Charles Spencer has turned off comments on his Instagram posts after royal supporters criticized him over claims in his upcoming book about his sister, Princess Diana.
The book discusses King Charles’s behavior in the days after Diana’s death in 1997. According to the Daily Mail, Spencer alleges that Charles told him: “Rest assured, we’ll forget her soon enough.”
Spencer claims the remark came during an argument about whether Prince William and Prince Harry should walk behind their mother’s coffin at her funeral. He opposed the idea, the report said.
Buckingham Palace issued a rare response on Wednesday. A spokesperson said the King understood that the pain of losing a sibling could affect someone’s judgment and memories, even years later.
“While we do not comment on books as a matter of principle, His Majesty is mindful that the pain of fraternal grievance can cloud reason, judgment affect and color memory in ways others do not recognize, even many years after such a loss,” the spokesperson said.
Diana died at the age of 36 in a car crash in Paris in 1997. Dodi al-Fayed, who was traveling with her, also died. Their car was being followed by paparazzi before the crash.
Diana and Charles married in 1981 and divorced in 1996 after their relationship broke down.
Ahead of the book’s release, Spencer said he wanted to share his own memories of his sister and speak on her behalf.
“The aim of this book is to tell the truth about Diana from her brother’s perspective,” he said. “I want to speak on Diana’s behalf and do so in an openly positive way.”
