King Charles reportedly pushed for a full ceremonial funeral for Princess Diana while struggling with intense grief after her death. The monarch’s actions were cited by a source disputing a damaging claim in Earl Spencer’s new memoir.
The insider said Charles was “absolutely grief-stricken” and rejected normal protocol for Diana’s return from Paris. The account emerged as Buckingham Palace challenged Spencer’s recollection of a private conversation nearly three decades earlier.
Source close to King Charles claims King Charles demanded a ‘full state-style ceremonial funeral’ for Princess Diana
According to The Telegraph, Buckingham Palace disputed Earl Spencer’s new account. Princess Diana’s younger brother’s memoir, “Swan Song: Diana, My Sister,” described a tense phone conversation before the 1997 funeral. However, a source close to the King rejected the characterization of Charles in that exchange. The insider said the alleged remark was “just not in his nature.” They added it “certainly wasn’t in his nature at that time.”
Meanwhile, the source described the then Prince of Wales as a man who was “absolutely grief-stricken.” They said he was also “paralysed with grief” during preparations after Princess Diana’s death. According to the insider, Charles then defied established protocol over how she should be honored. He reportedly insisted Diana receive a “full state-style ceremonial funeral.” The source also said her coffin should be draped in the royal standard when returning from Paris to London.
For context, the funeral took place on September 6, 1997, after Diana died in Paris on August 31. Earl Spencer’s memoir revisited disputes surrounding those arrangements nearly 30 years later. The Telegraph said the new claims prompted an unusual Buckingham Palace response. Still, the source’s account focused on Charles’ conduct during the immediate aftermath. It presented his ceremonial demands as evidence against the memoir’s portrayal of his attitude toward Princess Diana at the time.
