Royal expert Ingrid Seward, who knew Diana and whose latest book, Catherine and Diana, chronicles the lives of the Princesses of Wales, believes the battle to control Diana’s legacy will continue beyond next year’s milestone anniversary. “Having known Diana, I think she would love the idea of people remembering her forever, and that she is still being talked about,” Seward tells Vanity Fair.
But in a potential conflict of interest for Buckingham Palace, the milestone anniversary of Princess Diana’s death comes after Queen Camilla’s 80th birthday, something King Charles plans to celebrate both publicly and privately. “Camilla would be delighted not to celebrate her 80th but Charles won’t let that happen, and he is already making grand plans,” a family friend says. “He will not want it overshadowed by anything to do with Diana. He wants her ghost laid to rest.”
As Vanity Fair previously reported, King Charles was “deeply wounded and very angry” over the allegations made in Swan Song. In the book, Spencer claims that the then Prince Charles told him “we’ll forget [Diana] soon enough” after her death, during a heated exchange over the funeral plans. Buckingham Palace released a rare statement in response to the claim, saying, “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.”
While the palace has refused to further comment on the book, Spencer has given numerous interviews insisting his recollection of events is the truth.
