In an excerpt published Sept. 16, Charles Spencer alleged that King Charles III told Princess Diana she would soon be forgotten after her death on Aug. 31, 1997. Buckingham Palace responded by saying grief can affect memory and judgment, without directly confirming or denying the quote. Spencer included the account in his memoir, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister , describing a heated phone conversation with Charles shortly after Diana died. According to Spencer, the exchange followed the decision for Diana’s sons, Prince William and Prince Harry , to walk behind their mother’s coffin during her funeral procession. What Did the Palace Actually Say? A palace spokesperson told E! News that the royal household does not comment on books as a matter of principle. The statement added that fraternal grief may cloud reason, affect judgment, and shape memories in ways other people may not recognize, even decades later. William and Harry previously addressed the funeral procession in the 2017 BBC documentary Diana, 7 Days . William said the decision was made collectively by the family and described walking behind the coffin as one of the hardest things he had ever done, while Harry said he was ultimately glad he took part. Spencer’s memoir presents a sharply different lens on the same royal family moment, but the alleged remark remains an unverified claim from his personal account.