King Charles response to Charles Spencer criticized by royal author

Author Andrew Morton has criticized King Charles’s response to Earl Spence’s book on Princess Diana.

Speaking to The Telegraph, Morton, who authored Diana: Her True Story in 1992, said Buckingham Palace’s statement was rash and the King "got it wrong".

"With [Earl] Spencer's book, he, within an hour or so, issued a statement."

"I would have thought that sensible courtiers would have said to him, 'Hang fast, sir, because it's only a book - these things will pass.'

"But I think it's a sign of how angry he was that this statement was written almost contemporaneously, and in a way, it's a statement written for an audience of one, and that's King Charles."

Charles Spencer, brother of the late Princess Diana, is no stranger to writing books about British kings.

His previous bestsellers include "Killers of the King" and "To Catch a King" and, while those two works focused on the 17th century, some might say his latest book is along the same lines.

"Swan Song: Diana, My Sister" that published last week is his take on his sister's life ‌and her unhappy marriage to the now King Charles.

In pre-released excerpts, Spencer claims Charles was "giddily elated" in the aftermath of Diana's death in 1997, reopening a painful episode for the royal family.

King Charles took the unusual step of responding to criticism by the brother of his late first wife Diana, saying via a spokesperson that grief could impact ‌reason, judgment and memory.

A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: "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 colour memory in ⁠ways others do not recognise, even many years after such a loss."