EXCLUSIVE: King Charles Told Princess Diana's Grieving Brother He Was 'So Lucky' to Inherit Althorp in His 20s After Father's Death
King Charles allegedly told Charles Spencer he was 'lucky' to 'inherit' in his 20s.
Sept. 22 2026, Published 6:00 p.m. ET
Princess Diana's brother has made the sensational claim that then-Prince Charles told him he was "so lucky" following his father's death because he got to inherit the sprawling Althorp estate and become the 9th Earl Spencer at such a "young" age, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The alleged remark was especially striking given Charles famously became the longest-serving Prince of Wales in British history, waiting until he was 73 to finally ascend the throne following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, at the age of 96 in 2022.
Charles Spencer Recalls Allegedly 'Awkward' Conversation With Then-Prince Charles.
Charles Spencer wrote about his allegedly highly uncomfortable conversation with then-Prince Charles in his new memoir.
In his new memoir, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, Spencer recalled the day of his father's funeral in April 1992, when "Diana told me that her husband would like to go back to Althorp after my father’s funeral, rather than attend the cremation. She asked me to keep him company till she returned."
The brand new Earl was "happy to do this" for his brother-in-law, and soon found himself in an "awkward" moment with Charles.
"We found ourselves standing rather awkwardly in Althorp’s oak-paneled Tapestry Sitting Room talking about the service. I shared that I had found it so moving to see my father’s coffin being borne into the church by his six longest-serving male members of staff that I had caught my breath and started to cry," Spencer explains, as his sister Sarah, seeing the "state" he was in, "touched me gently on the shoulder, in a silent gesture of support and understanding," while Charles had a far different reaction.
King Charles Allegedly Told Charles Spencer He Was 'Lucky' That His Father Died
King Charles allegedly told Spencer he was 'lucky' that his dad died and was able to inherit 'young.'
"Then, as we stood opposite one another, Prince Charles suddenly said: 'You’re so lucky!" Spencer alleges in the book.
Saying he was "unsure if I had heard him right, Spencer asked Charles, "I'm sorry, sir?" about the shocking and seemingly inappropriate comment.
The future king allegedly replied, "You're just so lucky – you know, inheriting when you’re so young!"
'Seeing The Death of A Loved One as Lucky Was Perverse and Heartless'
Spencer was completely taken aback by then-Prince Charles highly awkward comment.
Spencer writes, "I really had no idea what to say. I was thinking so many things: that I was devastated at my father’s loss, which had been so sudden and unexpected. That I would swap all my inheritance for a few more years of his presence in my life. That seeing the death of a loved one as lucky was perverse and heartless."
He continued about the alleged moment, "I found I could not formulate any of this into a suitable sentence, so I just stood there in a baffled but uncomfortable silence, looking forlornly at the floor, hoping the conversation could quickly take another turn, or that Diana and the others would suddenly come home, and rescue me from this most bizarre of conversations."
Then-Prince Charles Allegedly Complained About Being '43' and Still Not Inheriting the Throne
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King Charles was 73-years-old before his mother, Queen Elizabeth, died at the age of 96.
Unfortunately for Spencer, he claims Charles "was warming to his theme."
"'You're inheriting this place in your twenties. And, I mean, I'm forty-three,' he said, according to Spencer, "'and I employ fifty people!'"
Spencer alleged that Charles became "flushed in the face and went on to complain, "'But my parents insist on treating me like, like a child!'"
At this he stamped his foot in emphasis, "I have to say, very much like a child; and a petulant one, at that."
The king's mother ultimately reigned for a staggering 70 years – longer than any monarch in British history, celebrating her historic Platinum Jubilee just months before her death on September 8, 2022. Charles finally ascended the throne at 73, less than two months shy of his 74th birthday.
