Piers Morgan’s Legal Threat Over Earl Spencer’s Claims in Memoir
Piers Morgan has announced he will pursue legal action concerning claims made by Earl Charles Spencer in his upcoming memoir about Princess Diana. Spencer, Diana’s younger sibling, alleges in Swan Song: Diana, My Sister that Morgan showed irritation when asked not to attend the funeral of the princess.
In the memoir excerpt, Spencer recounts calling newspaper editors personally to request their absence from the Westminster Abbey service, citing years of overwhelming media scrutiny on his sister. He noted that most editors agreed to his request with some confusion, except for Morgan, who was then the editor of the Daily Mirror. According to Spencer, Morgan reacted negatively and hung up in annoyance.
Morgan has firmly rejected these accusations, labeling them as “demonstrable lies” and has revealed his intention to take legal steps against the claims. Whether Spencer’s comments about Morgan’s demeanor at the funeral are the primary reason for the legal action remains unspecified. The memoir is slated for release on Tuesday, and the complete text has yet to be independently assessed.
Ongoing Dispute Regarding the Press
Spencer’s memoir continuously revisits the subject of media focus on Diana, emphasizing how photographers and tabloids constantly hounded her before her death in a car accident in Paris on August 31, 1997. He asserts that this relentless media attention deeply impacted the princess.
Morgan’s disagreement with Spencer involves two aspects: the specific claims about Morgan’s behavior in 1997, and the broader dispute over how Diana and the Royal Family were portrayed in the media.
Allegations About King Charles
Spencer also makes claims regarding King Charles. He states that Charles sounded “giddy” during a phone conversation post-Diana’s death in 1997, and allegedly remarked that “we’ll forget her soon enough” amid disagreements about whether Prince William and Prince Harry should walk behind Diana’s coffin.
Buckingham Palace has challenged this account, suggesting grief might alter Spencer’s perception. Spencer maintains his version of events, remarking during a BBC interview that he has always been truthful and had shared the incident with friends and family at the time.
A BBC report noted that journalist Richard Kay recalled Spencer discussing a heated argument with Charles during the days between Diana’s passing and her funeral. Dame Julia Cleverdon, acquainted with Charles for decades, disputed Spencer’s portrayal, claiming it did not align with her experience of Charles.
Accusations of Hypocrisy
Morgan further critiqued Spencer for alleged double standards. He condemned Spencer for criticizing media treatment of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle while simultaneously making damaging remarks about King Charles in the memoir.
Spencer stated in a BBC interview that the press’s influence on Harry and Meghan bore echoes of Diana’s treatment, describing it as a “cancerous” presence in their lives. In response, Morgan asserted on social media that Spencer was hypocritical, pointing out that while Spencer admonishes media coverage of Harry and Meghan, his memoir reflects a similar negative posture towards King Charles.
The ongoing controversy involving Morgan coincides with a separate conflict between Spencer’s memoir and Buckingham Palace. Meanwhile, Prince Harry declined to comment on the memoir during a London awards event.