Earl Spencer has accused King Charles of attempting to “gaslight” him after Buckingham Palace challenged his account of an alleged private conversation following the death of Princess Diana.

The claims were made in Earl Spencer’s new book, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, which examines his relationship with Diana and the events surrounding her death and funeral in 1997.

According to Earl Spencer, the then-Prince Charles became angry during a disagreement over whether Prince William and Prince Harry should walk behind their mother’s coffin. He further alleges that Charles later told him, “we’ll forget her soon enough.” Spencer says he ended the conversation by hanging up the phone.

Buckingham Palace disputed the account without directly addressing the alleged conversation. In a statement, the Palace said that “fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgment and colour memory in ways others do not recognise,” suggesting that memories of events surrounding Diana’s death may differ.

Spencer has strongly rejected any suggestion that he fabricated the account. Speaking to The Mail on Sunday, he described the Palace’s response as an attempt to imply that he had lied without the King directly denying his version of events.

He has also compared the treatment of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle by parts of the British media with the press attention Diana experienced during her lifetime.

In an interview with the BBC, Spencer said some coverage of Harry and Meghan could be extremely unpleasant and argued that Diana’s experience should serve as a warning about the effects of sustained media scrutiny.

Spencer said Diana had been deeply affected by media treatment and described the current coverage of the Sussexes as containing “echoes” of what his sister experienced.

The Earl also expressed concern about Harry’s security arrangements in the United Kingdom, while declining to discuss in detail what he has told Harry and Prince William about the family dispute.

The allegations have reopened discussion about the events surrounding Diana’s funeral and the continuing differences in how members of the royal and Spencer families remember that period.

Spencer has said that his book is intended as his final public statement about Diana and a celebration of his sister’s life.

Sources: Sky News, BBC and The Mail on Sunday.