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King Charles breaks silence after Princess Diana book claims he said ‘we’ll forget her soon enough'
Responding to the allegations about his conduct following Diana's death, King Charles III said grief could cloud people's reason and colour their memories.
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Britain's King Charles on Wednesday broke his silence on claims made by Princess Diana's brother Charles Spencer in his upcoming book. In a rare move, King Charles III responded to criticism over ex-wife's untimely death in 1997 which left the world in shock.
Princess Diana's brother claimed in the book that after her death, the then-Prince Charles told him “rest assured, we'll forget her soon enough”.
Responding to the allegations about his conduct following Diana's death, the now-monarch said grief could cloud people's reason and colour their memories.
"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 colour memory in ways others do not recognise, even many years after such a loss," a statement issued by the palace spokesperson read.
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The book 'Swan Song: Diana, My Sister', written by the 9th Earl Spencer, is set to be released on September 22.
According to the Daily Mail, King Charles' response came after the first preview of the memoir by the brother of the late Princess of Wales was published.
Princess Diana was killed in a car accident at the age of 36, along with her lover Dodi al-Fayed, in Paris. The car crashed as it tried to escape paparazzi photographers on motorbikes chasing after them.
What book on Princess Diana says
Spencer has alleged in the book that after Diana's death, the then-Prince Charles told him "rest assured, we'll forget her soon enough"
The reported comments were made in an argument over whether Diana and Charles' children, princes William and Harry, should walk behind her coffin during her funeral — something Spencer objected to, the report said.
Recalling the heated conversation over the phone, Spencer writes, "Prince Charles continued his stream of anger, without me interrupting. Then he stopped.”
“I assumed the pause signalled an effort to bring himself under control, but then he 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,” Spencer writes, according to the Daily Mail.
Prior to the book's release, Spencer said: "The aim of this book is to tell the truth about Diana from her brother's perspective ... I want to speak on Diana's behalf and do so in an openly positive way."
Princess Diana became the most photographed woman in the world after her marriage to Charles in 1981. However, the marriage turned sour and the couple eventually divorced in 1996.
(With inputs from Reuters)
