Who is Earl Spencer, the man at the center of the latest royal saga?

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Earl Spencer, whose soon-to-be-published book about the late Princess Diana has already caused a headache for the British royals, pictured at Althorp House in Northamptonshire in 2024.

When Earl Charles Spencer delivered his powerful eulogy for the late Princess Diana, he pledged to protect her sons - whom he referred to as "blood family" - from the anguish that regularly drove his sister "to tearful despair."

Nearly 30 years on, claims made in his new book risk, as one British newspaper put it, plunging a "dagger into the heart" of those two sons.

Spencer claims his former brother-in-law - now King Charles - launched into a "stream of anger" over the phone following Diana's death, after Spencer argued she would not have wanted William and Harry to take part in her funeral procession, according to excerpts published this week.

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The King is also accused of saying, "we'll forget her soon enough" - a claim Buckingham Palace has firmly rejected.

Some British media outlets and royal commentators have questioned the purpose of dragging up the past, while others have defended Spencer, saying his book shows he was prioritizing family over royal tradition.

Charles Spencer was born in London on May 20, 1964, into a prominent British aristocratic family with links to the modern-day royal clan. The late Queen Elizabeth II was his godmother.

In 1508, the family purchased the Althorp estate in West Northamptonshire, England, around two and a half hours' drive north of London, where their ancestral seat remains to this day.

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Spencer was educated at Eton College, the prestigious school located in the English county of Berkshire, a stone's throw from Windsor Castle. He then attended Magdalen College at the University of Oxford, where he studied modern history, according to his website.

Later, Spencer worked as a journalist, including spending a decade at the American TV network NBC News from 1986 as an on-air correspondent.

He has written several books, including titles exploring his own family's past, as well as books about royal figures such as Charles II. He has five daughters and two sons from his first three marriages, according to his website.

Spencer remembers their early years fondly and says the pair spent a significant amount of time together, particularly during their parents' divorce.

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But their relationship, as with many siblings, wasn't without its squabbles.

Fractures between the pair were documented in a series of letters revealed during the 2002 theft trial of Diana's former butler.

The Telegraph, which reported on the trial, said Diana's request for a home in the "Garden House" on the family estate following her separation from then-Prince Charles was initially accepted but later turned down by Spencer who suggested alternative properties on the grounds.

Another letter cited in the trial referred to a phone call between the siblings in which Diana hung up on her brother.

Reporting synthesized and verified under Nexvoro.tech editorial guidelines. Full primary records referenced via Google News US Entertainment.