Earl Spencer alleges King Charles said Diana would be forgotten soon after her death
In a forthcoming memoir, Diana's brother claims Prince Charles told him they would soon forget her, a statement the palace says grief can distort memory.
Prince Edward, Earl Spencer, says his sister's brother, King Charles, told him in a phone call that "we'll forget her soon enough" shortly after Princess Diana's 1997 death. Spencer, who is preparing a memoir titled Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, alleges Charles expressed anger when Spencer objected to Princes William and Harry walking behind Diana's coffin at the funeral.
A royal spokesperson declined to comment on the book, noting 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."
The memoir, expected to be published next week, is described as highly critical of the royal family. The BBC has not reviewed the full manuscript. Earlier reports indicated that copies of the unpublished book were stolen from a transport vehicle in the Netherlands.
Prince Harry has previously reflected on walking behind his mother's coffin as a child, saying it was a difficult experience but one he later appreciated being part of.