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King Charles has been hit with a brand-new claim by Princess Diana brother Charles Spencer in the upcoming book.
'Swan Song: Diana, My Sister' first excerpt
On Thursday, September 17, the Daily Mail published the first excerpt of Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, where the 9th Earl Spencer recalls learning about his sister's death.
In the upcoming book, Spencer penned that he was at his home in Cape Town South Africa, when his sister Jane called him to inform about the incident; however, the intensity of the car accident in Paris in August 1997 that claims Diana's life was not immediately apparent.
He was later told by Jane over the phone that Diana had died.
King Charles 'sounded giddily elated'
As news spread, "The phone rang constantly. Prince Charles caught me as I crossed the landing upstairs," Spencer wrote.
"Unlike my other callers, who were stunned, barely able to articulate their condolences and offers of help, he sounded giddily elated — like a lottery winner, I remember thinking at the time."
Spencer shared that King Charles shared how Prince William and Prince Harry, then ages 15 and 12, were informed of their mother's death.
"It all sounded strangely matter-of-fact, given the enormity of the disaster," Spencer said in the book, as per the Daily Mail.
"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 continued, referring to Charles's relationship with Queen Camilla.
Royal family members 'pleased' upon Princess Diana's death
Elsewhere in the excerpt, as Spencer recounts planning Diana's funeral, he wrote, "There were others in the Palace, I already knew, who were relieved – indeed, pleased – that she had gone."
Spencer also recalls being informed by a palace aide that Prince William and Prince Harry would walk behind Diana's coffin in the funeral procession, an idea he was against.
The then-Prince Charles called him and alleged said, "I gather you’ve got a problem with the funeral arrangements."
During the alleged heated phone call, Charles told Spencer that Princess Diana would be forgotten "soon enough", a shocking claim which was reported on Wednesday, September 16, after the Daily Mail published the first preview of the book.
Responding to the initial claim, Buckingham Palace spokesperson stated on behalf on King Charles, "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 do not recognize, even many years after such a loss."
Notably, Charles Spencer's tell-all memoir Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, will be released on September 22.
