Earl Spencer claims King Charles sounded 'euphoric' after Diana's death
New memoir excerpts detail alleged phone call and Buckingham Palace's response to claims.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
Fotografie realizată de la balconul Palatului Buckingham: Nunta lui Charles, Prințul de Wales, și a Lady Diana Spencer, miercuri, 29 iulie 1981, Londra, Regatul Unit. În alaiul miresei se aflau Edward Van Cutsem, Sarah Jane Gasele, Clementine Hambro și Lordul Nicholas Windsor (de la stânga la dreapta). Rochia de mireasă a fost creată de David și Elizabeth Emanuel. Rochia era confecționată din mătase de culoare fildeș, tafta pură și dantelă antică, cu 10.000 de perle și paiete, și avea o trenă de 7,5 metri Foto: LNS / Camerapress / Profimedia
Photograph: Digi 24 (embedded from source)
What this story says
- Earl Charles Spencer claims King Charles sounded 'euphoric' and 'like a lottery winner' in a phone call after Princess Diana's death.
- Spencer also alleges King Charles suggested he could marry the woman he loved following Diana's death.
- Buckingham Palace stated that grief can cloud reason and affect memory, responding to claims Charles told Spencer they would 'forget her soon enough'.
- Diana had previously asked her father to allow her to break off her engagement to Charles, according to Spencer.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 10 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 7 of the 17 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
42/100
Craft
57/100
Hype
65/100
17 sources · methodology
Earl Charles Spencer has made new claims about King Charles's reaction to Princess Diana's death in 1997. In his forthcoming memoir, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, Spencer alleges that Charles, then Prince of Wales, sounded 'euphoric' and 'like a lottery winner' during a phone call shortly after Diana died in a car crash. Spencer suggests that Charles's immediate thoughts were about how the event might free him to marry the woman he loved.
The memoir also includes claims that Diana had asked her father for permission to end her engagement to Charles. Spencer writes that Diana felt deeply hurt and confused by Charles's lack of interest in her, particularly after his return from a trip to New York. According to Spencer, Diana told her father she could not go through with the marriage to a man who clearly did not love her. Spencer's book further alleges that Charles told Spencer they would 'forget her soon enough' in the days after Diana's death.
Disagreement on King Charles's reaction
Earl Spencer claims King Charles sounded 'euphoric' and 'like a lottery winner' in a phone call after Princess Diana's death. Digi 24 reports Spencer's account that Charles seemed 'euphoric' and 'like a lottery winner' when he called. In contrast, Buckingham Palace responded to claims that Charles told Spencer they would 'forget her soon enough' by stating that 'grief can cloud reason, affect judgment and colour memory in ways others do not recognise'.
What the coverage left out
None of the reports printed below mention Diana asking her father to allow her to break off her engagement to Charles. This detail was included in the full report from Digi 24 but was not present in the digests from other outlets.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 1 time, most recently on 17 Sept 2026, 20:00, and will add the sides that appear.
How other outlets pictured it
Which photograph to run is each newsroom’s own choice. The leaning beside a name is that outlet’s published rating, not a claim that the pictures divide along it. Every picture is shown from the outlet’s own server and links to the article it ran in.
The Prince Of Wales And The Duchess Of Cornwall Attend "A Starry Night In The Nilgiri Hills"
Cosmopolitan — embedded from source
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
5 rated outlets
- The left-rated reports led on claims that King Charles sounded 'euphoric' or 'like a lottery winner' after Princess Diana's death. Cosmopolitan, The Independent, and The Independent (US) highlighted Spencer's accusation that Charles sounded 'giddily elated' on the phone. La Opinion focused on the monarch's response to the revelations, while Town & Country also featured the 'lottery winner' comparison.
Centre
4 rated outlets
- Centre-rated reports focused on Earl Spencer's claims about King Charles's demeanour after Princess Diana's death and Buckingham Palace's official response. Sky News UK and WTVB highlighted Spencer's description of Charles sounding 'giddily elated' or 'like a lottery winner'. Digi 24 and ANSA also reported these claims, alongside the palace's statement that grief can affect memory and judgment.
Right
1 rated outlet
We have not written our reading of the right coverage of this story. The right-rated outlets that ran it are listed below.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Earl Spencer claims King Charles sounded 'euphoric' after Diana's death?
- Of the 10 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 50% are rated left, 40% are rated centre, 10% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 17. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Earl Spencer claims King Charles sounded 'euphoric' after Diana's death left or right?
- Too few of the outlets on this story carry a published leaning rating to say. 10 of them do, and this site does not characterise a field under 12: at that size one newsroom filing moves the share by ten points. The percentages above are the count as it stands.
- Is the coverage of Earl Spencer claims King Charles sounded 'euphoric' after Diana's death biased?
- Earl Spencer claims King Charles sounded 'euphoric' after Diana's death is one event reported by 17 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which outlets covered Earl Spencer claims King Charles sounded 'euphoric' after Diana's death?
- 17 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- What does Earl Spencer claim about King Charles's reaction to Princess Diana's death?
- Earl Charles Spencer claims that King Charles sounded 'euphoric' and 'like a lottery winner' in a phone call shortly after Princess Diana's death in 1997. He also suggests that Charles's thoughts turned to marrying the woman he loved.
- How did Buckingham Palace respond to these claims?
- Buckingham Palace issued a statement acknowledging that grief can cloud reason, affect judgment, and influence memories. This response was made in reaction to specific claims, including that Charles told Earl Spencer they would 'forget her soon enough'.
- Did Princess Diana want to break off her engagement to Charles?
- According to Earl Spencer's memoir, Princess Diana asked her father for permission to end her engagement to Charles. Spencer writes that Diana felt Charles did not love her and she was deeply hurt and confused.
Read it at the source
17 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
5- Princess Diana’s Brother Claims King Charles Sounded ‘Like a Lottery Winner’ After Princess Diana’s Death in New Book (opens Town & Country in a new tab)
Town & Country — is Town & Country biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Earl Spencer’s book claims Charles acted like a ‘lottery winner’ after Diana’s death (opens The Independent (US) in a new tab)
The Independent (US) — is The Independent (US) biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Earl Spencer’s book claims Charles acted like a ‘lottery winner’ after Diana’s death (opens The Independent in a new tab)
The Independent — is The Independent biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Memories of Lady Di's Brother Shake Royalty: This Is How King Charles III Responded (opens La Opinion in a new tab)
La Opinion — is La Opinion biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- King Charles Issues Shocking Response to Earl Spencer After He Exposes Details from Their Phone Call About Princess Diana’s Death (opens Cosmopolitan in a new tab)
Cosmopolitan — is Cosmopolitan biased? Our profile of this outlet
Centre
4- Charles was 'giddily elated' in phone call after Diana's death, Earl Spencer claims in book (opens Sky News UK in a new tab)
Sky News UK — is Sky News UK biased? Our profile of this outlet
- King Charles sounded like ‘lottery winner’ after Diana’s death, her brother writes (opens WTVB in a new tab)
- King Charles Was "Euphoric" After Diane's Death, Supporting Her Brother in a Book of Memories. Buckingham Palace's Reaction (opens Digi 24 in a new tab)
- New Accusations From Diana's Brother, 'Carlo Euphoric to the News of His Death' (opens ANSA in a new tab)
Right
1Not rated
7- "It's Like He Won the Lottery": Diana's Brother's Shocking Attack on Charles After Her Death (opens reader.gr in a new tab)
- Prince Charles Was 'Delighted' by Diana's Death, Says Her Brother (opens Business Daily in a new tab)
Business Daily — is Business Daily biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Diana's Brother Makes a Shocking Claim About King Charles: "He Was Excessively Cheerful After the News of Her death." (opens ulusal.com.tr in a new tab)
ulusal.com.tr — is ulusal.com.tr biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Britain: New Revelations About How King Charles Reacted when He Found Out About Diana (opens NewsBomb in a new tab)
- Charles Was 'giddily Elated' In Phone Call After Diana's Death, Earl Spencer Claims In Book (opens Great Yorkshire Radio in a new tab)
Great Yorkshire Radio — is Great Yorkshire Radio biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Diana’s Brother Reveals What Carlos Told Her After Her Death: “Don’t Worry, We’ll Soon Forget Her” (opens Diario La Verdad in a new tab)
Diario La Verdad — is Diario La Verdad biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Charles III Reacts to Diana's Brother's Revelations: the Palace Responds to a Disturbing Accusation (opens StarMag.com in a new tab)
StarMag.com — is StarMag.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
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