Royal row between King Charles and Earl Spencer 2

[Viviennemary]

Buckingham Palace have said they won't be commenting further on the book. But I expect plenty of others will be and it's not even published yet so I started this second thread. I really liked Diana and thought she got treated shabbily by Charles. But really writing a book of gripes 30 years later is not on imho. I noticed on the news Harry declined to comment on it. Sensible decision for once.

Back seat seatbelts are second nature now but they didn't become mandatory for adults in the UK until 1991.

I think most people wore them instinctively by 1997, but I'm sure there would have been quite a few who couldn't understand what all the fuss was about.

I agree he gets treated as though he didn’t suffer. I’m sure he had a fuller idea of what had been making his mother so unhappy than H did - it’s inevitable, And D did over-involve him. At Eton he had a photo of his mother’s lover’s wife on his dartboard. That’s not healthy.

Everyone focuses on H following his mother’s coffin. William was older and taller, almost at his mature height, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t suffer just as much, and perhaps with greater emotional baggage.

How does that affect their adolescent experience though? It would have been different.

I agree. Diana did use him as a confidante. The whole thing must have been awful.
Still, at least he doesn't monetise how unfortunate he was. He's just getting on with life.

@CoffeeCantata

Oh dear the old ‘pigeon chess ‘ trope

I thought the ‘like you’ was my acknowledgement that you admitted you were not qualified - but my mistake- so apologies for that lack of clarity .

My focus on the word ‘paranoid’ is due to the fact that it was heavily used in the smear campaign against Diana . The crazy woman line .

William did not need to repeat ‘paranoid’ . Whether he understood what he was doing or not ( and I suspect he was reading something given to him) he could have changed the word to fear or justified worry .

My interest in all this is mainly spotting the lies we are told to protect the Windsors , the narratives that some people accept . Media literacy is very poor in this country and the propaganda is so overt .

Yes I want rid of the monarchy for many reasons - their corruption and abuses mainly - and it’s happening as more people see the lies .
All those billions yet they seem unable to up their game re the narrative they spin.

That’s the issue - you want to bring in everything bar the kitchen sink into the thread, including Andrew.

I’m more interested in the thread topic - the row between these two men, And we’re never going to agree because I take a nuanced view and am not comfortable just accepting Spencer’s version of events.

Charles may well have said regrettable things but you have to weigh the evidence and I want to know the context of the remarks.

It does strike me as ironic that a man like Spencer, whose past conduct would make most MNers condemn him, gets an easy ride.

Course it would. But my post today was purely in response to @Ukisgaslit about the content of the princes speeches after the Dyson enquiry. And at that time they were late 30s with plenty of time to reflect on their experience back then

I thought it was proven ages ago that henri paul, though he'd had a couple of drinks, was not over the limit and not anywhere remotely near what could have been thought of as drunk. ???

Yes, he carried quite an emotional weight on his young shoulders.

Fortunately, he’s come through that difficult period of his life and it’s very much his past.

He seems a good egg, he listens, he learns and he demonstrates emotional intelligence, all positive qualities for his inevitable role 👑

@CoffeeCantata

That's where we differ .
The fact that the palace covered up links to Epstein for decades will always be relevant .
It is relevant all day every day .
They are still covering up and still protecting Andrew .
Virgina is another dead woman to add to the list .

I agree. I never had much time for KC or William before, but I can see how they've risen above so much muck raking, and I've got new found respect. Both just getting on with things. Only recently, William must have feared that his own young children could be motherless.

The inquest revealed his level of blood alcohol, he was definitely under the influence and would have had impaired judgement.

Virginia was hounded to death by the palace and by some royalists who kept posting lies about Virginia, over and over again. Some of the lies and comments posted were disgusting. I would hope the royalists involved would be ashamed of themselves, but sadly I think not as I still see some constantly posting lies over other people.

I actually think both the palace and members of the public should be held accountable.

Is it possible that she was having sexual intercourse with one of them or do you think they had a platonic friendship?

Elizabeth was photographed not wearing a seatbelt after Diana had died. This was long after it was legal to wear a seatbelt.

In fact using Google I can see there have been multiple incidences in the press where Elizabeth has not worn a seatbelt.

2017, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-40359502
2019, https://www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/2019012366959/the-queen-drives-with-seatbelt-unaccompanied/
2020, https://metro.co.uk/2020/01/11/queen-caught-driving-no-seatbelt-year-prince-philip-crash-12040629/

"His book is cleverly framed around the writing – and delivery – of that famous eulogy, "

This phrase, upthread, from the Richard Kay article.

So Charles S is centering his sister's story around his big moment in the spotlight? Doesn't Diana deserve better than to be once again seen through the lens of the men around her? Surely a respectable biography centres the subject not the author?

When you think she was actually examined by the Queens gynaecologist to see if she was a virgin and fertile it's all so horrendous.

There is no such thing as a "virginity test". There is no medical evidence to support this practice. So that never happened.

I feel strongly for King Charles and Prince William. How much more crap do they need to take? The kings health is deteriorating, we do not how long he has got. All this stress is not helping him. Zero consideration from Charles Spencer, Harry or Megan. Absolutely vile people, the lowest of the low. They should be ashamed of their themselves!

@MrsLeonFarrell
I completely agree. I can't see how this book is in any way helping to portray Diana in more depth, detail or nuance. Other than bizarre claims that she had ADHD and other undiagnosed conditions (an easy, unprovable catch all to explain some of her behaviours) he seems to have focused on a bitch fest to annihilate the King. He's airbrushed out so much and Diana herself is the collateral damage. Anyone looking for an interesting, analytical book about the woman herself would be very disappointed.
I await the brave @BasiliskStare's opinion though as she is the one reading the whole thing.
I do think the media is once again pushing an agenda, leaping on the most tawdry, sellable parts of the book and giving a platform to someone who is beneath contempt. Its quite the spectacle.

Quite. For people who advocate the 'be kind' approach and talk so much about understanding mental health issues, H&M sure don't seem to have much regard for other people's.

Lol not sure what Meghan has to do with this. Oh except I know you want us to fight about her.

Diana's birth family matter. I know royalists behave as if the only people who ever matter are royals. They are wrong. Other people matter too.

I have just seen Spencer putting his foot down that he’s telling the truth.
And I’ve got an episode of Jeremy Kyle in my head. Bouncers at the back ready for agg.
Chas Spencer bowling on, does a lie detector test. Results after the break.
Chas Windsor comes on and gives him what for. Camilla has to hold him back as he chucks a chair.
Harry and Meghan make a brief appearance.
She Markles herself.
Graham ‘the genius’ comes on at the end and sits on those little steps. Someone agrees to go to rehab - take your pick - and there is car waiting around the back.
Meghan runs off sobbing backstage and Jezza follows her.
I would definitely tune in.

Aristocracy?

I have no idea if it happened or not. But the media did report it at the time with no denial issued by the palace.
The so called virginity test is checking to see if a womans hymen is intact, although of course sex is not the only thing that can stretch or break it.

You are right that this is not an affective way of testing virginity. You are wrong to imply the phrase virginity test does not exist. Even WHO used the phrase virginity test.