Queen Camilla issues ‘go together’ message as King Charles faces bitter Earl Spencer row
Queen Camilla issues ‘go together’ message as King Charles faces bitter Earl Spencer row
Ben McCaffrey Sun, September 20, 2026 at 2:26 PM UTC
15
Queen Camilla | Source: PA
Queen Camilla struck a pointed note of unity at her annual literary gathering on Saturday, calling for togetherness as King Charles finds himself embroiled in an increasingly bitter dispute with Earl Spencer.
Addressing guests at the fourth Queen's Reading Room Festival, held on the grounds of Chatsworth House in Derbyshire, the Queen said she had been "recently reminded of a rather beautiful proverb, 'If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together'".
The remarks carried unmistakable resonance given the escalating war of words between Buckingham Palace and Diana's younger brother over his forthcoming memoir, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister.
Camilla attributed the success of her literary initiative to the "incredible support offered to us by a huge number of booklovers: writers, actors, publishers and, above all, readers".
The Queen's speech also marked six years since the founding of her Reading Room, which began as a book club during the pandemic in 2020 and has since grown into a worldwide community spanning more than 180 countries. Members exchange recommendations, conduct research and donate thousands of books to women's refuges and homeless shelters.
With characteristic wit, Camilla joked that the venture might initially have been "called 'The Long Shot' by Dee Featist", though her own sentiments were better captured in "How Books Can Change Lives' by Mustafa Hope".
During her visit, she browsed rare editions by Chaucer, Dickens, Wilde and Charlotte Brontë in Chatsworth's House of Stories exhibition, and attended a reception with literary luminaries including Lee Child, Elif Shafak, Kate Atkinson and Ken Follett.
A new BBC Arts documentary featuring the Queen, entitled The Book That Changed My Life, was also announced, with an expected broadcast date of October 14.
Despite being set against a disruptive background, to say the least, Their Majesties have carried on with scheduled engagements, with the Queen appearing in buoyant form throughout the afternoon.
Advertisement
The dispute between the Spencer and Windsor households centres on a series of allegations contained in Earl Spencer's memoir, currently being serialised in the Daily Mail.
According to the Earl, the then-Prince of Wales told him "we'll forget her soon enough" during a heated telephone exchange in the days following Princess Diana's death in 1997.
Queen Camilla | Source: PA
Buckingham Palace responded with a remarkably forceful statement - described as unprecedented - accusing the King's former brother-in-law of having his "reason, judgment and memory" clouded by grief.
Earl Spencer, however, went back to battle himself. Speaking to the BBC from his Althorp estate in Northamptonshire, he was emphatic: "I can tell you here and now, those are exactly the words he said."
The Earl noted, pointedly, that the Palace denial stopped short of the King himself refuting the words: "I don't hear him saying he didn't say that."
Earl Spencer | Source: BBC
He told family and friends at the time what had been said "because it was so monstrous", he added, suggesting the King may be "embarrassed" by the remark.
The memoir - due to hit the shelves on Tuesday - has yielded a string of explosive revelations. Earl Spencer claims that Charles himself told Diana on the eve of their wedding that "he was very happy to marry her, but he was not actually in love with her."
The Earl further alleges that Charles sounded "giddily elated like a lottery winner" shortly after Diana's death.
Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
