Earl Spencer’s Diana Memoir Prompts Public Rebuttal From King Charles, Guardian Columnist Says

Earl Charles Spencer, brother of the late Diana, Princess of Wales, has released a new book about his sister titled "Swan Song," according to a Guardian opinion column by Marina Hyde. Extracts from the book have been serialised in the Daily Mail, the column notes.

According to Hyde’s column, Spencer described the book as "a brother’s simple tribute to an extraordinary sister," while also noting it is one of publisher Penguin Random House’s lead titles for the autumn season ahead of Christmas.

Among the extracts cited in the column is an anecdote in which Diana is said to have told Spencer during a lunch at the London restaurant San Lorenzo, "My husband is in love with his valet."

The column also references what it characterises as a response from King Charles to claims made in the book, describing it as a "two-footed takedown," though specific details of the king’s rebuttal were not outlined in the source material.

Hyde’s column frames the public exchange between Spencer and the royal family as resembling a celebrity or influencer dispute playing out across traditional media and social platforms such as TikTok and Instagram. The piece is written in a satirical style, drawing comparisons between the book’s promotion and modern content-creator rivalries.

The Guardian has not published further independent confirmation of the details of King Charles’s response beyond what is described in the opinion piece.