Poor Diana, once the most famous woman in the world, now nearly thirty years gone, is still able to make blazing headlines all over the world. This week her brother Earl Spencer released a book about her called Swan Song, Diana, My Sister. But first the juicy bits were plastered all over the front page of the Daily Mail and picked up by every other British paper and newspapers around the world.
Spencer has held his tongue since his excoriating eulogy at her funeral blaming the press for her death. Since then, he has been busy divorcing three times and marrying four. He also wrote books about British history. A friend of mine did publicity for him in America. Nobody wanted to hear about his take on Charles I. But his take on the current Charles is quite a different story.
What are the bombshells so far? That Charles sounded “giddily elated –like a lottery winner” during the conversation when the then Prince of Wales was telling Spencer about his sister’s death. That’s nasty stuff.
During a later call between the two men, Spencer writes they argued about Princes William and Harry walking behind their mother’s coffin. He was against it. In response, Spencer says Charles unleashed “a stream of anger.” He writes “I assumed the pause signaled an effort to bring himself under control, but then he unleashed down the phone what I have always taken to be his pent-up contempt for Diana and his horror that the world was so bowled over by her death. ‘Rest assured,’ he hissed, ‘we’ll forget her soon enough!’” Spencer writes, “I can’t believe you just said that,’ I said flatly, before hanging up.”
Very, very nasty stuff indeed.
Now the Palace usually follows Queen Elizabeth’s rule for handling controversy: “Never complain, never explain.” Not this time. Within a couple of hours of the Daily Mail hitting the newsstands the Palace issues a statement: “While we do not comment on books as a matter of principle, His Majesty is mindful 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.”
But Earl Spencer promptly struck back, saying to the BBC he was “telling the truth.” And wondering about the King, “Is he furious or is he embarrassed?” Yes, it is getting worse.
But the pot was already on the boil with Harry and Meghan back just a couple of weeks. Since then, they seem to be having trouble finding a school for their kids. They took them out of the first school because they said there were security issues. But some say it was also because Lilibet and Archie were not getting the special treatment H&M thought they deserved.
At the same time, the Palace had issued a statement making it clear that the couple were not performing any royal duties and should be considered “private individuals” which infuriated them as well. And now Harry has started going to some public events while Meghan is posting about the joys of living in the Cotswolds. Maybe when it isn’t raining or too damn hot. Didn’t Harry and Meghan say they wanted privacy, but now once again they are making sure they are in the news.
And remember Harry and Earl Spencer are very close. Meghan and Harry and the kids visited him at Althorp this summer before they were even allowed to see the King. Did he tell his nephew about his bombshell book? We can imagine how William must feel about his father being criticized in this way. But what about Harry? Did he know what was going to be unleashed?
Ever since last week Dolly Parton has almost disappeared from my Instagram feed and so have the Rosh Hashanah celebrations at the Western Wall. They’ve been replaced by British journalists from Piers Morgan down screaming at each other. It is clear who is on Team Windsor and who is on Team Spencer. While the public chimes in as well wondering about the character of the King or criticizing Earl Spencer making money by telling stories that even if true should have been left unsaid.
It is a mess and will go on for months now. But then England is quite a mess too. With a housing crisis, a stagnant economy and seven prime ministers in the last ten years. A friend who lives there told me, “London is a first-rate city in a third-rate country.” The Atlantic just published a long feature about “How Britian Became as Poor as Mississippi.” Maybe nattering on about the Royal family is a welcome distraction.
As for old journos and editors, those in England and me, too, talking about Diana allows us to share personal stories again and to remember part of our own lives. I have written before how important she was when I was a magazine editor. I have always said she helped make my career. And, yes, I was thrilled to have met her twice. There was no one before or since who sold at the newsstand like Diana. Bet this crisis will lead to endless British tabloid headlines and at least a couple of People covers. Maybe even a special issue or two.
It is sad that her ex-husband and her brother are now in a public battle that will shake the monarchy once again. It is sad that her two sons who she loved so much are bitterly estranged. It is sad that the woman we so admired for her beauty and her charm cannot even nearly thirty years later simply rest in peace.
