Piers Morgan Says Diana Would Have Hated Earl Spencer’s Book as Legal Row Escalates

Piers Morgan has claimed that Princess Diana would have strongly objected to the way her brother, Earl Spencer, has portrayed King Charles in his new memoir — as Morgan continues his legal action over what he says are defamatory inaccuracies in the book.

The broadcaster and former Daily Mirror editor has rejected Earl Spencer’s apology over an incorrect claim about photographs of Diana and said there is only one condition under which he would consider dropping the legal action.

Speaking to The Sun’s From The Newsroom, Morgan said he did not believe Spencer’s explanation that the memoir was written primarily for Diana.

“I think he’s full of crap, to be honest with you,” Morgan said.

He argued that Diana would not have wanted what he described as a “savage attack” on King Charles, particularly while her sons, Princes William and Harry, are at very different stages of their lives.

Morgan Rejects Spencer’s Explanation

Spencer’s 367-page memoir, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, was published on September 22 and has already triggered a series of disputes over its recollections of Diana’s life, her marriage to Charles and the aftermath of her death.

Among the most controversial passages are Spencer’s claims about a telephone conversation with the then-Prince Charles following Diana’s death in 1997.

Spencer alleges that Charles sounded “giddily elated — like a lottery winner” when he called after learning that Diana had died. He also claims Charles told him during a later disagreement over funeral arrangements: “Rest assured, we’ll forget her soon enough.”

Buckingham Palace has rejected the account, saying that grief can affect judgment and memory, while Spencer has repeatedly maintained that he remembers the conversation accurately.

Morgan has now entered the dispute from a different angle, challenging Spencer over passages that concern his own relationship with Diana and his former role at the Daily Mirror.

The Claim About Diana’s Gym Photographs

One of the central points in Morgan’s legal complaint is Spencer’s claim that Morgan was responsible for the publication of intrusive photographs of Diana exercising at a gym in 1993.

Spencer has since acknowledged that this was an incorrect assumption and issued a public apology.

The problem, Morgan argues, is that the dates make the claim impossible. The photographs were published by the Sunday Mirror on November 7, 1993, while Morgan did not become editor of the Daily Mirror until October 1995. At the time the photographs were published, Morgan was working at The Sun.

Spencer has described the error as an “incorrect assumption” and said it will be corrected in a second edition. Morgan, however, says the mistake is much more serious.

“He’s probably talking about me, but it’s not a small error. It’s a gigantic error. It’s a serious defamatory lie,” Morgan said.

He also disputed Spencer’s account of their own telephone conversation, saying he was not “surly and annoyed” as the memoir reportedly describes him.

Morgan’s One Condition for Dropping the Legal Action

Despite Spencer’s apology, Morgan says he is not prepared to simply walk away.

He has instructed lawyers to take action against both Spencer and the book’s publishers and says he would only stand down if Spencer gives up his book fee and donates the money to The King’s Trust.

Morgan said such a move would serve two purposes: addressing his anger over the disputed claim and benefiting the charity.

He also joked that it might please King Charles and even result in him receiving a knighthood.

“To be clear, I don’t want any money from this,” Morgan said.

Spencer’s apology has not changed Morgan’s position. He argues that the disputed passage remains available in copies of the book and that the longer it remains uncorrected, the greater the potential legal consequences.

Morgan Questions Other Claims in the Memoir

Morgan also raised a broader question about the reliability of the memoir.

He said he had so far checked only the references concerning himself and wondered whether other people might discover similar inaccuracies in Spencer’s recollections.

“I’ve only checked the references to me. So who knows how many other people he’s done this to, right?” Morgan said.

The broadcaster pointed to the conflicting accounts surrounding Spencer’s description of conversations with both him and King Charles.

Morgan argued that if Spencer’s account of basic facts involving him can be wrong, readers may reasonably question other disputed recollections in the book.

Spencer, meanwhile, has continued to defend the memoir as an account of his own memories of Diana and the events surrounding her death.

A Wider Dispute Over Diana’s Legacy

The row between Morgan and Spencer comes as Swan Song has opened a much wider public dispute over how Diana’s final years and death should be remembered.

Spencer has defended his decision to revisit the events nearly three decades later, insisting that he wrote the book from his perspective as Diana’s brother.

The memoir has nevertheless prompted an unusually strong response from Buckingham Palace over its claims about King Charles. Spencer has rejected the Palace’s suggestion that grief may have affected his recollection and accused the King of “gaslighting” him.

Morgan has offered his own interpretation of the fallout, saying he believes members of the Royal Family are deeply unhappy about the allegations being presented as historical fact.

He also suggested that the controversy surrounding his own dispute with Spencer had diverted attention from the memoir’s broader accusations against the King.

Spencer Stands by His Memoir

Despite the growing controversy, Spencer has shown no indication that he intends to withdraw the wider claims in Swan Song.

Appearing on ITV’s Lorraine, he acknowledged his mistake regarding Morgan but maintained that it was a limited error that would be corrected in a future edition.

He has also continued to stand by his recollection of his conversations with Charles following Diana’s death.

For Morgan, however, the apology has not settled the matter. He maintains that the disputed account about him is substantially more serious than Spencer has suggested and has challenged the Earl to appear on his Uncensored programme to discuss the dispute directly.

The legal row therefore remains unresolved, while Spencer’s memoir continues to fuel a separate and increasingly public argument over competing memories of Diana, her death and the Royal Family she left behind.