Charles’s former communications secretary: “never to be any criticism” of Diana
Julian PayneCommunications secretary to the then Prince of Wales, 2016–2021, speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme
Julian Payne, who ran Charles’s communications from 2016 to 2021, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that he did not recognise the way the King is being characterised in Spencer’s account, and described Charles as emphatic that Diana’s memory was to be respected and never publicly contested.
“What I remember was he was very clear that there was never to be any criticism, never to be any pushback on the narratives that were usually highly critical of him. He was absolutely emphatic that we were to respect her memory and not undermine it in any way.”
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Earl Spencer's memoir claims about King Charles's reaction to Diana's death
In his memoir "Swan Song: Diana, My Sister," serialised from September 2026, Charles Spencer makes a series of claims about how the then Prince Charles behaved towards him after Diana's death in 1997. He writes that Charles told him by phone, "Rest assured, we'll forget her soon enough," and, in later excerpts, that Charles sounded "giddily elated – like a lottery winner" during the call and that he now suspects Charles was weighing how the death might free him to marry Camilla. Buckingham Palace, in a rare on-record statement, did not directly confirm or deny the quotation, saying instead that "the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgment and colour memory," and declined to respond again to the later claims. The dispute is whether Spencer's account of Charles's words and demeanour is accurate.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
Carries the fullest text of Payne’s BBC Radio 4 remarks of September 17. The same article reports that Charles has authorised trusted aides to speak on his behalf, and the Guardian’s analysis of the same day notes Payne remains close to the King, inferring that his defence came with official sanction. That inference is the Guardian’s, not established here.
Before the quotation
Given on BBC Radio 4's Today programme on September 17, the same day the Daily Mail published the second tranche of excerpts. Payne worked for Charles during the 20th anniversary of Diana’s death in 2017, when media interest required the household to discuss her repeatedly.
After the quotation
Vanity Fair reports that Charles has authorised trusted aides to speak on his behalf, and the Guardian, noting Payne remains close to the King, infers his defence came with official sanction. Neither is established here. Payne worked for Charles two decades after the events described and was not party to the call.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
On whether Spencer’s account of Charles’s words and demeanour is accurate, Payne disputes the characterisation, saying he does not recognise it and offering a contrary account of how Charles spoke about Diana in private. He does not deny the telephone call occurred or claim direct knowledge of it; his evidence is his own experience of Charles’s standing instructions years later. That is a challenge to the characterisation rather than a denial of the specific remark, which is the same label the Palace statement and Dickie Arbiter carry here.
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- People and groups discussed
- Charles Spencer
Corrections to this statement
These notices document reporting corrections, classification changes, and topic-label updates.
Reporting correction
Correction to: Statement by Julian Payne
- Previous language
- Given the day after the second tranche of excerpts.
- Corrected language
- Given on BBC Radio 4's Today programme on September 17, the same day the Daily Mail published the second tranche of excerpts.
We said Julian Payne spoke the day after the Daily Mail published the second set of excerpts from Charles Spencer's memoir. The Daily Mail published that set on Thursday, September 17, the day Payne spoke on Today, according to Vanity Fair and the Guardian. The date of the statement, September 17, and the quoted words are unchanged.
This corrects our account of what happened.
Carries the fullest text of Payne’s BBC Radio 4 remarks of September 17. The same article reports that Charles has authorised trusted aides to speak on his behalf, and the Guardian’s analysis of the same day notes Payne remains close to the King, inferring that his defence came with official sanction. That inference is the Guardian’s, not established here.
More from this case
Read the full caseSpencer denies trying to discredit Charles
“At no point am I looking to discredit anyone.”Read statement
Spencer tells CBS he is “absolutely not bitter” and that his book “would be more bitter” if he were
“No, I'm absolutely not bitter. I can tell you, if I was bitter, this book would be more bitter.”Read statement
Spencer tells CBS he is “reporting that’s the fact,” not “justifying or criticizing”
“He sounded excited in a sort of upbeat way. … Yes, and obviously I'm not justifying or criticizing. I'm reporting that's the fact. … I said in the book that that might have been it, yeah, but that's obviously … I can't say what he was thinking”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Charles’s former communications secretary: “never to be any criticism” of Diana". First published: 2026-09-19. Last updated: 2026-09-26. https://disputeindex.com/events/1095-julian-payne-who-ran-charles-s-communications-from