A memoir by Charles Spencer, the younger brother of the late Princess Diana, has triggered an unusually sharp response from Buckingham Palace after explosive extracts accused King Charles III of contempt toward his former wife and indifference at the time of her death. The book, titled Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, went on sale on 22 September, nearly 30 years after Diana was killed in a car crash in Paris in August 1997 at the age of 36.

In the memoir, Spencer alleges that the then-Prince Charles telephoned him with news of Diana's death in a tone that sounded "elated, as if he had won the lottery," and told him: "Rest assured, we'll forget her soon enough." Spencer also claims that Diana had wanted to break off her engagement before the 1997 wedding, and that Charles had told her the night before the ceremony that he was not in love with her. Among the most striking allegations are those surrounding Diana's funeral: Spencer says he fought strenuously to prevent the young princes William and Harry, then aged 15 and 12, from walking behind their mother's coffin in the full glare of public mourning — an argument he says he lost entirely.

Buckingham Palace broke from its traditional posture of silence — summed up in the long-standing royal motto "never complain, never explain" — to issue a pointed rebuttal. The statement said that "the pain of fraternal grief can colour memories in ways that are difficult for others to understand," a carefully worded formulation that stopped short of a direct denial but signalled that the King does not recognise the picture Spencer has painted. Sources close to the King described him as furious. The fact that the Palace chose to respond at all underscores how seriously it views the potential public impact of the book.

Spencer himself acknowledged in an interview that he knew the memoir would prove controversial, though he said he had deliberately held back material he considered too sensitive to publish. Analysts and royal observers have noted that some elements of the account — including the loveless nature of the Charles-Diana marriage — have long been part of the public record. They also point out that Spencer and his sister are known to have had periods of little or no contact, and that the publication comes ahead of the 30th anniversary of Diana's death, a commercially significant moment for any book about one of the most recognisable figures of the late twentieth century.

Why this matters: Diana remains a uniquely powerful figure in British public life, and any reopening of questions about how the royal family treated her — both in life and death — carries real reputational weight for the monarchy. The Palace's decision to respond publicly, however diplomatically, suggests it is acutely aware that these allegations, however difficult to verify after three decades, will resonate with a public that has never fully forgotten the events of 1997.