Royal experts question accuracy of Princess Diana brother's new memoir

Charles Spencer, the 9th Earl Spencer, released a memoir titled Swan Song: Diana, My Sister on Tuesday, asserting that it provides an honest account of his sister’s life. Royal commentator Victoria Arbiter told NewsNation’s Elizabeth Vargas that many of Spencer’s statements, including a purported conversation with King Charles III about the 1997 funeral procession, do not hold up under scrutiny. > "I think what has become so problematic with all Spencer’s book is that as Diana’s brother, as a historian, as a journalist, his account is going to be taken as an authority on his sister," Arbiter said. She added that the book’s claims about Charles telling Spencer, "Rest assured, we’ll forget her soon enough," and about Charles being "giddy" the morning after Diana’s death, are not substantiated by evidence. Buckingham Palace issued a standard statement noting that it does not comment on books, but acknowledged that grief can affect memory and judgment. Critics also referenced an earlier interview in which Spencer described Charles as "perfectly polite" after Diana’s death, further questioning the new memoir’s reliability.