A royal author has recounted the chilling Princess Diana moment that nearly caused King Charles to faint. The claim emerged after the release of her brother Charles Spencer‘s memoir “Swan Song: Diana, My Sister.” The book offers an intimate and critical look at his sister’s life, royal marriage, and tragic death, alongside explosive claims about the King and the royal family.
Royal author reveals King Charles’ reaction to seeing Princess Diana in the coffin
According to an author who interviewed hospital staff present after the tragedy, King Charles apparently “froze” and “reeled back in horror” when he viewed Princess Diana‘s body following her death. Christopher Andersen, author of “The Day Diana Died,” said that the reigning monarch was so distraught at the sight of his former wife that onlookers feared he would faint.
Andersen noted that his research altered his perception of the King, who he claimed had earlier been depicted as a “stiff, unloving royal.” Speaking to CBS, he described the moment Charles saw Diana at the Paris hospital as especially powerful. The journalist said, “It was a stunner.”
As reported by the Daily Express, he claimed the hospital’s head nurse escorted the then-Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s two sisters into the room. Medical staff had laid the late royal in a coffin after preparing her body for viewing.
Andersen shared, “He looked at her first, and, for the first time, froze by the casket and reeled back in horror. They thought he was going to faint, but he managed to pull himself together enough to comfort Diana’s two sisters.” He added, “Many became very emotional months later, recalling the scene.”
The best-selling author also made a claim about Paul Burrell, Princess Diana’s butler and confidant. According to him, Burrell never expected her death to affect King Charles so deeply. He further described a tense clash between Charles and his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.
The late queen initially opposed repatriating Diana’s body and staging a public funeral, as well as lowering flags to half-mast. Christopher Anderson revealed that the future King insisted that the royal family must address the massive public mourning and ultimately issued an ultimatum.
