Updated

Updated · bbc.co.uk · Sep 16

Earl Spencer Alleges Charles Said Diana Would Be Forgotten 9 Days After Her Death

Updated

Updated · bbc.co.uk · Sep 16

Earl Spencer Alleges Charles Said Diana Would Be Forgotten 9 Days After Her Death

Q: Why were unreleased copies of Earl Spencer's memoir suspiciously stolen in the Netherlands, and who is trying to suppress its contents?

There is no verified evidence that the theft was part of an organized effort to suppress Earl Spencer’s memoir, or that any specific person or institution was behind it. What is known is that four Dutch-language copies of *Swan Song: Diana, My Sister* were stolen from a truck in the Netherlands while the driver was on a mandatory rest break. The incident drew suspicion because only four copies were taken, despite the vehicle carrying many more books, and because the title had been under unusually tight pre-publication security. Publishing sources cited in press reports called that pattern “extremely suspicious,” suggesting the thieves may have known exactly what they were looking for. Why it happened remains unclear. The most plausible theories raised in reporting are that someone wanted an early look at the memoir’s contents, possibly to leak or profit from them, or that the theft was targeted because the book contains damaging claims about the Royal Family, including Spencer’s allegation that King Charles made a dismissive remark about Diana shortly after her death. But those are theories, not established facts. As for who is trying to suppress the book, there is no public evidence that the Royal Household, King Charles, or any other named party attempted to block publication. Dutch police are investigating the break-in, but no suspect or motive has been confirmed. At this stage, any claim of a suppression campaign would be speculation rather than reporting.

3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Sep 16

A Daily Mail extract from Earl Spencer’s memoir says Charles told him “we’ll forget her soon enough” after Spencer objected to William, 15, and Harry, 12, walking behind Diana’s coffin.
Spencer writes that the then-Prince of Wales phoned him after a palace aide said the boys would join the procession, accusing the Spencer family of lacking duty and unleashing a “stream of anger.”
Buckingham Palace has been approached for comment, while Swan Song: Diana, My Sister is due next week and is expected to be sharply critical of the Royal Family.
Diana’s 1997 death triggered a public backlash against the royals’ response, and Harry later said no child should be asked to walk in such a procession, though he was ultimately glad he took part.