Royal row between King Charles and Earl Spencer

[Viviennemary]

Buckingham Palace said they don't usually comment but they can't stay silent. Apparently Prince Charles said at the time of Diana's death rest assured we'll forget her soon enough. Which is pretty horrendous. Charles has more or less said grief had clouded Earl Spencer's judgement and memory.

I don't know why he has waited nearly 30 years to come out with this.

He got pr from them. If course he profited.
If they were purely a private gesture there was no need to share them with the press.
Personally I thought it was mawkish to get children to do mother's day cards to a dead grandmother they had never even met.

Yes, it was.
And as for it being racist against Dodi, it was, but not in a way that let Diana off the hook: the tone was, omg she’s out of control, she’s cavorting with him (a Muslim! Not even posh!) in front of her boys, what will she do next?
When I first heard the news, via email from my boyfriend in America where the story broke before bedtime, I assumed it was suicide because of the negative coverage.

thats not my recollection. The papers quickly backtracked when she died. I remember a columnist, I think it was Lynda Lee Potter in the Daily Mail, who had criticised her heavily the week before saying that things change when someone dies tragically and writing differently about her.

Maybe she was horrified at the thought of randoms still going on about it years later 🤔

I still stand by this comment. I believe earl Spencer because Charles Windsor simply refuses ever to say he was wrong about anything. Everyone else is confused, has a bad memory or us crazy. But not Charles Windsor. He is perfect. He is also I think a liar.

What a wonderful experience you’ve related @WearyAuldWumman. Thank you.

Lynda Lee Potter posted an opinion pieces where she sang the praises of Charles as a father and a person and said Diana had no right to be running around with dodi.

It was incredibly misogynistic. Lynda had no issue with "playboy" Charles having girlfriends. It was Diana who as a mother was supposed to stay away from men and just be a silent mum figure in the background.

I remember Lynda lee potters obvious misogyny over the years. She hated single mothers, and was nasty about mo mowlams looks. I was not a fan

No, it was because his father, was a well known womaniser and general sleazeball, and Dodi was a playboy. General feeling was Mohammed Al Fayed was engineering the relationship and that Dodi wasn’t that interested . This was all news before her death.

edited to add, she had been a friend of Imran Khan for years, and also had had a relationship with the doctor whose name I forget.

Yes, I don't understand this part. I hate to say it but it feels like it may be Charles and William, then the Spencers and Harry. And that would be what Diana would most not want - her sons so estranged, but I suppose they already are, sadly.

No the news before her death was that Diana was pregnant with dodis baby. It was all over the news. And yes there was clear racism against dodi.

@OneLilacHedgehog If we accept that CS is telling the truth, why has he done it? That's what I don't understand, what good will it do vs. what damage will it do to Diana's sons?

I hate to say it but it feels like it may be Charles and William, then the Spencers and Harry.

@BrandiedAromatics I think that Harry does want a good relationship with his father though. Other posters have said that CS is estranged from his older children and of course, his own parents' marriage was a disaster. Perhaps he doesn't understand how important parental relationships are?

You will have to ask him that.
I am simply saying for the reasons outlined that I believe earl Spencer.

I wasn’t a fan either. I was just remembering how she vilified her then changed her tune.

Because his dad was a tax dodging womanising arse. And yes there were rumours of a pregnancy but also concern if she got too deep into that family. al Fayed had been trying to get into the establishment for years. I know someone who worked at Harrods and she had tales of the shop girls who were invited to his personal quarters - it was an open secret

@OneLilacHedgehog I think it's either personal antipathy towards KC and/or money. Poor Diana, she isn't allowed to rest in peace.

She had to. The public would not have accepted her brand of misogyny over Diana's death.

Yes.

Give over! He was irritable for a few seconds because a pen didn’t work. It wasn’t a tantrum!

If we put the selling the book to one side - I don't see any reason why CS would want to upset his nephews. I wondered if he just wants to do justice to his subject, Diana. Does CS want to put everything out there - following possibly the catharsis of his book about his abuse, then his new start with his recent marriage?

Monarchs don't apologise or admit fault. They're supposed to be inherently better than us. It's tradition.

meant to say hurt not heart.

Its all so tawdry and sad. All that this privilege brings seems to be sadness and bitterness. For everyone. Everyone of them including Diana. They all lived/live such sad bitter lives. And no one to trust yet spoilt enough to think everything is about you. Its demented. The monarchy and aristocracy should be ended. Simply because its torture. Its detention without trial albeit in very gilded cages. And without parole even in death. Sheesh!

He dragged an off-duty driver out of a bar and persuaded him to drive them to the Bois de Boulogne. When he saw the paps he urged him to drive faster to lose them.

Yes, he was the most blameworthy in her death.

Fact, not opinion.

Well KC has made more than one public apology, one at his wedding to Camilla.

I think it is very much family v family.

I think if H has in any way encouraged, approved, agreed or had prior knowledge to the recent revelations, then his already scorched bridges will be destroyed forever.

H is already a figure of scorn and ridicule. I believe his uncle will be thought of similarly. He is already being spoken of in a derogatory fashion in certain circles.

People can be accepting of a revelation or another side to a story if it is told with truth, consideration and class.

Like Spare, this book appears to be falling short on all three.

I feel KC has been hasty in his response. I get he wanted it out there probably for the sake of his children and grand children. But surely this is the first of many tawdry claims? Some might be worse than others so why not wait and make one denial or clarification. I hope he will be advised to not respond anymore until its all published then take time to think before responding. Even then, may be just say quiet but then they have given tabloids and commentators that whatever they dont respond to will be taken as truth (why not refute this if they refuted that). Then there will be the interviews (unchallenged as Harry wasnt), then the netflix "documentary" then the drama etc. Whether its all true or not, it all feels so so bitter. May be Charles deserves all these and worse. May be not. Who knows the truth. Hopefully now that CS and Harry have had their turns at airing the dirty laundry (hope its all true otherwise is it really worth all the money and damage it does? Hope their pain is healed), they will move on at peace and keep mum. Its like we all are drawn into these drama whether we want or not because it dominates the news. Or may be they should be given a chance to shoot arrows at KC or to draw and quarter him. Or they should campaign for an end to the monarch and aristocracy as no good seems to come out of them. Come on Harry! Be the hero that ends the torture