Prince Philip Shut Down Charles’s Funeral Plans for Diana, Earl Spencer's Memoir Reveals
Prince Philip seemingly took a stand for the Spencers, and it meant a lot to the Earl.
Earl Spencer has gone the extra mile to promote his memoir, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister. The book is packed with explosive claims that offer a rare look at his sister's final days, telling Diana's story strictly through her brother's perspective. Among the book's revelations, Spencer claims that the then-Prince Charles sounded surprisingly elated following Princess Diana’s tragic passing. Furthermore, Spencer details how Palace officials repeatedly ignored Diana’s wishes, even when arranging her funeral.
Earl Charles Spencer at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel on May 11, 2016, in Los Angeles, California. (Image Source: Getty Images | Charley Gallay)According to Spencer, Diana had always wished for Mozart’s Requiem to be played at her funeral. However, when he passed the request along, Palace officials reportedly rejected it, claiming no part of a requiem could be performed during a Church of England service, an explanation Spencer later discovered was incorrect. But that was not the only point of contention. As reported by Woman & Home, he clashed with Charles about funeral arrangements. “The pair allegedly disagreed over one of the most divisive elements of Princess Diana's funeral, with the Earl writing that he argued his sister wouldn't have wanted her sons, Prince Harry and Prince William, to walk behind her coffin.”
However, Charles reportedly insisted that royal traditions could not be broken. That walk ultimately became one of the most traumatic experiences of young Prince Harry’s life. Beyond forcing the procession, the then-Prince of Wales wanted to walk in the center, flanked by his sons. However, his father, Prince Philip, 'overruled' those plans. In an excerpt serialized in The Daily Mail, Spencer recalled, “Prince Charles tried to take charge, having seemingly thought hard about the formation that the five of us chief mourners would adopt behind Diana. But when he said, 'Now, I will walk in the center, with William on my right and Harry on my left,' Prince Philip overruled him in an even voice that closed down any possible dissent. 'No, that isn't how we will do it.'”
Spencer detailed how Prince Philip took control of the procession's layout: “Then, nodding towards me, he continued: 'Charles is representing his sister and their family, so he will walk in the middle, with William and Harry either side of him, and you and I will be on the outside flanks.'” This arrangement placed Diana’s brother and her two sons front and center, while her ex-husband and former father-in-law walked on the outer flanks to pay their respects to the “People’s Princess.” For Spencer, Philip’s decisive intervention to prioritize the family clearly meant a great deal.
