Forum Topic

The King and the Earl

In my book the what the Earl is saying has the ring of truth about it -what the Palace has issued does not amount to a denial.

Clifford Cowell ● 27d18 Comments

I agree with you, a little bit.My question has to be, why this book after 29 years of her death?  It does not make much sense to me, 10 years I could have understood, but now?The only thought that comes to my mind is that Earl Spencer requires additional income.

Ivonne Holliday ● 27d

Some reports I have read have linked its publication to coincide with the return of Harry who has always been close to his Uncle, the Earl.  Collaborators mischief making against the King …

Sue Hammond ● 27d

It's a family matter, does anyone else care?

Michael Ixer ● 27d

You obviously care enough to comment about it …

Sue Hammond ● 27d

It would be normally, but this is a very public family matter.  It is exploiting Diana's memory in a very untasteful way!I wonder, and this is me being truly horrid, if there is a helping hand from Harry and Meghan somewhere......

Ivonne Holliday ● 27d

Or maybe the king just isnt a very nice person?

Michael Brigo ● 27d

Ms Hammond'Some reports I have read have linked its publication to coincide with the return of Harry who has always been close to his Uncle, the Earl.'Two of a kind - privileged, self important and publicity seeking.And Spencer certainly has a let's say chequered history in his relationships with women.https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/40410818/earl-spencer-feuds-cheating-wives-missing-daughters-weddings/Probably short of dosh even though I believe he charges for people to visit Diana's grave at Althorp.Nasty piece of work whose word and memory are neither to be trusted.

John Hawkes ● 27d

Mr Brigo'Or maybe the king just isnt a very nice person?'Do you measure this against the standard set by Spencer ?https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/40410818/earl-spencer-feuds-cheating-wives-missing-daughters-weddings/

John Hawkes ● 27d

I think, Michael B, we should be careful here.We all knew, from the 80s, that that marriage arrangement was not made in heaven, far from it.Charles and Diana separated so, for all intents and purposes, they were not very good friends.  Why briing all of this up today?  We all knew Charles and Diana did not get along.  Who was to blame?  Apparently Charles and the fact that he married Camila in the end must be the proof.  But we must be careful with this for her children and grandchildren's sake.  Do we want to convert their lives into a soap opera?  I certainly do not!  So, is this a purposely sensationalist book or has it been written by somebody desperate for funds?Whichever way, it does not do the memory of Diana any favours at all.

Ivonne Holliday ● 27d

@MBI agree

Sue Hammond ● 27d

"Do you measure this against the standard set by Spencer ?"Why does one person have to be judged against another? It's not a competition where you say "well Charles was only sleeping with one person who wasn't his wife whereas Spencer was sleeping with more"The fact is the king was in a relationship with Camilla all the way through his marriage to Diana. Does that sounds like a nice person to you?

Michael Brigo ● 27d

@Mr Hawkes 19.34I mostly agree with your post but I don’t think Charles Spencer is short of dosh because he’s been a very successful author, journalist and broadcaster for many years; plus his income from Althorp must be substantial. “Charles Spencer is an author, historian, public speaker, broadcaster and journalist. He is also the 9th Earl Spencer.Charles Spencer is the author of seven non-fiction books, including three Sunday Times bestsellers: Blenheim, Battle for Europe, which was shortlisted for Historical Book of the Year at the 2005 National Book Awards; Killers of the King – which was the second highest selling History book in the UK in 2014; and The White Ship, the No. 1 bestseller on Amazon.He has been the keynote speaker at hundreds of events in the UK, India, USA, South Africa, France, Australia, Canada, Spain, Portugal and New Zealand.As a broadcaster, Charles Spencer worked for NBC News as an on-air correspondent from 1986 to 1995. He has been a reporter for Granada Television, has presented for the History Channel, and has appeared on many occasions as an expert on the BBC.As a print journalist he has written in the UK for The Guardian, The Independent on Sunday, The Financial Times, The Daily Telegraph, and others. In the United States he has written for Vanity Fair, Veranda, and Nest magazines.”

Sue Hammond ● 27d

Sue, I care to the extent that we were a proper democratic republic with an elected head of state and none of this fuck1ng stupid royal family cr4p :-)

Michael Ixer ● 27d

Mr Ixer'if we were a proper democratic republic with an elected head of state and none of this fuck1ng stupid royal family cr4p :-)'We all know how enamoured you are of the Presidential system of the USA and its current incumbent.No family quarrels there as they all get on so nicely.As a matter of interest who would you like to see as President of the UK ?

John Hawkes ● 26d

He also could so easily have misheard or misunderstood what was being said about arrangements being put in place.  It was such a shock for everyone.

Philippa Bond ● 25d

The main take away from the Paris car accident and Diana and Dodi's death is: "don't drink and drive", and "speed kills"? I must admit we'd been back late that night after driving back from somewhere, and shortly after going to bed there was a news flash on the radio about the accident, followed not long after by news of their deaths.Our immediate though was: it might be a hit job by the security services to avoid embarrassment to the Royal Family - perhaps if Diana and Dodi married? But as details filtered through over the days it seemed to be more like a bad, random, car accident, probably induced by paparazzi pandering to followers of Royal Family gossip, and the driver not being a UK trained protection officer.I suppose one could blame the Royal Family for not providing adequate protection to the former wife of the future Kings? Perhaps that's a feeling that worries the King's younger son, Harry? (Assuming he is his son.) It would be embarrassing if the one or both cousins of the future King George were to be kidnapped? Perhaps that explains the quick change of schools?In answer to my Hawkes question. The US system has failed. The judiciary should not be appointed by the executive president but by judges who are independent legal experts in a constitution - ideally a written one but tge ECHR plus legal precedent is better than none. And the president as head of state should be separate from a prime minister leading the elected parliament. As a pragmatist, to avoid radical change in these present, uncertain, times - and the poor example of Trump - King Charles - and his eldest son - seems a least worst option at present.  We just need to rid all other Royals of their titles and payments from the public purse.

Michael Ixer ● 25d

Mr Ixer'Our immediate though was: it might be a hit job by the security services to avoid embarrassment to the Royal Family - perhaps if Diana and Dodi married?'To someone as paranoid and 'anti-establishment' as you the truth about the crash must have been a bit of a let down.Diana had been 'spending the evening' with her lover and Mohamed Fayed had arranged the get away car with a driver from the Paris Ritz hotel he owned who was drunk.Yes she was followed by paparazzi but she often courted press attention (she and Dodi on Mohamed Al-Fayed's yacht ?) but a more discrete departure was certainly possible.Have you never considered that this might have been a very early portent of the Islamist attacks we have now come to expect and have to learn to live with ?But perhaps had the marriage happened the new ecumenicalism would have been brought about that is seemingly what the country wants now.https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckr50lrz5e6zo"Archbishop of Canterbury withdraws award from Muslim cleric who praised Osama bin Laden"'Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi received the award for reconciliation and interfaith cooperation from Dame Sarah Mullally last week, on the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.Lambeth Palace faced a backlash after it emerged Ashrafi praised Bin Laden - the architect of the 2001 attacks - as someone who had "been fighting for Islam against the Russians, Americans and British", in comments from 2007.Ashrafi also reportedly said he would give Bin Laden the title Saifullah, which means "Sword of God". He told the BBC his remarks had been "totally taken out of context".Does anyone recognise either of his two wives ?

John Hawkes ● 24d

Spencer makes a lot of his care for his nephews. And like every family in a divorce sides with his sibling against the other. But his book makes Harry who he cares so much about have to choose ,does he believe his much married uncle or his twice married father. Meanwhile the saint like Harry who is such a devoted family man that he trashes his father,brother,step mum, father in law,the monarchy,the judiciary and the press while feeling intensely about wounded soldiers and disabled kids. Mixed up,thats one way of putting it.

Hugh Thompson ● 24d