“We Will Forget It Very Soon”: King Charles Responds After the Publication of Princess Diana’s Brother’s Book

Britain’s King Charles took the unusual step on Wednesday of responding to criticism from the brother of his first wife, Diana, saying through a spokesman that grief can affect reason, judgment and memory.

The claims, made in a book to be published soon, relate to the now-monarch’s behavior in the days after Diana’s death in 1997.

Diana died at the age of 36 when the car carrying her and her boyfriend Dodi al-Fayed crashed in Paris as they sped away from paparazzi photographers chasing them on motorcycles.

Her brother, Charles Spencer, claims the then-Prince Charles told him “be sure, we will forget it very soon,” according to a report in the Daily Mail.

The reported comments were made amid a debate over whether Diana and Charles’s children, Princes William and Harry, should walk behind her coffin at her funeral — something Spencer opposed.

Diana became the most photographed woman in the world after marrying Charles in a grand ceremony in 1981. However, the marriage broke down and the couple eventually divorced in 1996.

Asked about the report, a Buckingham Palace spokesman said: “While we do not comment on books as a matter of principle, His Majesty is aware that the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgment and color memory in ways others do not recognize, even many years after such a loss.”

Before the book’s publication, Spencer said: “The purpose of this book is to tell the truth about Diana from her brother’s perspective. I want to speak on Diana’s behalf and do so in an open and positive way.”