King set for third day of controversy as ‘war of words’ rumbles on

The King looks set to endure a third day of controversy as the war of words between Buckingham Palace and Earl Spencer, the brother of Diana, Princess of Wales, continues.

In the latest extract from Earl Spencer’s book serialised in the Daily Mail, Diana’s brother claimed that the late Queen Elizabeth II considered restoring his sister’s Her Royal Highness title, which she lost when she divorced Charles.

It comes after a dispute blew up between the King and Earl Spencer, who claimed the then-prince told him, “rest assured, we’ll forget her soon enough”, days after Diana’s death in 1997.

Earl Spencer further claimed in his memoir of his sister that the King sounded “giddily elated… like a lottery winner” when he rang the earl following the princess’ death.

In other passages of the book, the earl described how his sister drove “more than once” to the cliffs at Beachy Head in East Sussex and was “contemplating ending it all”, adding that “her love for her sons stopped her from going further”.

The latest extract from Earl Spencer’s book reveals that the late Queen Elizabeth II considered restoring Diana’s HRH titles upon her death (Jordan Pettitt/PA)

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The excerpt went on to claim Diana told her brother “my husband is in love with his valet” after telling him she was going to get divorced.

The palace has yet to respond to the latest claims, but a spokesman said on Wednesday “fraternal grief can cloud reason”.

The royal family were out in force on Thursday with King presiding over a gathering of the world’s leading AI companies, where he warned of the “existential dangers” of the new technology falling into the wrong hands.

Swan Song: Diana, My Sister by Charles Spencer is being serialised by the Daily Mail (Penguin Random House/PA)

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While the Prince and Princess of Wales met dozens of residents on Scotland’s Isle of Bute, posed for selfies and even played shinty as they celebrated the island’s community spirit and volunteering ethos.

The Princess Royal attended the opening of a new history centre at the German military cemetery in Staffordshire, while the Duchess of Edinburgh continued her visit to Zambia.

Meanwhile, the Duke of Sussex, who the King has emphasised is no longer a working member of the royal family, was seen for the first time in public since returning to the UK at the inaugural Invictus Spirit Awards in London.

The black dress, worn by Diana, Princess of Wales and dubbed the ‘revenge dress’, will go up for sale at auction in December (Martin Keene/PA)

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On Friday, Harry will join Invictus Games alumni and pupils for a school visit and the launch of the Inspire education programme for Invictus Games Birmingham 2027.

In London, Sotheby’s will host a media call for the first public display since 1997 of Diana’s black silk Christina Stambolian “revenge dress”.

The dress, worn by Diana after her then-estranged husband Charles admitted to committing adultery during their marriage, is expected to fetch up to £220,000 when it goes under the hammer in December.