Piers Morgan reportedly “snarled with annoyance” upon being informed he was no longer invited to attend Princess Diana’s funeral, Earl Spencer has claimed.
The former Daily Mirror editor and broadcaster had been among a host of newspaper journalists to receive invitations, despite her family blaming the press intrusion and the actions of the paparazzi for contributing to her fatal car crash in 1997.
Diana’s brother claimed that after being informed that “all the Fleet Street editors always get invited” to royal services, he was left “flabbergasted” and decided to ring each tabloid newspaper editor to request that they refrain from attending.
In his new bombshell memoir, the 62-year-old Earl said that the majority of editors were “slightly confused” and agreed not to attend the service at Westminster Abbey.
“The only one who sounded surly, as opposed to merely confused or embarrassed, was Piers Morgan of the Mirror, who snarled with annoyance before he hung up.”
Throughout his book Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, the Earl takes frequent aim at the press for its harassment of his sister, which included chasing her in public places, leaking private information and threatening her safety.
The book also detailed how Tony Blair’s press secretary Alastair Campbell had noted the day before the funeral that Mr Morgan had “called and asked me to do all that I could to stop Charles Spencer attacking the press”.
He added that Diana had sought to placate her “chief tormentors” by meeting with them, which included forging relationships with certain journalists and editors.
The Earl said: “Diana decided to show those who were writing such devastating things about her that she was human, and that she had feelings that could be desperately hurt.
He continued: “Once, when I told her I had a particularly testing event coming up in my diary, she replied: ‘Count yourself lucky – that’s the same day that I’ve got to have lunch with Piers Morgan…”
A number of other damaging claims have been made within his 400-page book, including that Charles had said “we’ll forget her soon enough” after she died.
Earl Spencer spoke of how Charles’s phone call following the car crash in 1997 “all sounded strangely matter-of-fact”.
One passage read: “Unlike my other callers, who were stunned, barely able to articulate their condolences and offers of help, he sounded giddily elated – like a lottery winner, I remember thinking at the time.”
Taking to social media, Mr Morgan said: “I’ve seen some brass necks in my time but Earl Spencer slamming the ‘malign cancerous’ way the media supposedly treat Harry/Meghan, whilst simultaneously flogging his book which treats King Charles in a malign cancerous way (as he actually battles cancer) is beyond parody.”
In response to the claims made in the memoir, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said on Wednesday: “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.”
Piers Morgan has been approached for additional comment.
