As we emerge out of the other side of wall-to-wall coverage of Earl Spencer’s Princess Diana book, the damage from the war of words can be surveyed. From the initial blow to King Charles in the Daily Mail’s first serialized extract, to the way that the Earl doubled down in the face of Palace pushback, the monarchy has taken something of a battering from the book’s claims.
Yet, in this particular PR battle, the Palace has also been declared victorious. The admission of a factual inaccuracy in relation to Piers Morgan has opened the floodgates to debates over Swan Song’s credibility. In addition to the Palace’s statement, allies of the King have come forward to very publicly declare the allegations about how he reacted to Diana’s death just not within his character. Earl Spencer has also been branded a “hypocrite” for selling the book after previously saying he would not profit from Diana’s death.
So far so murky. Initial polling shows the public were divided over whether to believe what the King was accused of saying. In the absence of evidence (and from the King’s perspective, how would you prove a negative), there is little chance of the focus on this taking on new resonance.
But ...