The top five bombshell claims from Earl Spencer’s book so far

The second series of excerpts from Earl Spencer ’s book about Princess Diana have been released.

In his highly anticipated memoir, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister , the Earl has made bombshell allegations about King Charles’ conduct around his ex-wife Princess Diana up to and following her death.

Revelations from the book, currently being serialised by the Daily Mail before it is published next Tuesday, have so far focused on the King’s behaviour, from statements he made to Diana before their marriage to comments he made to the Earl before her funeral.

Prior to the serialisation, Buckingham Palace responded directly to the allegations, saying the King was mindful that “grief can cloud reason” in reference to the Earl.

Earl Spencer recalled his sister’s funeral as a “a form of mental torture,” stating that he believed neither Prince Charles, or Princes William and Harry should have been in attendance.

Sharing his feelings on the funeral procession, one passage read: “What was Prince Charles actually doing there? I thought at one moment.

“This ex-husband, from a marriage that had collapsed so bitterly four years before and finally ended in divorce a year earlier, surely had no place at his ex’s funeral.

“Supporting his sons was the reason given for his prominent place, but what were the boys doing there, anyway? It all seemed mad to me.

“I was anxious that I could not look sideways to check how Harry was doing. But at one point I found us marching briefly out of sight, under a massive arch. Relieved that nobody could see us here, I quickly leant across to Harry, and gave him an encouraging hug. ‘Well done, Harry!’ I said. ‘You’re doing bloody brilliantly!’”

Excerpts published on Friday reveal further details about Diana’s fraught relationship with the Palace at the time of her death.

The book read: “I saw the face of Princess Michael, whom Diana had considered her ‘nightmare neighbour’ at Kensington Palace. She had accosted my sister after she was deprived of her HRH title, and said, with feigned kindness: ‘Don’t worry, Diana – you only need to curtsy to me when we are in public !’

“There was Princess Margaret, who had been a good ally of Diana till the Panorama interview had taken place. Margaret could never forgive what she viewed as an unforgivable act of treachery against the Royal Family and had chosen not to bow to Diana’s coffin when it had passed her that morning”.

In other passages of the book, Earl Spencer spoke of his concern for Prince Harry.

He wrote: “My chief memory of that train journey is of being concerned at the lack of obvious care for Harry, as he decompressed from the ghastliness of the morning.