King Charles’ reported response to claims in Charles Spencer’s new Princess Diana memoir has drawn comparisons to the late Queen’s famous “recollections may vary” statement. The Palace’s wording came after Diana’s brother alleged that the then-Prince Charles made a striking comment about his former wife following her death in 1997.
King Charles’ reported Diana memoir statement is compared to the ‘recollections may vary’ statement associated with Prince Harry
The controversy centers on Earl Spencer’s memoir, “Swan Song: Diana, My Sister,” which revisits Diana’s life, death and the events that followed. Spencer claims that Charles spoke to him in the days after Diana’s death and said, “Rest assured, we’ll forget her soon enough.”
According to Earl Spencer, the remark came during an argument over whether Princes William and Harry, then 15 and 12, should walk behind their mother’s coffin at her funeral. Spencer says he opposed the decision because he believed Diana would not have wanted her young sons to face such a public ordeal.
The memoir’s claims prompted Buckingham Palace to issue an unusual response. A Palace spokesperson said the King did not comment on books as a matter of principle but added that Charles understood how grief could affect a person’s recollection of events. The statement said: “The pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgement and colour memory in ways others do not recognise, even many years after such a loss.”
During the earlier royal controversy, the Palace famously said, “recollections may vary,” after Harry and Meghan made several claims about their experiences within the Royal Family, as reported by the Sun. The phrase became closely associated with the Palace’s response to the couple’s allegations. Royal commentator Jennie Bond has now highlighted the similarity between the two statements, describing Charles’ response as “‘recollections might vary’ with bells on!”
The comparison also spread across social media. One user wrote, “So, ‘grief can cloud reason and colour memory’ is the new ‘recollections may vary.’” Another made a similar observation, pointing to the Palace’s reference to grief affecting judgment and memory and calling it the new version of the Queen’s earlier phrase. A third viewer commented, “Ahhh the old ‘recollections may vary’ comment revamped!”
