Princess Diana's Former Chef Blasts Earl Spencer's 'Spiteful' New Book

Princess Diana's former personal chef has launched an extraordinary attack on Earl Spencer over his controversial new memoir – branding the book "money-making" and "spiteful" and claiming the late princess would have been disgusted by it.

OK! can reveal Darren McGrady, 64, who cooked for Diana from 1993 until her death at age 36 in 1997, spoke out as Charles Spencer, 62, became embroiled in a public dispute with King Charles, 77, over allegations contained in his new book.

McGrady, who previously worked as personal chef to Queen Elizabeth II, said he recently encountered Spencer at the family's Althorp estate but deliberately chose not to approach him.

A source familiar with McGrady's views told us: "Darren's reaction comes from having known Diana personally and seeing the private person behind the global celebrity. He feels extremely protective of her memory and believes constantly reopening the most traumatic episodes of her life risks reducing Diana to the disputes surrounding her death. His anger isn't about denying Charles the right to remember his sister or tell his own story. It's about the way intensely painful family history is being brought back into public view nearly three decades later, accompanied by allegations that inevitably create another enormous royal battle. Darren remembers Diana as funny, compassionate and devoted to William and Harry. He believes she'd have hated the idea of her memory becoming ammunition in another family conflict, particularly when her sons have already endured years of very public disagreements of their own. That's why his language is so strong. From his perspective, there is a difference between celebrating Diana's life and publishing deeply contentious recollections that reopen old wounds and leave people arguing again about who behaved badly after she died."

McGrady posted a photograph of Spencer on Instagram and wrote: "I bumped into Earl Spencer a few weeks ago when I was at Althorp but couldn't bring myself to speak to him (despite cooking for him several times when he could he bothered to come to Kensington Palace for lunch with the Princess.) Had I known then what he planned to spew in his money-making spiteful book I would have told him how disgusted his sister would have been."

McGrady served Diana at Kensington Palace during the final four years of her life.

He has previously recalled her interest in healthier food, her meals with her sons William, now 44, and Harry, now 42, and the influence her charitable work subsequently had on his own life.

His intervention follows Spencer's defense of claims made in his newly released memoir Swan Song: Diana, My Sister concerning the days after Diana was killed in a Paris car crash.

Spencer insisted to the BBC he was "telling the truth" about a telephone conversation with the then-Prince Charles following his sister's death.

The earl claims the pair argued over whether the young William and Harry should walk behind Diana's coffin during her funeral procession.

According to Spencer's account, Charles told him: "We'll forget her soon enough."

Buckingham Palace has disputed the account in an unusually direct intervention.

The Palace said the King was "mindful that the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgement and colour memory in ways others do not recognise, even many years after such a loss."

Spencer has continued to stand behind his recollection of the conversation.