Princess Diana’s former bodyguard has claimed that she was “very close” to her brother Charles Spencer and insists the Earl had “every right” to publish a memoir about her life.
Ken Wharfe, who worked for Princess Diana between 1988 and 1993, has shared some insight into the late royal’s relationship with her brother, who released the book Swan Song: Diana, My Sister this week.
Speaking on The Royals Uncensored podcast, Wharfe claimed that he had met Earl Spencer many times, detailing a holiday in the late ’80s where he “got to know him very well”.
“Diana was very close to Spencer. Towards the end of her life, maybe they did have a fallout. I mean, she did that quite a lot of the time, with her mother as well…”
However, despite some royal fans taking issue with Spencer’s book, Wharfe claims that the Earl had “every right to write what he wants about his sister”.
“[The memoir] comes from a brother who cares for her,” he claimed, adding that Spencer’s reason for the book was “an extension, a continuation of his eulogy at Diana’s funeral”.
Princess Diana tragically passed away following a high-speed car chase with paparazzi in Paris on August 31, 1997.
Earl Spencer reflected on the wake of her death in the controversial memoir, claiming that Charles sounded “giddily elated” when he called to speak to Spencer following the accident.
He also compared his reaction to that of a lottery winner, writing: “Unlike my other callers, who were stunned, barely able to articulate their condolences and offers of help, he sounded giddily elated – like a lottery winner, I remember thinking at the time.”
Elsewhere in the tome, Spencer claimed that Charles told him, “We’ll forget Diana soon enough,” in another bitter phone call.
Diana’s brother says the then Prince of Wales’ comments at the time reflected “his pent-up contempt for Diana, and his horror that the world was so bowled over by her death”.
Buckingham Palace has since issued a rare response to the claims, with a spokesperson writing: “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.”
Earl Spencer reflected on his decision to publish the deeply personal memoir, telling readers that he wanted to correct what he says are longstanding inaccuracies about his sister and her life.
“With the 30th anniversary of Diana’s tragic death on the skyline, I’ve been inundated yet again with requests for interviews about my sister,” he said.
“This has convinced me to write down my own thoughts and memories, once and for all, rather than having the discomfort of again reading the opinions of others, many of which are based on untruths that have become accepted over time.”
Read related topics:Earl Charles Spencer Memoir