Did King Charles Tell Earl Spencer That Diana Would Be "Forgotten Soon Enough"?
Charles Spencer's memoir alleges then-Prince Charles told him days after Diana's 1997 death that the world would 'forget her soon enough.' Buckingham Palace, in a rare statement, neither confirmed nor denied the remark, citing grief's effect on memory.
Case period:
Published by The Dispute Index editorial teamPublished Updated
Overview
Spencer's memoir, "Swan Song: Diana, My Sister" (Michael Joseph/Penguin Random House), began serialization/excerpting on September 16, 2026, ahead of its September 22, 2026 publication date. The book is Spencer's account of his life with Diana and the week of her death. This is a separate dispute from [case 31](/cases/31), which concerns King Charles's public statement restating Harry and Meghan's royal limits.
Timeline
3 timeline entries on this page. Dates: September 16, 2026 to September 22, 2026
September 2026
3 events
"Swan Song: Diana, My Sister" excerpt reveals Charles's alleged remark
Source release
Charles Spencer's memoir "Swan Song: Diana, My Sister" began serialization, including the claim that then-Prince Charles told him "we'll forget her soon enough" in the days after Diana's death.
[01]Earl Spencer Claims Charles Told Him They Would "Forget" Diana "Soon Enough"
Source excerpt
He unleashed down the phone what I have always taken to be his pent-up contempt for Diana, and his horror that the world was so bowled over by her death. "Rest assured," he hissed, "we'll forget her soon enough!"
IBTimes UK report quoting the memoir "Swan Song: Diana, My Sister" directly: the alleged phone call in which then-Prince Charles told Spencer "we'll forget her soon enough," and Spencer's reply.
Buckingham Palace issues statement on Spencer's claim
Reaction
Buckingham Palace issued a rare on-record statement responding to Spencer's claim without directly confirming or denying it.
[02]King Charles responds to Charles Spencer's claims about Princess Diana in a rare statement
Source excerpt
While we do not comment on books as a matter of principle, His Majesty is mindful that the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgment and color memory in ways others do not recognize, even many years after such a loss.
Fox News report giving the full text of Buckingham Palace's statement responding to Spencer's memoir claim.
"Swan Song: Diana, My Sister" publishes
"Swan Song: Diana, My Sister" is scheduled for publication.
[03]King Charles responds to criticism from Princess Diana's brother
ABC News Australia report corroborating the quote and Palace statement, and identifying Daily Mail as the serialization outlet and September 22, 2026 as the book's publication date.
Claims
Claims separate what was said from what is contested. Follow each source for the original wording and context.
What was said
Attributed statement
In the days after Diana's death in 1997, then-Prince Charles told him by phone, "Rest assured, we'll forget her soon enough."
Response record
Responses
Latest recorded positions: 1. Dates: September 16, 2026
Choose one response filter, or select All responses to see the full record.
1 response on this page
Buckingham Palace "While we do not comment on books as a matter of principle, His Majesty is mindful that the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgment and colour memory in ways others do not recognise, even many years after such a loss."
Open source (opens in a new tab)King Charles responds to Charles Spencer's claims about Princess Diana in a rare statementChallenged the characterizationResponding to: In the days after Diana's death in 1997, then-Prince Charles told him by phone, "Rest assured, we'll forget her soon enough."
Why this label?
The Palace statement does not confirm or deny that Charles made the specific remark Spencer attributes to him. Instead, without addressing the quotation directly, it suggests Spencer's account may be distorted by "fraternal grief" clouding "reason," "judgment," and "memory" many years on -- disputing the reliability of Spencer's characterization of what was said, rather than either admitting or flatly denying it.
This label describes the statement’s response within the context above.
Read context and background
Buckingham Palace, without directly confirming or denying the alleged remark, said in a statement that grief "can cloud reason ... and colour memory."
Role at the time: Official statement issued by a Buckingham Palace spokesperson on behalf of King Charles III
Before the statement
Issued the same day Charles Spencer's memoir "Swan Song: Diana, My Sister" began serialization, in which Spencer wrote that then-Prince Charles made the "we'll forget her soon enough" remark to him by phone in the days after Diana's 1997 death.
After the statement
The statement did not directly confirm or deny that the specific remark was made, and no named Palace official was quoted; the statement was attributed to a Buckingham Palace spokesperson.
Sources
(3)
Reporting
Earl Spencer Claims Charles Told Him They Would "Forget" Diana "Soon Enough"
Excerpt
"He unleashed down the phone what I have always taken to be his pent-up contempt for Diana, and his horror that the world was so bowled over by her death. "Rest assured," he hissed, "we'll forget her soon enough!""
About this source
IBTimes UK report quoting the memoir "Swan Song: Diana, My Sister" directly: the alleged phone call in which then-Prince Charles told Spencer "we'll forget her soon enough," and Spencer's reply.
- Published
- Accessed
Reporting
King Charles responds to criticism from Princess Diana's brother
About this source
ABC News Australia report corroborating the quote and Palace statement, and identifying Daily Mail as the serialization outlet and September 22, 2026 as the book's publication date.
- Published
- Accessed
Reporting
King Charles responds to Charles Spencer's claims about Princess Diana in a rare statement
Excerpt
"While we do not comment on books as a matter of principle, His Majesty is mindful that the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgment and color memory in ways others do not recognize, even many years after such a loss."
About this source
Fox News report giving the full text of Buckingham Palace's statement responding to Spencer's memoir claim.
- Published
- Accessed
Corrections
(0)
Corrections address errors in our reporting or labels. When a speaker changes their position, we add a separate statement and link it to the earlier one.
No corrections on this page.