EXCLUSIVE: Piers Morgan's Sue Threat Forces Costly Charles Spencer Book Reprint
Piers Morgan previously threatned to sue Charles Spencer over claims made in his new book.
Sept. 23 2026, Published 8:00 p.m. ET
Piers Morgan's threat to sue Charles Spencer has forced an embarrassing and potentially highly costly reprint of the royal's explosive memoir after he admitted making a factual error about the broadcaster, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Spencer, 62, apologized within hours of the publication of Swan Song: Diana, My Sister after wrongly suggesting Morgan, 61, was responsible for intrusive photographs of Princess Diana exercising in a leotard.
Charles Spencer's Apology to Piers Morgan
Morgan's legal threat forced a costly reprint of Spencer's book.
Future editions of the memoir will now be edited to correct the mistake, although Spencer is standing by his account of an angry telephone conversation between the pair.
A publishing source told Radar: "Changing a book after it has already gone on sale is a headache nobody wants. The text has to be corrected for future copies, and everyone involved then has to deal with the fact that an inaccurate passage appeared in the original edition.
"Piers making clear that an apology wasn't enough and threatening legal action inevitably increased the pressure to ensure the disputed material was corrected. It is an embarrassing situation for a major memoir that was always going to receive enormous scrutiny, and a highly costly one at that."
The photographs at the center of the dispute were published by the Sunday Mirror on November 7, 1993.
Morgan was working at The Sun at the time and did not become editor of the Daily Mirror until October 1995.
A statement issued on Spencer's behalf said: "The photographs were published by the Sunday Mirror on November 7, 1993. Mr Morgan has pointed out that he did not join the Daily Mirror until October 1995. As an historian, accuracy is important to Earl Spencer. He therefore wishes to clarify that his assumption was incorrect. Earl Spencer apologizes to Mr Morgan for this error."
Funeral Phone Call Remains Disputed
Morgan challenged Spencer's account of Princess Diana's funeral call.
Spencer nevertheless maintains in his book that Morgan was "surly and annoyed" when he telephoned to tell him he would not be welcome at Diana's funeral.
Morgan also disputes that account and has said he was "neither surly nor annoyed but instead very respectful to him and his family."
He described Spencer's account as "deeply misleading."
Morgan hit out: "It would seem that Spencer's recollection of phone calls is very suspect."
The broadcaster has vowed to pursue legal action despite Spencer's apology and said any damages would be donated to the King's Trust.
Royal Memoir Sparks Palace Response
Buckingham Palace issued a rare statement challenging the memoir's claims.
Morgan added: "Earl Spencer has apologised to me for his defamatory lies published in his new book, Swan Song. But I am pursuing legal action against him and his publisher, Penguin, to have the lies removed, and damages paid to the King's Trust."
The memoir has generated controversy beyond Morgan's complaint.
Spencer alleges King Charles, 77, told him "we'll forget her soon enough" during an angry telephone conversation following Diana's death aged 36 in Paris in 1997.
Buckingham Palace issued a rare response.
It said: "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."
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Both Princes William and Harry has kept silent about their uncle's book.
Prince William, 44, declined to answer when questioned about his uncle's book during a visit to ActOne cinema in West London. Prince Harry, 42, similarly did not talk about the memoir during his recent appearance at the WellChild Awards in London.
Another publishing source said Morgan's intervention had transformed an error into a significant problem.
The insider added: "Once Piers challenged the chronology, it was straightforward to establish that particular detail was wrong. Correcting future editions became unavoidable."
