In the book, titled Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, Spencer claimed that during a row the pair had over her funeral plans, the then Prince of Wales “hissed” to him on the phone: “Rest assured, we’ll forget her soon enough.”
The incendiary allegation led Buckingham Palace to release a swift and unusual statement accusing the King’s former brother-in-law of “clouded reasoning” and “coloured memory”.
Queen Camilla quoted a proverb about the importance of unity, as Buckingham Palace said Earl’s controversial memoir betrayed “clouded reasoning”. Photo / Getty Images
Now, Lord Spencer has used television interviews to double down on his accusations, insisting that he was “telling the truth” and stating that “those are exactly the words he said”.
The Palace has declined to comment further amid the ongoing serialisation of Lord Spencer’s book, being published in the Daily Mail but the escalating row has threatened to drag the Palace into a back-and-forth.
Despite the allegations, Their Majesties have continued with business as usual, with Queen Camilla appearing in good spirits as she made her usual appearance at the festival for her Covid book club-turned-charity on Saturday afternoon (local time).
Earl Spencer claimed that during a row the pair had over Princess Diana’s funeral plans, King Charles “hissed” to him on the phone: “Rest assured, we’ll forget her soon enough.”. Photo / Getty Images
Upon arrival at Chatsworth’s South Terrace, she was greeted by a round of applause before she embarked on an extended walk through the grounds with Gyles Brandreth, the broadcaster and her friend.
Brandreth, who is a trustee of the Queen’s Reading Room, said: “The reason we are here is that, a few years ago, Her Majesty thought, ‘I love reading, these are the books I love reading. If I share my books maybe other people will like them too’.
“From that simple idea – the Queen putting online the books she likes the most – has grown this extraordinary following, literally millions of people around the world are now reading books recommended by Her Majesty.”
Representatives from four local book clubs were introduced to the Queen, including the Elm Foundation Book Club, the Women on the Road to Healing Book Club, Scathin Book Shop Book Club and the Books, Biscuits, and Bifocals Book Club.
‘I wanted to share my love of books’
The Queen then unveiled her winter picks, which included Finding Belle by Reeta Chakrabarti, The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, Whistler by Ann Patchett and Sashenka by Simon Sebag Montefiore.
She also delivered a speech marking six years of her Reading Room, created as a book club in 2020 during the pandemic, and reaffirming her passion for literature.
Queen Camilla said: “I created my Reading Room simply because, like all of us here, I love books and their life-enhancing power and I want to share that love with others.
“In those early days, I had no idea if anyone would be interested, but six years on, we are a global community of millions from over 180 countries, swapping recommendations, undertaking research and donating thousands of books to women’s refuges and homeless shelters.”
She joked that when the club launched, it might have been “called The Long Shot by Dee Featist”, but that her “feelings would have been better captured in How Books Can Change Lives by Mustafa Hope”.
Queen Camilla also thanked guests for “the incredible support offered to us by a huge number of book lovers: writers, actors, publishers and, above all, readers”.
While at Chatsworth, the Queen met aspiring writers in the Writer’s Room tent and members of local book clubs in The Book Club Tent. She also attended William Sieghart’s Poetry Pharmacy, in which Natascha McElhone, the actress, read for the audience.
Accompanied by hosts Lord and Lady Burlington, the Queen also viewed Chatsworth’s House of Stories exhibition, which has been staged to celebrate the National Year of Reading.
The head of collections at the estate showed Her Majesty a selection of items that are special to Chatsworth, including first and early editions of work by Chaucer, Dickens, Oscar Wilde and Charlotte Brontë.
In the Sculpture Gallery, Queen Camilla attended a reception with literary figures taking part in the festival, including Lee Child, Elif Shafak, Kate Atkinson and Ken Follett.
To mark the fourth Queen’s Reading Room Festival and its return to Chatsworth, details about a forthcoming BBC documentary on Her Majesty’s championing of reading were released.
Queen Camilla will explore the “transformative power of reading” in the BBC Arts programme The Book That Changed My Life, which is scheduled to air next month.
The BBC has said the documentary will follow the Queen as she meets four people whose lives books changed at moments when they most needed them.
“Warm, emotional, and full of hope, the film explores how reading can lift us, open our minds and, sometimes, change the course of a life,” the broadcaster has said.
The details of the show were shared during a festival discussion on the power of book clubs, led by Ann Cleeves, a novelist and crime writer.
During the event, she spoke with Ian Kirby, one of the documentary’s contributors, asking him about his own experience of finding community and hope through reading.
Kirby, from Gateshead, fell into a deep depression after a traumatic incident at home, but turned his life around after joining a local book club and picking up the autobiography of Glenn McCrory, a local boxing hero, which offered a new perspective on his own experiences.
Speaking in the documentary, he said: “That is the beauty of a book. It can give you experiences you’ve never experienced, but they can also be an inspiration.”
Queen Camilla announced the programme during a Clarence House reception celebrating the fifth anniversary of her book club in March.