Princess Diana's Brother Claims the Queen Wanted Charles' Ears Pinned Back
Princess Diana's brother made claims about Queen Elizabeth in his bombshell new book.
Sept. 22 2026, Published 7:17 p.m. ET
The late Princess Diana's brother claims his late sister once told him a shocking story about the extraordinary lengths Queen Elizabeth II allegedly considered going to make then-Prince Charles' protruding ears less noticeable, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Charles Spencer relayed the sensational story Diana allegedly shared with him, saying his late sister believed it was true and that it left her feeling "fiercely protective" of her future husband.
Princess Diana's Stories Showed 'Deep Affection' for Charles
Charles Spencer relayed two wild stories he claimed his sister, Princess Diana, told him.
Spencer shared two striking stories in his new memoir, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, that he claims showed just how deeply Diana cared for Charles while they were dating.
"At this time, which predated her engagement by several months, Diana shared with me tales that showed deep and sincere affection for her man: how, as a boy of perhaps thirteen years of age, Prince Charles had dared – for maybe the first time – to defy his father, Prince Philip," Spencer wrote.
Prince Philip Allegedly Publicly Humiliated Charles Over Style Choice
King Charles has been a snazzy dresser as an adult.
"He did this when deciding not to wear a formal suit to a staff party on one of the royal estates. Instead, he chose to don a sports jacket and corduroy trousers. It was an adolescent’s age-appropriate, if mild, attempt to show a modicum of independence," the 9th Earl Spencer explained.
"But, Diana told me, on spotting Charles’s choice of clothes, Philip forced the room to silence, then pointed at his son, before roaring in lengthy, mocking laughter," the author shared.
Spencer noted that this was a "public humiliation that had, as must have been the intention, left Charles mortified."
Princess Diana Allegedly Claimed Queen Wanted Charles' Ears Pinned
Queen Elizabeth allegedly wanted to get Prince Charles' ears 'pinned back' because he was teased.
The second story Diana allegedly shared with her brother involved Charles' prominent ears, a feature that has subjected the king to years of mockery and cartoon caricatures.
Calling the tale even "stranger" than Philip's alleged humiliation of young Charles over his clothing, Spencer claimed the Duke of Edinburgh stepped in to protect his eldest son after learning the Queen was "contemplating the possibility" of having Charles' ears surgically pinned back because relentless teasing at school and ridicule in the media had left him self-conscious.
"Philip not only stopped the medical procedure from being considered further, but he also had one of the Queen’s corgis’ ears operated on. This was to serve as some sort of lasting reminder of a plan that Prince Philip had decided was ridiculous for its softness and vanity," Spencer claimed.
'Fiercely Protective' Diana Believed the Stories, Spencer Claims
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Charles Spencer said he saw 'sadness' on his sister's face on her wedding day to Charles.
Spencer admitted, "I have no idea if these disturbing tales were true; Diana believed them. They evidently made her feel both desperately sad for and fiercely protective of Prince Charles, even though he was a dozen years her senior."
Aristocratic Diana was only 19 when she got engaged to future monarch Charles, who was 32.
Spencer added, "From the start, as her brother, I felt reassured that my sister's love for the heir to the throne was not only true love but almost palpable."
Sadly, pages later in the book he wrote that Diana's love for Charles seemingly wasn't as reciprocated as she'd originally hoped. He spoke about visiting his sister on the morning of their July 29, 1981, wedding as she got ready at Clarence House, noting that "her face had a wistful sadness."
"Only much later would I discover that, as she confided to a close friend, her husband-to-be had told her the previous day that she needed to know that he was very happy to marry her, but he was not actually in love with her," he continued. "Diana had to absorb that hammer blow while also feeling certain that Prince Charles was entering their marriage with his heart elsewhere."
