King Charles was ‘elated like a lottery winner’ after Diana’s death, new book claims

The now King was ‘strangely matter-of-fact’ after Diana’s death (Picture: Jayne Fincher/Princess Diana Archive/Getty Images)

King Charles was ‘giddily elated like a lottery winner’ in phone call after Princess Diana’s death, his former brother-in-law has claimed.

Earl Spencer said in his new book, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, that Charles sounded ‘strangely matter-of-fact’ hours after the Princess of Wales died in a car crash in Paris in 1997.

Buckingham Palace has already hit back at the memoir after it was alleged in the days after Diana’s death that Charles had told her brother, Earl Spencer: ‘Rest assured, we’ll forget her soon enough.’

A palace spokesperson said: ‘While we do not comment on books as a matter of principle, His Majesty is mindful that the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgment and colour memory in ways others do not recognise, even many years after such a loss.’

Now fresh incendiary comments from the Earl Spencer’s book have been published for the second day in a row by the Daily Mail.

Diana’s brother, describing a call from the now King after her death, claimed in his book: ‘Unlike my other callers, who were stunned, barely able to articulate their condolences and offers of help, he sounded giddily elated – like a lottery winner, I remember thinking at the time.’

King Charles emerged publicly for the first time since the bombshell allegation (Picture: PA) The claims by Earl Spencer were published in a memoir serialised by the Daily Mail (Picture: Ken McKay/ITV/Shutterstock)

The Earl alleged that the King sounded ‘strangely matter-of-fact, given the enormity of the disaster’ and discussed how he had told his sons about Diana’s passing ‘first thing in the morning, in their bedrooms’.

The excerpt continued: ‘Looking back now, I suspect the prince’s first reaction must have been to think more of how this event might free him to marry the woman he loved, rather than appreciating the loss of one he did not.

‘It can be hard to feel too much sympathy for an ex-spouse, or those who care for them profoundly, after bitter divorce.’

Diana’s brother also detailed an alleged furious reaction from Charles over whether Willian and Harry should walk behind Diana’s coffin.

The Earl said that he responded ‘That’s not going to happen’ when a top Palace aide informed him of plans for the young princes to follow the procession during the funeral.

The Earl claimed that Charles rang him within minutes to point out he had walked behind Lord Mountbatten’s coffin in 1979.

The then Prince of Wales allegedly ‘went nuts’ when the Earl pointed out that Charles was 30 in 1979.

The book claims that Charles questioned the Spencer family’s ‘sense of duty.

The book alleges: ‘Prince Charles continued his stream of anger, without me interrupting. Then he stopped.

‘I assumed the pause signalled an effort to bring himself under control, but then he unleashed down the phone what I have always taken to be his pent-up contempt for Diana, and his horror that the world was so bowled over by her death: “Rest assured,” he hissed, “we’ll forget her soon enough!”

Diana’s brother said he promptly hang up after the exchange.

King Charles is said to be ‘mindful that the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason’ after the Royal rift.
(Picture: Tim Graham Photo Library)

The King appeared at a tech summit earlier today after the first round of allegations from Earl Spencer’s book.

He spoke to members of the government and thought leaders to discuss how the tech can be developed and deployed in ways that benefit society.

Charles and Diana had been separated since December 1992, but the divorce wasn’t finalised until August 1996, a year before her death.

Things were believed to be tense between the co-parents, particularly after Diana’s famous Martin Bashir interview where she stated the marriage was ‘crowded’.

She was alluding to the now Queen Camilla Parker-Bowles, although the palace claimed at the time there was no third party involved in the split.

He quoted his uncle in the book as arguing they ‘can’t make these boys walk behind their mother’s coffin! It’s barbaric.’

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