Piers Morgan has announced plans to pursue legal action against Earl Spencer over disputed claims in the latter’s recently published memoir about Diana, Princess of Wales. Despite the earl issuing an apology for a factual mistake, Morgan’s legal team has requested the immediate withdrawal of the book, urging that all remaining copies be destroyed.
The controversy centers on claims made by Charles Spencer in *Swan Song: Diana, My Sister*, which was released earlier this week. Among the assertions, Spencer wrote that King Charles III had said “we’ll forget her soon enough” in reference to Diana’s death and described the king as sounding “giddily elated” following the fatal car crash. Additionally, the earl implicated Morgan in the publication of covertly taken photographs showing Diana exercising in a leotard, which appeared in the *Daily Mirror* in 1993.
Morgan rebutted the claim, pointing out that he was employed by *The Sun* at the time and did not assume the editorship of the *Daily Mirror* until 1995, two years after the photographs were published. Following the discrepancy being highlighted, Earl Spencer issued a statement acknowledging the error and apologizing to Morgan. Spencer emphasized that, as a historian, accuracy was important to him but stood by his account that Morgan had been “surly and annoyed” when contacted about not being welcome at Diana’s funeral.
Morgan rejected Spencer’s characterisation of their interaction during a telephone call, describing it as “deeply misleading.” Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s *PM* programme, Morgan said he had instructed legal representatives to send a formal letter to both Spencer and the book’s publisher, Penguin. He called on Spencer to remove the contested material immediately, adding that destroying the book would be the earl’s responsibility should it come to that. Morgan also insisted that he was “neither surly nor annoyed” during their conversation and said he had “been very respectful” to Spencer and his family, citing his diaries as supporting evidence.
A spokesperson for Earl Spencer affirmed the earl’s version of the phone call, stating Morgan responded in a “surly and annoyed” manner when informed he was not welcome at Diana’s funeral. The statement also clarified the timing of the photograph publication, acknowledging that Morgan’s role at the *Daily Mirror* did not begin until after the images appeared.
Morgan has criticized the memoir for containing what he described as “fabricated inaccuracies” and “brazen falsity.” While the earl has apologized for the factual error regarding the photos, he maintains the broader narrative presented in the book. The dispute underscores ongoing tensions surrounding Diana’s legacy and the narratives constructed around her life and death.