Earl Spencer could be set to make “millions” from his upcoming memoir on Princess Diana, experts have suggested.
Swan Song: Diana, My Sister will be released next week, but has already caused a considerable stir among royal circles.
Following accusations then-Prince Charles said Diana would be forgotten “soon enough” after her tragic death in 1997, Buckingham Palace issued a fiery response.
“While we do not comment on books as a matter of principle, His Majesty is mindful that the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgment and colour memory in ways others do not recognise, even many years after such a loss,” a spokesman told GB News.
After multiple serialisations in the Daily Mail, considerable anticipation has built around the memoir’s release next Tuesday, September 22.
So much so, a publishing source has claimed that it could land the Earl upwards of £10million, should it gain traction in the US.
Industry insiders disclosed that the deal, struck with Penguin after only one other publisher showed initial interest, was worth between £750,000 and £1million.
Penguin Books was also responsible for publishing Prince Harry’s astonishing memoir, Spare.
Earl Spencer could be set to make ‘millions’ from his upcoming memoir on Princess Diana, experts have suggested
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INSTAGRAM: @CHARLES.EARL.SPENCERThe real windfall, though, is expected to come from across the Atlantic. Sources within the trade suggested the Earl could pocket anywhere from £5million to £10million should the book prove a hit with American readers.
One insider told The Sun: “What has been revealed so far has gone down badly with the British public – which means the book may not do that well here.”
The same source was more bullish about overseas sales, predicting it would “sell millions in the States.” Negative press coverage in Britain, they cautioned, could further dent its performance at home.
The Earl has faced significant backlash over the book for a myriad of reasons, one being potential hypocrisy.
Earl Spencer defended the shocking allegations during an interview with the BBC on Friday | BBC
Eagle-eyed royal fans have unearthed a clip of the 62-year-old from 1998, in which he claimed he would “never” profit from his sister’s death.
“Can you imagine anybody making a profit out of their brother or sister’s death? I mean it’s so low it’s inconceivable… I’ll never profit from Diana’s death,” he said in an interview called Diana: My Sister, The Princess.
A second unearthed clip of the Earl has also raised eyebrows over the legitimacy of his claims.
In a 1997 interview with American TV icon Larry King, he stated that “nothing nasty has ever been said” by King Charles, following the late Princess of Wales’ funeral.
Despite this, during a BBC interview on Friday, the Earl defended his claims and insisted he was “telling the truth” on what he called Charles’ “monstrous” comments.
In response to allegations that the King was “furious” with the claims, he asked: “Is he furious? Or is he embarrassed?
“I can tell you here and now, those are exactly the words he said.”
But Conservative Leader Kemi Badenoch was unequivocal: “I have a side, and it’s always on the side of His Majesty.”