King Charles was described as sounding 'giddily elated' in the immediate aftermath of Princess Diana's death, according to her brother Charles Spencer, who recalls that the then-Prince of Wales sounded 'like a lottery winner' during a phone call.
The extraordinary recollection appears in Spencer's forthcoming memoir, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, which is being serialised in extracts by the Daily Mail ahead of its publication. Spencer's account is a personal recollection of a conversation following Diana's death in 1997, and his suggestion about what Charles may have been thinking is his own interpretation.
Spencer's 'Lottery Winner' Claim
Spencer writes that he spoke to Charles shortly after Diana's death was confirmed in Paris on 31 August 1997. According to the Earl Spencer, other people who contacted him were stunned and struggled to express their condolences, while Charles sounded markedly different.
'Unlike my other callers, who were stunned, barely able to articulate their condolences and offers of help, he sounded giddily elated–like a lottery winner, I remember thinking at the time,' Spencer writes.
Spencer says Charles also told him that he had informed Princes William and Harry of their mother's death at Balmoral.
The striking contrast between Spencer's description of Charles and the reactions he says he received from others forms the centre of the latest extract.
However, there is no independent evidence establishing that Charles was actually 'elated' or explaining what he was feeling during the call. The description comes from Spencer's recollection of the conversation almost three decades ago.
Spencer Links Reaction to Camilla
Spencer goes further by offering his own theory about Charles' possible reaction.
Looking back on the conversation, he writes that he suspects the then-Prince may have been thinking about how Diana's death could free him to marry Camilla Parker Bowles, the woman he loved.
That is explicitly Spencer's retrospective interpretation, rather than a documented statement from Charles about his feelings at the time. Charles and Diana had separated in 1992 and divorced in 1996. Their marriage had been overshadowed by Charles' relationship with Camilla, whom he married in 2005.
Diana famously addressed the breakdown of her marriage during her 1995 BBC Panorama interview, saying: 'There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded.'
The history helps explain why Spencer connects Charles' possible thoughts after Diana's death with his relationship with Camilla, but it does not independently establish that this was what Charles was thinking during the call.
Palace Responds to Spencer's Recollections
The latest allegation comes amid an unusually public exchange between Spencer and Buckingham Palace over claims in the forthcoming memoir.
The Palace had already responded to an earlier extract in which Spencer alleged that Charles told him, following Diana's death, 'we'll forget her soon enough'.
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said the royal household did not normally comment on books, but added: '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.'
There was no new comment from the King on the latest 'lottery winner' passage, Reuters reported.
The Palace statement does not directly address whether Spencer's account of the phone call is accurate. Instead, it points to the potential effect of grief on memory, judgement and recollection.
Diana's Death and the Royal Family
Diana died aged 36 after the car carrying her and Dodi Al-Fayed crashed in Paris while being pursued by paparazzi photographers.
Her death prompted an extraordinary public response and left William and Harry without their mother. Both princes were at Balmoral with the royal family when they were informed of Diana's death.
Spencer's latest account also touches on the difficult question of how Diana's sons would participate in her funeral procession. Earlier extracts from the memoir claimed that there had been concerns about public reaction to Charles walking behind Diana's coffin. Spencer says William, Harry and he ultimately walked alongside the then-Prince of Wales.
Those claims have contributed to the wider controversy surrounding the forthcoming memoir, which examines Spencer's memories of Diana and her relationship with the royal family.
A Personal Account of Diana
Swan Song: Diana, My Sister is due to be published on 22 September 2026 and presents events from Spencer's perspective as Diana's brother.
That perspective is crucial when assessing the latest claims. Spencer was a close family member who was speaking to Charles during an exceptionally traumatic period, but his description of the King's tone and his theory about what Charles may have been thinking remain his recollections and interpretations.
The 'lottery winner' comparison is best understood as Spencer's striking description of how Charles sounded to him at the time, rather than proof of the King's private emotions.
Nearly three decades after Diana's death, the recollection has nevertheless reopened scrutiny of the complicated relationship between Diana, Charles and Camilla, while the Palace's response has placed an equally important question at the centre of the dispute: how much can anyone reliably remember about conversations held during profound grief?
