Charles Spencer Takes Aim at Royal Life and King Charles as Diana Feud Escalates

0:03 Kalaroga Shark Media. Hello and welcome to Palace Intrigue. I am your host, Mark Francis. Charles Spencer says marrying into the royal family can be harder than growing up in it, describing the institution as having a very particular way of thinking. Speaking with author and former Vanity Fair editor Tina Brown in New York, Diana's brother discussed the pressures his sister faced after her marriage to Charles. Brown asked, Do you think that it is actually impossible to be a human being of today's modern era inside the cage of the monarchy? Spencer replied, Well, there are people who endure it. I think there are certain people who find it very difficult to be inside of it. I think if you grow up in a royal family, it's a lot easier than marrying into it. If you look at the wives of those who've married in, it's tough. It's a way of thinking that is very specific. If you look at an article in a tabloid about Diana or the couple that you're mentioning, Harry and Meghan, they can be really, really unpleasant.

1:01 I think it would be really beholden on people to learn from Diana's example. Spencer called the palace's reaction to the book very aggressive and added, It was a false reaction to the book as a whole. I felt very frustrated because anyone who reads the book will see that it is a brother's loving tribute to his sister. The bits about the royal family are really incidental to that. Brown suggested the book has stirred up a lively debate. Spencer replied, I don't know if it is a great debate. I'll tell you why. Charles had the opportunity to not say anything or to deny it, and he did neither. He didn't say, I didn't say it. Charles Spencer also spoke with CNN's Caitlin Collins about his nephew, saying, It's pretty consistent in that I've always just been an uncle.

1:45 And I think when you lose someone in your family and they have children, you sort of are there for them. But I'm very realistic. They've been in their 40s now. I'm there if needed. People magazine reports that Spencer told both brothers about his completed memoir at exactly the same time. He said Harry was completely fine about it, although his nephew wanted reassurance that it contained nothing embarrassing about him. I think it's natural that people so in the public eye are concerned how they will come across in the book, Spencer told People. But I could reassure both of them that they're, of course, in the book, but really as examples of two little boys who had the most exceptional mother.

2:27 I'm not in any way compromising their privacy at all. The memoir revisits his objections to William and Harry walking behind Diana's coffin. Spencer says he eventually accepted the decision after being told the boys wanted to participate. I remember saying, well, as long as they haven't been dragooned into it, obviously they shouldn't have walked. Nobody now can possibly think that was the right thing to do. Asked whether he felt guilty for not doing more to prevent it, Spencer replied, Yeah, I have, actually, and about ten years ago, well, on the 20th anniversary, we sort of chatted a bit about it, but I don't think there's anyone alive who thinks that was a good idea now. That incident also came up in the Tina Brown interview. Spencer said, I knew the last thing she would want was to have those boys traumatized walking behind her body. I don't think there's a person on the planet who thinks now that that was a good idea. So I was very calm, and we know Prince Charles can be not calm. Spencer then referred to the King's frustration with a leaking pen while signing a visitor's book at Hillsborough Castle in 2022. We all bow our heads in respect of what that pen had to endure when he had his tantrum, but the point is that this is a man with a temper, and I was very even that day. I was just saying she wouldn't want it, and it's wrong. Spencer told CNN that requests to contribute to projects for next year's 30th anniversary had helped persuade him to write his own account.

3:46 I thought, well, actually, I think it's time for me just to write this down while I still have my mind and my memories. Half my job in this book is bringing her alive for people under 40 because they still have some connection with her, but it's through maybe a glamorous photograph or the tragedy of the circumstance of her death. I want to bring in this book the whole life alive, the extraordinary life that I witnessed up close. More Pallison in just a moment. Buckingham Palace staff have received alcohol awareness training covering workplace drinking, how to recognise when a colleague may need help and making social events welcoming for people who do not drink. The Royal Household requested these sessions from the charity Alcohol Change UK. Its chief executive, Richard Piper, said, We've worked with the Royal Household with all workplaces where there may be the ability to implement better workplace policies. In workplaces, there's a really important point about inclusion. More people don't drink than are vegetarian.

4:46 About 6% of the population is vegetarian, whereas over 20% of people don't drink alcohol. You've also got the safeguarding issues. So this isn't just about the stigma around whether drinking is a good or a bad thing. We try to get away from that and focus on health and individuals and making everyone feel included. The usually popular Sophie caught some grief on social media. The Duchess of Edinburgh wore a light blue Victoria Beckham suit with Penelope Chilvers Dali espadrilles for a luncheon supporting the Halley Concerts Society on September 23rd. One Instagram user posted, The suit is nice, the shoes are not. Pants should be hemmed. Espadrilles put away for the autumn-winter season. King Charles puts on all the voices when reading Harry Potter to Camilla's grandchildren, according to her son Tom Parker Bowles. Speaking to the iPress and Journal, the food writer recalled the king entertaining his children, nephew and nieces, with readings from the books. He would sit with them, reading, and he really is a good actor.

5:44 Parker Bowles gave his mother a slightly different review. I think my mother would admit she's good at many things, but she's probably not a natural actor, although she was a good reader. But he would do all the voices in Harry Potter. That was special. I've spent a huge amount of time up here over the years because obviously my mother and stepfather lived not too far from here. Members of the press found it charming that Tom casually referred to the monarch as my stepfather. King Charles reportedly had an unusual term of affection for Meghan when she joined the royal family, Tungsten. An unnamed source previously told the Mail on Sunday, Prince Charles admires Meghan for her strength and the backbone she gives Harry, who needs a Tungsten-type figure in his life as he can be a bit of a softy. It's become a term of endearment.

6:26 The nickname refers to the medal and was reportedly intended as a compliment to Meghan's resilience. Charles has not been heard using it publicly. Meanwhile, social media users have given the Duchess a new nickname, Private Citizen Meghan Markle, following the Palace's clarification of the Sussexes' status. An eBay seller in Norwich is asking £ 12, 086 for a £ 1 coin and another £ 9. 25 for postage. The Norwich Evening News reports that the coin is dated 2023, with King Charles' portrait on one side and two bees on the other, The design reflects the importance of conservation, a long-standing interest of the king. But the newspaper says more than 10 million of these coins are in circulation, so the design is not considered rare.

7:10 The seller describes it as a special piece for collectors and enthusiasts alike. And there you have it. If you'd like to email us, our address is thepalacentry at gmail.com. If you're on Spotify, leave us a comment. If you're on Apple, hit that button up there that says Listen Uninterrupted. Get the show commercial free for five bucks a month. We appreciate your support. I'm Mark Francis. My thanks to John McDermott. This is Palace Intrigue. Good times.