Buckingham Palace has issued an unusually strong rebuttal to claims made by Earl Spencer, the brother of the late Diana, Princess of Wales, concerning a memoir about her life and death. The controversy centers on an excerpt published in the Daily Mail from Earl Spencer's upcoming book, "Swan Song: Diana, My Sister."

The memoir alleges that King Charles, in the wake of Diana's 1997 death, told Earl Spencer, "we'll forget her soon enough." The Palace, while generally declining to comment on published books, has pushed back with significant force, expressing anger and questioning the accuracy of the recollection.

In its statement, the Palace noted, "His Majesty is mindful that the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgment and colour memory in ways others do not recognise, even many years after such a loss." This response echoes the language used by Queen Elizabeth II in 2021 regarding claims made by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, where she stated that "recollections may vary."

This public dispute occurs during a busy period for the Royal Family, with King Charles, Prince William, and Catherine attending various events, and Prince Harry making a significant public appearance in the UK. The book, written from the perspective of Diana's own Spencer family, is expected to revisit a sensitive period in the Royal Family's recent history.

Diana's death created a period of intense public emotion, during which the Royal Family faced criticism for appearing detached from public grief. Earl Spencer's own funeral speech for his sister was seen as adding to the prevailing sense of grievance.

The excerpt details an alleged confrontation where Earl Spencer insisted Diana would not have wanted her sons, Princes William and Harry, then aged 15 and 12, to walk behind her funeral procession. According to the book, Charles then "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."

The Palace views the claim as out of character for King Charles, who they state was dealing with his own grief and that of his sons at the time. Julian Payne, the King's former communications secretary, told the BBC that the alleged comments were "just not language that I recognise." Payne added that the Palace's strong statement indicated the depth of their feelings and the need to correct the record.

Earl Spencer's book, set to be published next week, promises an insider's perspective on these events, potentially reopening difficult conversations about Diana's legacy and the Royal Family's response to her death and its aftermath.