WorldThe Age

‘Like a lottery winner’: Charles ‘elated’ after Diana’s death, her brother’s new book claims

Diana's brother Earl Spencer claims Charles sounded 'giddily elated, like a lottery winner' right after Diana died in 1997, in a new book about his sister.

Earl Spencer’s book claims the then-prince Charles seemed “giddily elated” in the immediate aftermath of Diana’s death in a car crash in 1997.

The Long Sip
What happened

Earl Spencer's forthcoming book Swan Song: Diana, My Sister claims Charles sounded elated, not grief-stricken, when told of Diana's death in 1997.

The detail

Spencer writes he suspects Charles felt freed to marry Camilla, and also reveals Diana drove to Beachy Head while contemplating suicide in her later years.

What it means

Buckingham Palace has already rebutted one claim in the book, and Charles said via a spokesperson that grief can affect reason, judgment and memory.

Full story at The Age

What readers are saying

dawn1993
Worth noting the palace spokesperson's response specifically frames this as grief affecting memory and judgment, but doesn't actually address the core claim about Charles's tone. Julian Payne's counter-evidence about Charles instructing staff never to criticise Diana is useful context, though it doesn't resolve whether Spencer's account of that particular phone call is accurate. The book will probably hinge on whether anyone else was present during that conversation.

More from Cuppa

Coronation Street legend Stephanie Cole dead at 84

British actress Stephanie Cole, best known for Coronation Street, Doc Martin and Waiting for God, has died at the age of 84.

Donald Trump says he is banning CNN, Politico and MS NOW from White House

Trump announced he is banning CNN, Politico and MSNBC from the White House, claiming they report lies about his administration.

Apple's iPhone 18 goes on sale as customers line up at stores worldwide

Apple's iPhone 18 is now on sale worldwide, starting at $1,199 for the Pro model, with a new AI-powered Siri and upgraded camera features.

Are tea, coffee, red meat and alcohol giving you dangerous levels of iron?

A new review finds that what you eat and drink, including tea, coffee, red meat and alcohol, can affect how much iron your body absorbs, which matters if you have iron overload.

NASA spacecraft discovers a huge new crater on the moon

NASA found a massive new moon crater bigger than the Roman Colosseum, caused by an asteroid or comet impact two years ago that nobody noticed at the time.

Google's new 'CC' is an AI agent that helps families run their households

Google has relaunched its CC AI agent as a household organiser for families, helping manage schedules, school emails, meal plans and shared to-do lists.

SpaceX to fly more NASA crews to space station under expanded $5.92 billion deal

NASA has handed SpaceX a $946 million contract for three more astronaut missions to the International Space Station, extending the partnership through 2030.

Coffee on the nanoscale: Graphene oxide membrane removes half the caffeine while retaining key compounds

Australian researchers at UNSW have developed a graphene oxide membrane that removes about half the caffeine from already-brewed coffee while keeping its flavour compounds intact.

Back to the feed