‘Swan Song’: Princess Diana’s brother’s book is icy in its contempt for the British royal family

Revenge is a dish best served cold, so the saying goes. Charles Spencer’s new memoir, Swan Song, arrives nearly three decades after his sister Diana’s death, and it is icy in its contempt for both the British tabloid media and the “arrogance and entitlement” of the royal family.

Dedicated to “all those who have lost a sibling”, and billed as revealing “the true framework of Diana’s life”, the memoir has been marketed as “the most intimate, loving and honest portrait” of Diana yet.

However, the book is as much about Spencer as it is about Diana. Over 350 pages, his litany of grievances swamps the loving tribute he ostensibly set out to write. King Charles, then the Prince of Wales, is cast as a petulant child and “bellowing buffoon” who was “always extremely jealous of Diana’s star power”.

Among the most damaging claims is that Charles was “giddily elated” on learning of Diana’s death, a reaction Spencer attributes to Charles’ “pent-up contempt for Diana and his horror that the world was so bowled over by her death”, as well as what he sees as Charles’s relief at finally being free to marry the woman he loved.

“Rest assured,” Charles allegedly hissed, “we’ll forget [Diana] soon enough!”

Last week, the Palace – reportedly...

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