King Charles 'Sounded Giddily Elated' After Princess Diana's Death, Her Brother Claims in New Book

Charles Spencer, the brother of the late Princess Diana, is opening up about King Charles' supposed shocking reaction to her untimely death in his new memoir.

In an excerpt from his new book, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, published by the Daily Mail on Thursday, September 17, the 9th Earl Spencer recounts his first conversation with then-Prince Charles after Diana passed away at age 36 in a car accident in August 1997.

"The phone rang constantly. Prince Charles caught me as I crossed the landing upstairs," Spencer wrote. "Unlike my other callers, who were stunned, barely able to articulate their condolences and offers of help, he sounded giddily elated — like a lottery winner, I remember thinking at the time."

"He let me know he had informed [Princes] William and Harry of their mother’s death, first thing that morning, in their bedrooms at Balmoral," Spencer continued. "It all sounded strangely matter-of-fact, given the enormity of the disaster."

Spencer added, "Looking back now, I suspect the prince’s first reaction must have been to think more of how this event might free him to marry the woman he loved, rather than appreciating the loss of one he did not. It can be hard to feel too much sympathy for an ex-spouse, or those who care for them profoundly, after bitter divorce."

Spencer goes on to note in his book about their romance, "She told me that things became very difficult indeed in the marriage early on, and I am sure that both spouses despaired of the other at times."

Shortly after excerpts of the book were released, a statement from a palace spokesperson said, “While we do not comment on books as a matter of principle, His Majesty is mindful that the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgment and color memory in ways others do not recognize, even many years after such a loss.”

Charles and Diana tied the knot on July 29, 1981, at St Paul's Cathedral in London, with over 750 million people tuning in to watch the broadcast of the royal wedding.

The pair, who welcomed two children together, separated in 1992 after 11 years of marriage and finalized their divorce on August 28, 1996. Diana died just over a year later.

In the years after their split, both acknowledged the relationship had been fundamentally flawed from the beginning.

One royal expert said Diana eventually accepted she was not Charles' great love.

They added: "Over time, Diana came to understand that Charles' emotional allegiance lay elsewhere. She recognized that Camilla occupied a place in his life that she never truly could."