Royal row between King Charles and Earl Spencer 3

[Viviennemary]

A new thread and book not even published till Tuesday. I checked on Amazon and its only 12th on the non fiction bestseller list. Doesn't show Earl Spencer in a very good light imho.

I reckon he always planned to write this book, but wanted to wait for the late Queen to die and leave a dignified gap, then the health issues for both Charles and Catherine happened and so we’re finally getting the book now.

The claim that Charles (king) is not a nice person who didn’t love his 1st wife and is quite selfish/self absorbed really shouldn’t be new information to anyone who’s paid attention for the last 30+ years. However there’s not been a big campaign to get rid of royalty when he became king. “He’s not as impressive as his mother” well yes, we know. Give us something new.

Especially when he spoke about how his eulogy related directly back to the difficult conversation he had had with the then Princes Charles

I've commented above on how previous interviews contradict the story of the row with Charles R. I take this was not discussed in tonight's interview?

things are much different thirty years on with the Queen and Prince Philip, and Robert Fellowes deceased

Robert Fellowes was in a unique position as a member of the extended Spencer family as well as being private secretary to the Queen. He would have present for most conversations, and would have been able to confirm or deny any allegations.

Also you are misreading the excerpt which refers to the royal train journey

I didn't mention the train journey. The comment that has upset many people in Charles S's description of William is 'Although I cared deeply about what he must be going through, his greater composure and maturity made him my secondary concern that morning.'
As I said, there is discomfort being expressed by many about what is being seen as dismissal of William's hurt because he is more taller and more composed.

little more careful handling and compassion towards Harry

I have nothing to say on Charles S's comments on bringing up children

As for the valet - if that is what you mean by the equerry story

No, I meant equerry.

Spencer talks about his father 'who years before, as an equerry, had had a romantic connection with the future Queen Elizabeth II, which was ended by Lord Mountbatten.
He summoned my father and told him that any ambitions he had for securing her affections were out of the question.'
As a historian, he should have checked his facts before publishing, his father was equerry to George VI from 1950-52, then QEII 1952-54.
Elizabeth married Philip in 1947.

With regard to the valet story, that also makes no sense as recounted (given by Diana as a reason for divorce), given the history we know.
By the time of their divorce she and Charles R had been living apart for years. Formal separation was December 1992.
The Queen wrote to them both in December 1995 advising them to divorce.

How can he care for his sister and make money from her memory
This isn’t a noble crusade it’s a grubby vehicle to make more money off her - I think he’s had a few other ventures too
His words don’t match his actions- he’s not genuine

Yes, there have been some interesting ventures @Lockupyourbiscuits.

I knew about the visits to Althorp, but until the current episode I hadn't realised that at one point he sold signed copies of the eulogy, or that he used to charge people to stay in Diana's bedroom at Althorp.

he reckoned him and diana both had undiagnosed adhd. - bit of a curve ball

I could have written that post!

I agree that when the initial sensation is over, Spencer will find himself under scrutiny and opinion will turn on him to some degree.

God knows what his current wife is doing with him. It must be the triumph of hope over experience!

Yes. I did raise an eyebrow to that comment tbh!

It’s better than any soap opera! 🍿

I found him credible.

Actually, a complete lack of response would have driven CS to keep trying to provoke them. I find myself hoping one of his children publishes a book about life with CS. I'd buy that book.

His book is 57 percent off as a Kindle book in the US. I'm not buying it. I also was not impressed with his interview, especially after having seen the Larry King one from 29 years ago.

Charles S is just making money off his dead sister. 4 divorces must be expensive.

I am surprised that more has not been discussed about KC allegedly 'being in love with valet'
I've read rumours about this for years

I doubt it. A conversation between CS and the palace over funeral arrangements would have been noted in some way.

Also, two journalists have already said that what CS told them at the time, aligns with what he is saying now.

Also, no publisher would allow allegations against the monarch to be made without running it past their legal department and without verification of some sort.

Earl Spencer, 1997: "It would appear that every proprietor and every editor of every publication that has paid for intrusive and exploitative photographs of her, encouraging greedy and ruthless individuals to risk everything in pursuit of Diana's image, has blood on his hands today."

Earl Spencer, 2026: Have my book exclusively serialised in the DAILY MAIL. One of the very same newspapers that I think drove my sister to her death and who my nephew is convicted caused great harm to him by hacking his phone? Right on.

He welled up at the end of the BBC interview ? He did exactly the same at the end of the CBS interview. What a coincidence !

I think it’s pretty obvious that CS wasn’t referring to the individuals in the Norwegian royal family but the more low key, service style of their monarchy as opposed to the lavish UK version; I believe Norway abolished its nobility in the C19th for example and they don’t go in for very expensive Coronations with gold coaches but a simple church blessing.

One book in thirty years is not comparable to what you are describing and as her brother, CS does have much more of a legitimate right than most to commemorate 30 years since Diana’s passing.

Earl Spencer, 1998, in the documentary Diana: My Sister, the Princess:
“Can you imagine anybody making a profit out of their brother or sister’s death? I mean it’s so low it’s inconceivable… I’ll never profit from Diana’s death.”

Yes I am sure most men of his age and class can cry to order. Maybe he still finds the memory of how Diana died, and how young she was, especially as they were close in age, still upsetting?

If I felt a member of my family had been hounded to.their death by another person or institution then nothing on earth would make me work with them. No matter how many pieces of silver they offered me to do so.

😬😬😬.
Famous last words.
still there's a life lesson for all of us here, best not to shout certain proclamations too loudly if one is likely to prove oneself to be a hypocrite further down the tracks.

What do you mean you where surprised by the ADHD revelation. I was: obviously. He has been diagnosed and also with RSD. And to doubt Diana and Harry too do or didn't have it is foolish. It entirely explains their executive functioning issues, along with the emotional dysregulation.

CS said that a long time ago, and it is totally understandable to my mind, that he now wants the chance to commemorate her memory in a way that hundreds of books in the meantime have not.

Also, we know from Patrick Jephson that there was a rather vile, sustained campaign emanating from the Charles & Camilla camp to change the narrative around Diana in order to tarnish her reputation, during what was known as “the war of the Wales’s”, vestiges of which still continue today, and for that reason among others , CS wanted the opportunity, to put his side of his sister’s story.

As Jephson said;
It’s not the palace…but advisors to Prince Charles, who over many years have crafted a systematic, sustained and expensive campaign to rehabilitate Camilla’s reputation and make her suitable to be the next Queen

Jephson want on to say,

“This is linked, of course, to a pretty vile campaign to publicise a bogus psychiatric diagnosis that Princess Diana had a personality disorder.”

“This may have cost the Prince a lot of money, paying for PR spin doctors”

“I think it also raises ethical question marks over the methods they (Prince Charles’ PR representatives) have used.”

Once in thirty years is hardly exploitative especially when he is correcting misinformation.

CS doesn’t need the money, he just sold a chunk of land for £60 million.

It will have been his agent and the marketing department of Penguin who organised the serialisation which nowadays often comes as a standard part of the overall deal for a book like this.