In a move that will surely make family reunions a bit awkward, Earl Spencer has alleged in his new memoir that King Charles sounded "giddily elated - like a lottery winner" when he called him immediately after Princess Diana's death. Because nothing says "my ex-wife just died tragically" like the emotional equivalent of hitting the jackpot.

The book, *Swan Song: Diana, My Sister*, due out next week, also claims that Buckingham Palace wanted William, Harry, and Spencer himself to walk behind Diana's coffin because the then Prince Charles was "adamant" he would walk and officials feared "members of the public might shout abuse at him." Spencer writes that having Diana's sons walk "would surely guarantee against insults flying." Ah, the classic royal strategy: use the grieving children as human shields. Very dignified.

In previously reported extracts, Spencer alleged that during a heated phone call before the funeral, Charles remarked: "Rest assured, we'll forget her soon enough." Buckingham Palace responded with a statement that was basically a polite way of saying "bless his heart": "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 colour memory in ways others do not recognise, even many years after such a loss." Translation: "Spencer is misremembering, but we're too classy to say it outright."

In new extracts published Thursday by the Daily Mail, which is serialising the book, Spencer suggests some inside the palace were "relieved - indeed pleased" at Diana's death in a Paris car crash. He suspected Charles's first thought was how he could now marry Camilla Parker Bowles. Because when your ex-wife dies in a horrific accident, your first concern is obviously your wedding plans.

According to Spencer, Diana confided in a friend that days before their wedding, Charles told her she "needed to know he was very happy to marry her, but he was not actually in love with her." She was certain he was "entering their marriage with his heart elsewhere." Diana reportedly tried to break off the engagement after finding a bracelet Charles had bought for Camilla, now queen. But their father was "appalled," telling her "it was impossible to pull out of such an enormous commitment at that point." Because nothing says "supportive parent" like forcing your daughter into a loveless marriage for the sake of appearances.

Spencer also believes Charles may have contributed to Diana's eating disorder, writing that her waist shrank from 29 inches to 23.5 inches between the engagement and wedding after she was "devastated" at her fiancé squeezing her waist and saying: "Oh, a bit chubby here, aren't we." He was also convinced Diana had ADHD and, like himself, suffered from Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria. He writes: "It is a sad fact that, in her later years, Diana drove herself more than once to Beachy Head, the highest chalk sea cliff in England, while contemplating ending it all. Her love for her sons stopped her from going further."

The excerpt also claims Diana told him she was going to get divorced and that "my husband is in love with his valet." Spencer, 62, has said he wrote the memoir to correct "untruths" told about his elder sister. Because apparently, the best way to honour someone's memory is to air all their dirty laundry in public.

The row over the book overshadowed a busy day for the royal family. The Duke of Sussex, who it is understood was aware of his uncle's book in advance but not its contents, arrived at the inaugural Invictus Spirit awards in London on Thursday evening in his first appearance since returning to the UK from the US last month. The Prince and Princess of Wales were on their first official trip to the Isle of Bute off the west coast of Scotland, visiting Rothesay, a shinty club, and a pub. Meanwhile, Charles was appearing in public for the first time since Spencer's allegations were aired, at an AI summit he convened at Dumfries House in Ayrshire. Addressing global tech leaders, he warned of the "existential dangers" of AI systems falling into the wrong hands, saying AI risked "developing darker capacities - perhaps even to take life." He spoke of the need to ensure "our humanity remains sacred" and "that we will not lose control of our destiny, or our souls." Because if there's one thing the royal family knows about, it's keeping control of one's destiny.