Princess Diana's brother, Charles Spencer, shared his account of a phone call with the future King shortly after Diana died.
In an excerpt from his memoir, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, published by the Daily Mail, Spencer recalled being at his home in Cape Town, South Africa, when he heard the news.
“The phone rang constantly,” he wrote. “Prince Charles caught me as I crossed the landing upstairs.”
Spencer claimed the then-Prince of Wales sounded unusually cheerful during the call.
“Unlike my other callers, who were stunned and barely able to express their sympathy or offer help, he sounded giddily elated, like a lottery winner,” Spencer wrote.
Charles reportedly told Spencer that he had informed Prince William and Prince Harry of their mother's death that morning in their bedrooms at Balmoral.
Spencer said the conversation sounded “strangely matter-of-fact” considering the seriousness of what had happened.
Looking back, Spencer suggested that Charles may have first thought about how Diana's death could allow him to marry Camilla, rather than focusing on the loss.
“It can be hard to feel too much sympathy for an ex-spouse, or those who care for them deeply, after a bitter divorce,” he added.
Spencer also described a tense conversation about Diana’s funeral. He claimed Charles became angry and told him, “We’ll forget her soon enough.”
“I was so stunned that it took me a few seconds to reply,” Spencer wrote. “‘I can’t believe you just said that,’ I said flatly, before hanging up.”
The account reflects Spencer’s personal memories and interpretation of the call. King Charles challenged the claims through a spokesperson, who suggested that long-held grievances could affect a person’s judgment and memory.
Princess Diana died following a car crash in Paris in August 1997.
