telling negative stories about.
00:14:27
Speaker 3: The royal family.
00:14:28
Speaker 1: Openly positive?
00:14:29
Speaker 2: Didn't seem too positive with what was released.
00:14:31
Speaker 1: How much of that? I mean, look, we've dealt with book publishers before. And sometimes before a book is even written, they're asking you for an excerpt. They're asking you for a line or something to pull in somebody's big name that's going to, so we can put out this little thing that's going to sell books. I don't know how much that played into it. But Robes, what was the line? Openly, what did you say?
00:14:54
Speaker 3: That's what I thought was funny.
00:14:55
Speaker 2: I wanted to speak on Diana's behalf and do so in an openly positive way.
00:15:01
Speaker 1: He wanted to get that off his chest, maybe.
00:15:03
Speaker 2: You knew, right?
00:15:05
Speaker 1: What that line was going to do and what it was going to mean. That's not positive. And that's fine. He has every right to say what he wants to say. But Rose just, it flies in the face to say this is openly positive. He just threw the king under the bus in a major way at a significant time when they don't need any more negative headlines. And Rose, Princess Diana, I mean, Camilla doesn't want to hear this right now.
00:15:31
Speaker 3: God, no.
00:15:32
Speaker 1: I mean, so now she's got to be the focus again of being.
00:15:35
Speaker 3: The other woman. That's... The third woman in Princess Diana's marriage. Yeah, he said that.
00:15:43
Speaker 1: Third person, right?
00:15:44
Speaker 3: What did I say?
00:15:44
Speaker 1: Third woman. I'm just making sure there wasn't somebody else I didn't know about.
00:15:47
Speaker 2: No, I meant to say third person. That is a very important word that I swapped out. So yes, that she was the third person in their marriage. But yes, Charles Spencer said he hopes the book will be of interest... to the many who still cherish the memory of Diana when she was alive.
00:16:03
Speaker 3: And he basically said he's.
00:16:04
Speaker 2: Hoping that the people out there who are too young to remember her in her heyday, when they read this, they'll get to actually feel like they know who she really was. A dynamic character full of love, charisma, and self-doubt who gave life a hell of a go and left the world a far better place despite exiting the stage while still alive.
00:16:24
Speaker 3: So young. And maybe it is.
00:16:25
Speaker 2: Maybe the rest of the book is positive. Maybe the rest of the book is a celebration of her life. And maybe that was just the one excerpt that they knew. I mean, look, they do look for those excerpts to make headlines. That was a hell of a book. hell of a headline. And that is absolutely going to sell books.
00:16:43
Speaker 3: There's no question.
00:16:44
Speaker 1: And it's absolutely, I mean, it's almost perfect in the, excuse me, from a PR, from a sales standpoint world, because obviously the world did not forget and still has not forgotten Diana. She's burned into our memories with that short blonde hair. I could see her still walking through fields in Africa. I could still see her with those big earrings on. I could still, like those things are burned in our memory and where I was when I heard about the accidents and college, I knew exactly where I was sitting in front of the TV. I just, for that line, of all lines for him to possibly say, and how it has stood up over the past 30 years, it's like the perfect thing to sell books.
00:17:24
Speaker 3: It really is. It really was. And look, and to your point, it reads. It's believable. It seems as though it was... What he said, like.
00:17:36
Speaker 2: I believe he said that I don't find it hard to believe that. And so to hear, I just feel like, look, I understand that it was, it was a, it was a shot across the bow veiled and dripping in politeness, but I didn't like it because it felt inauthentic again. It's like, I know what you're saying, his majesty. I know what you're saying, Buckingham palace. but you're trying to act like you're being kind and loving towards Charles Spencer when you're absolutely feeling the exact opposite. I don't like how that feels. It feels disingenuous to me. You know that they're not actually worried about his grief or concerned about how he's seeing things.
00:18:20
Speaker 3: No, they're pissed.
00:18:23
Speaker 1: They're pissed. They put out a short, sweet statement. They did not put out a denial statement. There's nothing in that statement that says that what this man said is not true. They just suggested his memory's a little clouded. Can the majesty, his majesty not remember? Why wouldn't you say this is a flat-out fabrication? His purposes we don't know. But why try to dishonor this lady's memory? We still honor. We still love. This statement does not deny it being the truth.
00:18:59
Speaker 2: I wonder if the royal family think denying something is beneath Possibly.
00:19:05
Speaker 1: I always remember that it's like it's Harry that uses the line a lot. Don't complain and don't explain. That is the mantra for the royal family when it comes to all this stuff. Don't complain, don't explain. It's pretty good. Way to go about things. I've used it plenty of times.
00:19:20
Speaker 3: Well, we shall see. Look, this is very rare.
00:19:22
Speaker 2: I think most people know who are royal watchers that the Buckingham Palace does not release statements. Maybe a birth and a death, and that's about it. You rarely hear anything beyond that.
00:19:32
Speaker 1: So that'd be all they would be doing all day long is writing statements in response to everything somebody's writing. So, no, they can't do this. This one they did.
00:19:39
Speaker 2: Yes, and we shall see if there will be any more bombshells between the covers of this new book. Again, due out in just a matter of days. But we always appreciate you listening to us, everyone. I'm Amy Robach, alongside TJ Holmes.
00:19:53
Speaker 1: We'll talk soon.