LONDON, September 20 — Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer, has defended claims he has made about King Charles III in a recent interview with the BBC, according to the broadcaster. Spencer is the younger brother of Diana, Princess of Wales, and the uncle of Prince William, Prince of Wales, and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex. The interview was broadcast by the BBC; the exact date of the broadcast is not specified.
The specific claims Spencer has made about the King are not detailed in the source material. No direct quotes from the interview have been provided.
Background and Context
Spencer is the author of a 2024 memoir, A Very Private School, in which he detailed physical and sexual abuse he suffered at Maidwell Hall, a boarding school he attended from 1975 to 1978. The interview follows longstanding public tensions involving the British royal family. Those tensions include the 1995 BBC Panorama interview with Diana, Princess of Wales, conducted by Martin Bashir.
An independent inquiry led by Lord Dyson, published in May 2021, found that Bashir had used deceptive methods to secure that interview. The Dyson report led to a formal apology from the BBC and a settlement with Diana’s former private secretary, Patrick Jephson.
Spencer has previously said he was shown false documents by Bashir.
What to Watch
The King’s office has not commented. The BBC has not issued a statement regarding the interview. Spencer’s claims about the King have not been independently verified.
King Charles III acceded to the throne on 8 September 2022, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. His coronation took place on 6 May 2023 at Westminster Abbey in London.
The King has been undergoing treatment for cancer, a diagnosis announced by Buckingham Palace on 5 February 2024. Whether Spencer elaborates further on his claims, and whether Buckingham Palace or the BBC respond, will shape how this latest chapter in the royal family’s long and contested relationship with the media develops.
