It’s been a week since the release of Charles, Earl Spencer’s explosive memoir, Swan Song: My Sister, Diana, and the furore over the book shows no signs of subsiding.
The book sheds new light on one of the darkest chapters in the history of the royal family, following the death of Princess Diana and containing explosive claims about her relationship with King Charles.
Days after its release, Charles’ alleged behavior in the hours following Diana’s tragic death in 1997 made global headlines. In one chapter, the earl recalls a chilling comment which he says Charles said to him, filled with ‘contempt’ for his ex-wife’s popularity, reportedly angrily exclaiming, ‘Rest assured, we will soon forget her!’
The Earl has also portrayed Charles as indifferent and cruel after his sister’s death, even describing him as ‘very excited’ and comparing his emotions to those of a ‘lottery winner’.
The Palace angrily issued a statement, reading, ‘Although we do not comment on books in principle, Her Majesty is mindful that the pain of a fraternal loss can cloud reasoning, impair judgment and color memory in a way that others may not recognize, even many years after such a loss.’
Then, just days after this statement, public and press attention turned to the Earl’s claims that Diana had separated from Charles because, reportedly in her own words, ‘My husband loves his servant.’
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The valet was not named in the book, but unverified rumors have circulated since the nineties about a close friendship between Charles and a former aide.
At the time, the claims first came from another valet who struggled with depression and alcohol addiction and were rejected by the Palace without disclosing any details. Late valet George Smith previously alleged he witnessed an incident involving a senior royal and palace staff member.
Now a source claims the 77-year-old monarch remains ‘angry’ and ‘fed up’ following the book’s release – leading to a tense atmosphere behind the palace walls, especially for Queen Camilla.
An insider says, ‘The only thing King can talk about right now is this book and everything that can be talked about. He is angry and cannot believe that nothing can be done to stop it.
‘The worst part is that now she is worried about who will come next, and what they will say; This has left him completely on edge. He doesn’t sleep, he barely eats and he’s so angry that it’s very difficult to live with.
‘Camila is trying to be sympathetic but she doesn’t have a lot of patience because she’s going through her own turmoil with all this, she feels attacked too. The whole atmosphere is very poisonous.
And while Charles’s reputation may have taken the biggest blow, the book’s portrayal of 79-year-old Camilla has been less than admirable. She is only mentioned in a few segments, but the Earl has made it clear that he believes the Queen was behind the breakdown of Charles and Diana’s marriage.
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The earl’s memoir contains an alleged conversation between Diana and a friend on the eve of her wedding, during which he claims he told his confidant that while Charles was ‘very happy to marry her’, he did not really love her.
Elsewhere, Spencer recalls allegations that Charles had a secret ‘meet’ with Diana on the royal train in 1980, just weeks before his wedding. He writes, ‘Since she was not Diana, then who was the blonde? After changing the direction of her marriage, Diana became convinced that she must have been Camilla Parker-Bowles.’
However, we’re told Camilla fears Charles is ‘so wrapped up in his own grief’ that he’s failing to notice that he’s also been dragged into the whole scandal.
‘Earl Spencer doesn’t directly take a dig at Camilla in his book, but he certainly mentions her involvement in his sister’s divorce. The reality is that Camilla was the other woman, so with everyone discussing Charles and Diana’s marriage, there’s no way she’s not included in the conversation,’ the source says.
‘It’s very difficult for Camila to have everyone talking about her like this again, she’s worked very hard to distance herself from this narrative, she’s horrified that this is in the headlines again.
‘She is complaining that he is so absorbed in his own misery that he is forgetting that he too is being dragged through the mud. In her view, as her husband he should take care of her right now.’
Of course, the timing of the book is terrible. Not only is the King receiving treatment for cancer, but he is also dealing with Prince Harry’s return to the UK, as well as rumors of a troubled relationship with Prince William and the investigation into Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, who was arrested in February under suspicion of misconduct in public office. He has denied any wrongdoing.
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The source says, ‘Every day seems to be a new drama with Harry, he’s got Andrew’s mess with Epstein and the possibility of legal proceedings still looming and now Sarah Ferguson is back on the scene threatening to reveal everything herself, it’s no wonder he’s at his wits’ end. It’s just one crisis after another.
However, the source warned there could be ‘no end’ to the tension following reports that production on a three-part documentary titled Diana Unheard is already underway, after the production company secured hours of intimate recordings made by Diana.
The recording, made by the princess during the breakdown of her marriage to Charles, is said to include details about the king as well as Queen Camilla and even Andrew.
The source has now confirmed: ‘Unfortunately, there is no end in sight as it has opened the floodgates, it seems like every day is an old horror story from the past being repeated, thanks to Lord Spencer and his terrible book, which they both claim is full of poisonous lies.
‘Normally Camila is the one who can get him out of a bad mood and calm him down, but right now she doesn’t have the patience for that. ‘Charles is short-tempered at the best of times and becomes worse under this kind of pressure and she’s not exactly the type to throw punches when she’s upset, they’re both unhappy at the moment.’