World

King Charles responds to criticism from Princess Diana's brother

September 17, 2026 10:11 am

source: reuters

Britain’s King Charles took the unusual step on Wednesday of responding to criticism by the brother of his late first ​wife Diana, saying via a spokesperson that grief could impact ‌reason, judgment and memory.

The assertions, made in a soon-to-be published book, relate to the now-monarch’s conduct in the days after Diana’s death in 1997.

Diana was killed ​at the age of 36 when the car carrying her ​and her lover Dodi al-Fayed crashed in Paris as ⁠it sped away from chasing paparazzi photographers on motorbikes.

Her brother, Charles ​Spencer, alleges in a soon-to-be-published memoir that the then-Prince Charles told him “rest ​assured, we’ll forget her soon enough”, according to a report in the Daily Mail, which begins serialising the book on Thursday.

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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.

Diana became the most photographed woman in the world after marrying Charles in a glittering ceremony in 1981. However, the marriage turned sour and the couple eventually divorced in 1996.