ROYAL FAMILY NEWSPrincess Diana's Brother Speaks Out on Claim King Charles Was 'in Love With His Valet': 'It Was Quite Jarring'

Princess Diana's brother, Charles Spencer, discussed an anecdote about King Charles from his new memoir in a recent interview.
Oct. 3 2026, Updated 2:30 p.m. ET
Princess Diana's brother, Charles Spencer, is doubling down on the claim King Charles was "in love with his valet."
The 9th Earl Spencer, 62, made the bombshell allegation in his new memoir, Swan Song: My Sister, Diana, and recently spoke with Katie Couric about the shocking chapter.
Princess Diana and King Charles Were Married for 15 Years

Princess Diana once claimed King Charles was 'in love with his valet.'
The Princess of Wales — who died in 1997 at the age of 36 — allegedly told her brother the jaw-dropping piece of information over lunch one day. She also revealed to Spencer at the time she was planning to divorce Charles, 77.
Diana and the monarch were married from 1981 until 1996, and they shared two sons together: Prince William and Prince Harry.
Charles Spencer Didn't Prod Princess Diana for More Information About King Charles

Charles Spencer spoke with Katie Couric recently about his new book.
"And then she said this line, which I put in the book, which was, 'My husband's in love with his valet,'" Spencer said during the Thursday, October 1, interview on Couric's podcast "Next Question."
"We didn't push that any further, because the headline was, 'I'm getting divorced.' So I remember that, what she said though, because it was quite a jarring thing," the British peer went on.
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Princess Diana died in 1997 at the age of 36.
He also noted he didn't press Diana for any names or details, recalling: "There were no names mentioned then or afterwards."
Couric, 69, then asked whether Spencer believed the valet was a male individual. "I suppose there are female valets, but it would more normally be a male," Spencer said.
The journalist then highlighted how Diana would've been aware of Charles' longtime affair with Queen Camilla, 79, at the same time the rumors of the sovereign's alleged relationship with a valet surfaced.
"So it was the valet and Camilla?" the anchorwoman wondered. "I'm just trying to follow this."
Princess Diana Told Her Brother She Was Planning to Divorce King Charles

Princess Diana told Charles Spencer she wanted to divorce King Charles over lunch one afternoon.
Spencer responded: "All I can do is record what she said. And that's it. We did not, I mean, genuinely, didn't explore that avenue, but it was a big thing to say."
In his book, Spencer recalled having a meal with his sister at San Lorenzo restaurant in London where their conversation turned to Diana's fractured relationship with Charles.
"She looked down at the table and said, 'Carlos, I’m going to get divorced,'" Spencer wrote, referencing the nicknames the siblings had for each other: Duch and Carlos.
"I was silent for a moment. I had known things were bad, but not this bad," he penned, adding: "She looked up at me, nodded, and said quietly: 'But, Carlos, my husband is in love with his valet.' I gulped. 'Well, I guess, in that case, you really don’t have a choice.'"


