'Giddy King' and 'war of words' over Earl Spencer book
Further allegations made in Earl Spencer's new book are in several of today's papers. The Daily Star headlines on King Charles being allegedly "giddily elated like a lottery winner" when he him called about Diana's death, her brother, Earl Spencer, claimed in the book. Buckingham Palace has strongly pushed back against the credibility of the book, saying: "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."
The Daily Mirror splashes on a "war of words" and "Earl's astonishing claims" after excerpts were released. In the memoir, Earl Spencer claims Diana considered taking her own life, but that "her love for her sons stopped her", the Daily Mirror reports.
The Daily Mail, which has published exclusive excerpts from Earl Spencer's upcoming memoir, says the late Queen "dramatically offered to restore Princess Diana's royal title on the day of her funeral", according to the book. The book Swan Song: Diana, My Sister is "so raw and revealing" it has "sparked a bitter war of words" between the King and Diana's brother, the paper says.
King Charles's former communications chief has come out in defence of his old boss saying the then-prince "was absolutely emphatic that we were to respect Diana's memory", according to the Daily Express.
The Times also headlines on Earl Spencer's claims. Spencer's latest allegations include him suggesting King Charles's reaction to Diana's death was to think "how this event might free him to marry the woman he loved", the Times includes.
Buckingham Palace is "on the defensive", the i Paper reports. The latest allegations will "escalate the row" with the Palace, the i Paper says.
The Sun asks "why is he doing this to the King now?" after royal insiders questioned the "motives of Earl Spencer's vicious attack on the King", according to the paper. Following the release of excerpts from Spencer's new book, a source told the Sun that a "grief-stricken Charles fought for his ex-wife to have a royal funeral", the paper says.
"It's keep calm and carry on" says the Metro readers today as Kate, the Princess of Wales, is pictured happily playing shinty while on a trip to Scotland with Prince William. As claims from Spencer's book came to light, the King Charles, 77, was busy hosting an AI summit, the paper reports.
Tourism bosses have warned owners of holiday cottages will be forced to sell amid the government's plans to tax tourist rentals as second homes rather than as a businesses, the Daily Telegraph reports. Labour is considering the plans ahead of the Budget next month, the paper says.
The Bank of England has warned that interest rates could rise during the Middle East energy crisis, the Financial Times reports.
The Independent leads with an image of Nicholas Brandram, whose family has insisted he was not the so-called "Putney pusher" and have blamed the Metropolitan Police for his death. Elsewhere, the paper reports on Reform UK planning "tax breaks for crypto investors".
And the UK Prime Minister has said that Britain must fully commit to reaching net zero by 2050, the Guardian reports. The paper describes Burnham's comments as his "strongest yet on the issue".
