Diana Legacy Update —
There is no new substantive Palace rebuttal today, but there are several meaningful developments that change or deepen the picture.
1. Spencer is now emphasizing that Diana really was in love with Charles
One of the more important developments in today's interviews is Spencer's clarification about Diana's feelings at the beginning of her marriage.
He says Diana was genuinely in love with then-Prince Charles when they married in 1981. He portrays her as young and idealistic, believing that love and marriage could ultimately overcome the problems she already sensed.
This is worth highlighting because it prevents Swan Song from being reduced to an anti-Charles narrative.
Spencer's account is essentially:
Diana loved Charles → Charles did not reciprocate in the same way → Diana nevertheless proceeded with the marriage → the marriage subsequently deteriorated.
The first three elements are Spencer's recollection; the broader history of the marriage is independently documented.
2. A new and disturbing allegation concerns Mohamed Al-Fayed
A significant international development from the memoir is receiving renewed coverage: Spencer says Diana told him that Mohamed Al-Fayed, Dodi's father, behaved inappropriately toward her early in her relationship with Dodi.
This allegation is particularly sensitive given the much broader allegations of sexual misconduct subsequently made against Al-Fayed by hundreds of women.
Evidence status
Diana allegedly told Spencer about the incident: Spencer's testimony.
The alleged encounter itself: not independently established from Spencer's account alone.
Broader allegations against Al-Fayed: separately documented and investigated.
This should therefore be reported as an allegation contained in Spencer's memoir, not as an independently proven event involving Diana.
It is nevertheless historically significant because it adds another dimension to Diana's final relationship with the Al-Fayed family.
3. Spencer is defending Harry's return to Britain
At a New York event promoting Swan Song, Spencer defended Prince Harry's decision to return to Britain with Meghan and their children, describing the desire of an Englishman living abroad to spend more time in his home country as normal.
Spencer also confirmed that Harry and his family stayed at Althorp during the summer, although he said they did not discuss plans for a permanent return to Britain.
This is meaningful because it demonstrates that Spencer's relationship with Harry remains active despite the controversy surrounding the memoir.
However:
Harry's contact with Spencer should not be interpreted as Harry endorsing Spencer's allegations against King Charles.
There is still no public statement from Harry endorsing those allegations.
4. Spencer says he deliberately kept the memoir from the family
Spencer has now given a clearer explanation for why William and Harry were not consulted during the writing process.
He says he deliberately decided that Swan Song was his story and his responsibility, believing that if he consulted his sisters or nephews they would inevitably have views about what should or should not be included.
This helps explain the unusual family situation:
Spencer says Harry was informed shortly before publication.
He has said William was also informed around that time.
Neither prince helped write the book.
Spencer says he wanted editorial independence.
That is an important distinction from the emerging speculation that Swan Song might have been coordinated with Harry.
There is no evidence that Harry co-authored or secretly shaped the memoir.
5. British coverage is now looking at the Spencer–Harry relationship
Some British and international reporting is increasingly portraying Spencer as a potential bridge between Harry and the rest of the family.
That remains speculation.
What is actually established is:
Harry stayed with Spencer's family at Althorp.
Spencer has defended Harry's return to Britain.
Spencer has spoken to both William and Harry since publication.
Spencer says he remains available to both nephews.
People's latest reporting quotes Spencer saying he is realistic about his relationships with both princes and that he is "there if needed."
This is more restrained than some headlines suggesting Spencer has formally taken Harry's side.
6. William's position remains publicly unknown
This remains important because some reports are now claiming William feels "betrayed" by Spencer.
For example, Page Six has reported that royal commentator Kinsey Schofield believes William feels betrayed by the memoir and by Spencer's decision to reopen painful memories concerning Diana's funeral.
But this is commentary, not a statement from William.
The verified position remains:
William has not publicly criticized Spencer.
He has also not publicly endorsed the memoir.
That distinction needs to be maintained.
7. There are reports William is avoiding Diana anniversary documentaries
International reporting today says William has declined several approaches to participate in documentaries ahead of the 30th anniversary of Diana's death, reportedly because he does not want to be placed in a public comparison with Harry.
This is potentially significant, but I would currently classify it as:
Reported — not officially confirmed.
If William really is deliberately avoiding anniversary documentaries, it would represent an important change from 2017, when he and Harry participated in the BBC documentary Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy.
It would also suggest that the brothers' differing relationships with Diana's memory are becoming part of the 30th-anniversary story.
8. The Palace has not escalated the dispute
I found no new substantive statement today from Buckingham Palace or the official Royal Family channels addressing Swan Song.
That is itself significant.
The Palace's established position remains its earlier statement that grief can affect reason, judgment and memory. (People.com)
There has been no public Palace point-by-point rebuttal of Spencer's individual claims.
So the institutional strategy currently appears to be:
One strong rebuttal → no continuing public argument.
That may be deliberate.
9. Spencer's new comments about royal marriage broaden the story beyond Diana
At his New York event, Spencer argued that it is particularly difficult for people who were not born into the Royal Family to marry into it.
He drew comparisons between Diana's experience and the media treatment of Meghan.
This is clearly Spencer's interpretation.
But it is becoming an important part of his broader argument:
He is no longer describing Diana's problems as purely personal.
He is presenting them as a consequence of an institutional system in which outsiders marry into a highly structured hereditary institution and then face extraordinary media and public scrutiny.
That argument has obvious implications for both Diana and Meghan.
10. Piers Morgan's legal dispute remains active
There is still no final resolution.
Spencer has acknowledged the factual mistake in Swan Song concerning Morgan's role in publishing Diana's 1993 gym photographs.
Morgan continues to say he is pursuing legal action and has threatened to publish the legal correspondence after Spencer disputed that he was actually being sued.
This is now an unusually concrete test of the memoir's factual standards.
It is important, however, not to overstate it:
One demonstrable error does not prove Spencer's other disputed claims false.
But it reinforces the need to independently corroborate claims that are based solely on memory.
11. International reaction is broadening
Today's international coverage shows that Swan Song is no longer simply being treated as a British royal scandal.
United States
The emphasis is increasingly on Diana's family, Spencer's relationship with William and Harry, and the continuing cultural power of Diana's story.
Australia
The focus has included the competing accounts of Diana's final years and the reliability of memoir evidence.
Brazil and Latin America
Coverage is now highlighting the newly reported Al-Fayed allegation and the wider context of his later sexual-misconduct allegations.
Britain
The strongest focus remains the credibility dispute between Spencer and Buckingham Palace, along with the implications for William and Harry.
This is a useful reminder that different countries are constructing different Dianas from the same memoir.
12. British public reaction remains difficult to quantify
There is still no new high-quality nationally representative poll specifically asking Britons whether they believe Spencer's allegations.
Therefore I would not claim that "Britain believes Spencer" or "Britain supports the Palace."
What we can establish is continued substantial public interest.
Reuters reported that British shoppers bought the memoir rapidly after publication, while publisher and retailer reports indicate strong commercial performance.
That demonstrates interest, not necessarily agreement.
13. The most important historical distinction today
Today's reporting reinforces a distinction we should maintain throughout this investigation:
What Spencer says Diana felt
Often valuable first-person family testimony, but still recollection.
What Diana herself documented or said contemporaneously
Potentially stronger primary evidence.
What other people who knew her remember
Useful corroboration or contradiction.
What can be independently documented
The strongest historical foundation.
What commentators infer
Interpretation—not fact.
This is particularly important with the Al-Fayed allegation and Spencer's descriptions of Charles's emotional state.
Current evidence map —
| Development | Evidence status |
|---|---|
| Spencer says Diana genuinely loved Charles when they married | Spencer's recollection |
| Diana's marriage to Charles became deeply troubled | Well documented |
| Spencer says Diana reported inappropriate touching by Mohamed Al-Fayed | Memoir allegation |
| Wider allegations against Al-Fayed | Separately documented |
| Harry and family stayed at Althorp | Reported/Spencer-confirmed |
| Spencer supports Harry's return to Britain | Confirmed statement |
| Harry endorsed Spencer's allegations about King Charles | No evidence |
| William publicly condemned the memoir | No |
| William is reportedly avoiding anniversary documentaries | Reported, not officially confirmed |
| Palace issued a new rebuttal today | No |
| Piers Morgan legal dispute resolved | No |
| Memoir continues to generate international interest | Yes |
The most meaningful development today
The story is gradually moving away from the narrow question:
"Did Charles Spencer accurately remember one conversation with King Charles?"
and toward a much bigger question:
"What happens to Diana's legacy when different members of her family begin telling different versions of her story?"
There are now several distinct narratives:
Charles Spencer:
Diana was a deeply loving, vulnerable woman who was badly served by the Royal Family and the media.
Buckingham Palace:
Spencer's memories should be treated cautiously because grief can affect memory and judgment.
Ken Wharfe:
Spencer genuinely knew Diana and has a legitimate perspective on her life.
Paul Burrell:
Spencer's account of Diana's final years is overstated and his description of Charles's reaction is inconsistent with what Burrell witnessed.
William:
No public substantive response.
Harry:
Maintains a relationship with Spencer but has not publicly endorsed his allegations.
The international public:
Continues to treat Diana as a global cultural and humanitarian figure.
And that last point may be the most important.
Diana's legacy is becoming bigger than Swan Song.
The memoir has reopened old wounds, but it is also forcing a broader examination of who gets to narrate the life of someone who became one of the most recognizable women of the 20th century.
As the 30th anniversary approaches, the decisive historical question will not be which family member wins the current argument.
It will be which parts of their competing memories survive documentary scrutiny—and which parts become simply another chapter in the mythology of Diana.
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