Dickie Arbiter says Spencer “really has got an axe to grind” and “he'll make a lot of money”
Dickie ArbiterRoyal commentator and former press spokesman for Queen Elizabeth II, interviewed on GB News
Interviewed on GB News, royal commentator Dickie Arbiter said that having worked for King Charles for five years he did not believe Charles ever said the words Spencer attributes to him, “let alone think that,” that Spencer “really has got an axe to grind,” and that the timing after 29 years suggests the claim is a “good line” that sells books. He said Spencer once said in a 1998 television interview that he would not profit from his sister. Later in the segment he said Spencer “needs money” and would earn it from the book, mainly in the United States.
“I have to say here and now, I worked for the King for five years. I was in very close proximity of him. I was his spokesman for five years. I do not believe he ever said that, let alone think that. It's just not in his DNA. He wouldn't even think anything like that. He wasn't capable of thinking like that. And I think Charles Spencer really has got an axe to grind. And you have to ask, why after 29 years? Why didn't he do it, say, on the 25th anniversary of Diana's death? Has he been harboring it for 29 years? I really do not understand why he's coming out with it now. I mean, yeah, it's a good line. It sells books and the books will fly off the shelves if people indeed want to read it or believe it. And he'll make a lot of money. It's interesting, isn't it? He once said in 1998 in a television interview, I will not profit on my sister. And what is he doing? Just that.”
Original video
Other statements by Dickie Arbiter in this case
- Dickie Arbiter calls Spencer's "giddily elated" account "hogwash"Earlier: Challenged the characterization
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
Original video
About this source
GB News' 10:30 video of a segment in which the presenter interviews royal commentator Dickie Arbiter, introduced as the former press spokesman for Queen Elizabeth II. Arbiter's remarks on Spencer's claim and motive begin at 01:37; he returns to Spencer's finances at 05:00.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
The presenter had summarised Spencer’s claim that Charles said “we’ll forget her soon enough,” played Spencer’s reply in a BBC interview that “I’m telling the truth,” and asked Arbiter what the late Queen would have made of it.
After the quotation
Arbiter said Charles will be “very disappointed” and that Prince William will be “very angry,” and called the claim that the Queen offered to restore Diana’s HRH title “a bit hard to believe.” His assertions about Spencer’s motives and finances, and about a 1998 interview, are his own; we did not locate that interview.
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 after Diana’s death is accurate, Arbiter disputes the attribution, saying Charles never said or thought what Spencer reports, and offers a competing account of Spencer’s motive. This is a challenge to the accuracy of Spencer’s characterization rather than a defence of any conduct, and is consistent in direction with his September 17 statement on BBC Newsnight. The closest competing label is condemns, which loses because he is disputing the account rather than criticizing conduct.
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- People and groups discussed
- Charles Spencer
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. "Dickie Arbiter says Spencer “really has got an axe to grind” and “he'll make a lot of money”". First published: 2026-09-21. Last updated: 2026-09-22. https://disputeindex.com/events/1338-interviewed-on-gb-news-royal-commentator-dickie-arbiter