Earl Spencer’s upcoming memoir revisits Prince Harry’s childhood grief and makes a disputed claim about a conversation with King Charles.
Earl Spencer, the brother of Princess Diana, has revisited the period following her death in 1997, claiming that Prince Harry received little visible emotional support while grieving as a 12-year-old child.
In excerpts from his upcoming memoir, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, Spencer recalls the days surrounding Diana’s funeral and describes what he considered a “lack of obvious care” for Harry.
Spencer particularly remembers the journey to Althorp, the Spencer family estate where Diana was buried, following the highly emotional funeral procession. He said Harry appeared overwhelmed and alone during the journey.
According to Spencer’s recollection, the young prince appeared to be left largely to deal with his loss on his own rather than receiving the level of comfort Spencer believed a grieving child needed.
The memoir indicates that Spencer has continued to reflect on Harry’s experience over the years. He questions whether greater emotional support following Diana’s death might have influenced Harry’s experiences later in life.
Diana died in a car crash in Paris on Aug. 31, 1997, when Harry was 12 and his brother, Prince William, was 15. Her funeral was held at Westminster Abbey on Sept. 6, 1997, before her burial at Althorp.
Spencer also makes another significant claim in the memoir concerning King Charles. He says Charles told him shortly after Diana’s death that she would be forgotten “soon enough.”
Spencer has maintained that he remembers the alleged remark accurately and reportedly reiterated his confidence in his account during an interview with the BBC.
Buckingham Palace has not directly rejected Spencer’s recollection of the alleged conversation. Instead, a statement noted that grief can affect how people remember events over time.
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