Royal commentator Jennie Bond has criticised Charles Spencer’s claims about King Charles in his new book about his sister, Princess Diana.
Spencer alleges that Charles appeared happy after Diana’s death in a car crash in 1997. Charles and Diana were divorced at the time.
Speaking to the Mirror, Bond said she had initially welcomed news of the book. She hoped it would offer a loving and well-informed account of Diana’s life.
“I was looking forward to reading an authoritative and affectionate portrait of the woman who was once the most famous in the world,” she said.
However, Bond said the published extracts had changed her expectations.
She acknowledged that the book might still offer an affectionate portrait of Diana, but described its treatment of Charles as “a character assassination of the King”.
“It is brutally hostile and fantastically rude,” she added.
Despite her criticism, Bond said she had no reason to doubt that Spencer was describing his memories. She pointed to his experience as a historian, journalist and author, and said she had found him charming in person.
Her comments were based on the extracts available before the book’s publication.
