Royal author Andrew Morton has criticized King Charles’ response to Charles Spencer’s new book about Princess Diana, saying the King “got it wrong.”
Speaking to The Telegraph, Morton, who wrote Diana: Her True Story in 1992, said Buckingham Palace had responded too quickly.
He claimed the statement came within about an hour and suggested advisers should have encouraged the King to wait for the attention around the book to pass.
Morton said he believed the quick response showed how angry Charles was. He also suggested the statement was written mainly to satisfy the King himself.
Spencer’s book, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, was published last week. It gives his account of his sister’s life and her unhappy marriage to Charles.
In excerpts released before publication, Spencer alleged that Charles was “giddily elated” after Diana’s death in 1997.
Buckingham Palace responded with a statement suggesting that the pain of losing a sibling and feelings of grievance could affect someone’s judgment and memory.
“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,” a palace spokesperson said.
Spencer has also written books about British royal history, including Killers of the King and To Catch a King, both of which focus on the 17th century.
