Prince Charles allegedly told Earl Spencer in the days following Princess Diana’s death: “Rest assured, we’ll forget her soon enough,” according to a deeply distressing new memoir.

Charles Spencer’s explosive book, which will be exclusively serialised by the Daily Mail from tomorrow, recounts what it describes as a bitter dispute with the man who is now King over plans for Diana’s funeral.

The clash came after a decision to have Prince William and Prince Harry, then aged 15 and 12, walk behind their mother’s coffin in the funeral procession — a move opposed by Diana’s brother.

The Earl says he told the then Prince of Wales that Diana would never have wanted her sons to face such an intensely public ordeal at their young ages. Charles is said to have challenged the Spencer family’s sense of duty before making the alleged remark that his former wife — whose death prompted an unprecedented global wave of mourning — would quickly be forgotten.

Earl Spencer says the King’s alleged comments, made nearly 30 years ago, revealed “his pent-up contempt for Diana, and his horror that the world was so bowled over by her death”.

The account appears in Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, a memoir by the 62-year-old Earl Spencer, who says he wrote it to challenge “untruths” about his elder sister.

The Daily Mail can reveal that the book also contains a series of further striking claims concerning Diana’s unhappy marriage to King Charles and the turbulent period after she was killed in a car crash in Paris in 1997.

Its publication is expected to place Buckingham Palace under renewed pressure, coming only weeks after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex returned to the UK from California with their children.

On September 6, 1997, six days after Diana’s death, Earl Spencer famously delivered a defiant eulogy at her funeral that was later named one of the greatest speeches of the 20th century.

His raw oration in Westminster Abbey was delivered after he walked alongside William and Harry, as well as Prince Charles and Prince Philip, behind Diana’s coffin in a funeral procession through central London broadcast to 2.5billion people worldwide.

In his book, Earl Spencer writes that when one of Queen Elizabeth’s most senior aides told him in the days before the funeral that William and Harry would take part in the procession, he responded: ‘That’s not going to happen.’

But minutes later he received a phone call from Prince Charles who insisted that 18 years earlier he had walked in the funeral procession of Lord Mountbatten, his great-uncle, who he affectionately called ‘uncle Dickie’.

The memoir describes how Charles ‘went nuts’ after Earl Spencer pointed out that the Prince had been 30 at the time of Lord Mountbatten’s funeral in 1979.

In one of the book’s most extraordinary passages, Earl Spencer writes: ‘Prince Charles continued his stream of anger, without me interrupting. Then he stopped.

‘I assumed the pause signalled an effort to bring himself under control, but then he unleashed down the phone what I have always taken to be his pent-up contempt for Diana, and his horror that the world was so bowled over by her death. “Rest assured,” he hissed, “we’ll forget her soon enough!”’

Earl Spencer said that he was ‘so stunned’ by the alleged remarks that he took a few seconds to reply.

‘“I can’t believe you just said that,” I said flatly, before hanging up,’ he writes.

Earl Spencer’s description of the shocking outburst threatens to reopen the wounds of the so-called War of the Waleses and Prince Charles’s bitter split and eventual divorce from Diana.

Described as ‘historic’ and ‘extraordinarily moving’, Swan Song is due to be published worldwide next Tuesday – in the UK by Penguin Michael Joseph, a division of Penguin Random House – with the Daily Mail’s exclusive serialisation starting tomorrow.

It comes as police in the Netherlands investigate what publishing sources say is the ‘extremely suspicious’ theft of four copies of the memoir from a lorry earlier this week.

The Daily Mail revealed how a lorry packed with thousands of copies of the book, which were wrapped in black plastic to hide their contents, was broken into after it was parked overnight in a car park while the driver slept in the cab.

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A recent travel survey found that nine in 10 business travelers view their hotel room as the only place where they can genuinely go “off the clock” while on a work trip.

Among 2,000 Americans who travel regularly for business, respondents said the hotel room now serves a purpose beyond overnight accommodation: it is often their sole refuge for truly disconnecting from work.

Business travel has long required professionals to maximize every moment away, juggling meetings, deadlines and opportunities to build relationships.

Yet in that packed schedule, meaningful time to rest and recharge can easily disappear.

Hyatt commissioned Talker Research to examine the modern realities of corporate travel, from scarce personal time and the expectation to remain available to the amenities that help guests stay productive while getting adequate rest.

For many road warriors, one of the most difficult parts of a business trip has little to do with flight delays, logistics or workload. It is the feeling that there is never a moment when they are fully permitted to step away.

One participant cited the “constant pressure to be ‘on’ with no real chance to fully recharge without guilt.” Nearly half of those surveyed, 46%, shared a similar feeling, saying they feel guilty declining optional work events so they can decompress in their hotel room.

In response, many travelers have developed inventive strategies for protecting a small amount of personal time.

Nearly half, or 47%, said they have gone back to their hotel room rather than attend networking events. Another 36% reported pretending to have meetings to secure downtime, while 33% said they have cited scheduling conflicts to skip work dinners.

For some, the reasons for opting out became even more creative.

A handful of respondents confessed to feigning temporary blindness, hearing loss or amnesia to get out of social obligations, while others blamed the need to FaceTime their pet or family — all in pursuit of a little uninterrupted alone time back at the hotel.

Along with being safe havens for rest and relaxation, hotel rooms are also business travelers’ after-hours offices.

In the study, more than half of respondents (53%) said they work most nights after their workday officially ends while traveling, while another 22% said they work every night.

In light of this, for today’s business travelers, success on the road is rooted in recovery.

And business travelers are relying on simple essentials to get them through grueling trips where they’re engaged and available throughout the day and working all night.

While they’re on the road, respondents admitted they’re most excited about the little things: getting to relax in their hotel rooms (40%) and enjoying the hotel’s amenities (36%) — underscoring the increasingly important role hotels play in helping business travelers recharge.

So as the pace of business travel evolves, so does the role of the hotel.

In the survey, respondents emphasized that a great hotel experience is a critical component of helping them recuperate, perform at their best, and, ultimately, have a successful trip.

And hotel quality matters. Nearly nine in 10 work travelers (87%) said their hotel can “literally make or break the success of a trip,” while 79% said staying at a high-quality hotel improves their work performance.

Yet, quality isn’t necessarily synonymous with luxury.

Work travelers defined hallmarks of a high-quality hotel as a venue where quality and service are consistent between stays and locations (46%), where the amenities are better-than-average quality (43%), and where there’s top-notch cleanliness and maintenance (42%).

And when it comes to hotel amenities, consistent basics top the list. Respondents cited a comfortable bed (31%), reliable complimentary Wi-Fi (31%), 24-hour food options (25%), complimentary breakfast (23%), and early check-in (22%) as their must-have amenities and offerings.

“For frequent business travelers, a high-quality stay is not necessarily about extravagance,” said Jason Ballard, senior vice president, global brand leader of essentials at Hyatt. “While on the road, business travelers need to be able to trust that essentials, from a comfortable room and reliable Wi-Fi to convenient food options and work-ready spaces, will be available where they’re staying. When those needs are handled consistently, travelers can focus on the purpose of the trip and find refuge as needed.”

Business travelers’ top 10 must-have hotel amenities:
1. A comfortable bed (31%)
2. Fast, reliable Wi-Fi that’s included in the room (31%)
3. 24-hour food available in-hotel (25%)
4. Complimentary breakfast (23%)
5. Early check-in (22%)

6. Coffee maker in the room (21%)
7. Adjustable temperature / reliable climate control (21%)
8. Plenty of outlets and USB ports (20%)
9. Hydration options (e.g. water stations, in-room bottled water) (20%)
10. Living space / zone within the room that is separate from the sleeping area (19%)

Research methodology:

Talker Research surveyed 2,000 business travelers (1,000 18+ “Extended Stay Travelers” defined as traveling for business, with stays of 5+ consecutive nights, at least 4 times per year and 1,000 18+ “Business Transient Travelers” defined as traveling for business, with stays of 2+ nights, on average of 2+ times per month) who have access to the internet; the survey was commissioned by Hyatt and administered and conducted online by Talker Research between May 29 and Jun 11, 2026.

A 6-year-old boy from Houma, Louisiana, is being praised as a “superhero” after surviving a deadly mass stabbing that killed four people. Despite suffering stab wounds, the child managed to flee to a neighbor’s home, where he collapsed after reaching safety.

Authorities say the suspect, 47-year-old Kaegan Jude Solet, allegedly chased the injured boy to the neighbor’s door, knocked him down and then ran away. The child was able to get inside the residence but soon lost consciousness, local station WWL reported. The neighbor then called 911.

Solet was hospitalized with injuries sustained during the alleged stabbing rampage. After being released Tuesday, he was booked by the Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office on four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted first-degree murder.

The boy remained in stable condition after suffering multiple stab wounds, his father said in a Facebook post Tuesday.

“Please pray for my little man as he recovers he’s so so strong and such a fighter,” his father wrote. “Current status (he’s stable) thank everybody for reaching out.”

In a post on X, the father thanked supporters while sharing memorial messages that called his son a “superhero” and mourned the deaths of four relatives. He said the child “appreciates every last one of you reaching out and helping and praying.”

“I told him earlier that he has so many people behind him and praying for him and he smiled thank yall fr , god bless,” the father added.

The Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office apprehended Solet early Sunday following a manhunt in which information from the wounded child and the neighbor helped investigators.

“On September 12, 2026, Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office Deputies responded to the 200 block of Ashland Drive, where they located a juvenile suffering from apparent stab wounds,” a sheriff’s office Facebook post read. “The juvenile was transported by Acadian Ambulance Service Air Med to an out-of-area hospital in critical condition.

“As Deputies continued their preliminary investigation, four deceased victims were discovered inside two nearby residences. Detectives were called in to assist, and began processing multiple scenes, gathering evidence, interviewing witnesses, and developing information surrounding the incidents. During the investigation, Detectives identified Solet as a person of interest and began an intensive effort to locate him.”

There was a GoFundMe set up for the boy and his family. The crowdfunding page identified the boy’s relatives Verna Mae Verdin and Letha Verret as victims who were killed in their home during the attack. That page had reached almost $60,000 of the $70,000 goal as of Wednesday morning.

“Despite his injuries, he was able to escape and get help,” organizer Brandon Thiel said of the 6-year-old survivor. “He is currently in critical condition at a local hospital, where he continues to fight for his life. This devastating tragedy has left the Verret family facing an unimaginable amount of grief, uncertainty, and hardship. The loss is especially profound for Letha’s minor children, who are now having to cope with the sudden loss of their mother, grandmother, and uncle all at once.”

Solet reportedly was known to the family, and the sheriff’s reports shared no motive.

“Our hearts remain with the victims, their families and every member of our community who has been affected by this unimaginable tragedy,” Sheriff Tim Soignet wrote in a statement posted to Facebook. “We recognize that no words can lessen the pain these families are experiencing, but we want them to know that they are not alone and that our agency remains firmly committed to pursuing justice on their behalf.

“I am incredibly proud of our personnel and supporting agencies whose immediate response and tireless work brought this investigation to this point. Our Deputies are members of this community, and they carry the weight of these tragedies alongside the families and citizens we serve.”

The latest investigation is not the first time Solet’s name has surfaced in violent crime allegations.

Solet was arrested in December 2019 for allegedly stabbing a woman repeatedly and leaving her locked inside a Houma motel room, according to a police news release from the time.

Asked why Solet was no longer in custody, Terrebonne Parish Sheriff’s Office Lt. Blake Tabor said authorities were also searching for answers.

“I can’t tell you. Certainly, that’s the hot question, right? Why is he out?” Tabor said. “We’re probably just as stunned as everyone else is.”

Tabor emphasized that the sheriff’s office has a strong working relationship with the Terrebonne Parish District Attorney’s Office but said questions remain about how Solet’s previous cases were handled.

“How this slipped through, I certainly don’t know, but it’s a question that probably needs to be answered,” Tabor said.

News Media reached out to the district attorney’s office seeking the circumstances surrounding Solet’s release and whether he remained under any court-ordered supervision but did not immediately receive a response.

Ed Sheeran has responded after Macklemore said he was removed from the English singer’s tour over political remarks made on stage.

In a social media statement Tuesday, Sheeran said the decision to drop Macklemore was made by the tour promoter, not by him. He also explained that he personally does not use his platform to address politics.

Macklemore said Monday that he had been removed from Sheeran’s tour after delivering pro-Palestinian remarks during a performance at MetLife Stadium earlier this month. The rapper also shared the comments on social media.

Other scheduled opening acts — including Aaron Rowe, Finneas, Beoga and Lukas Graham — said Tuesday that they would withdraw from the tour following the controversy.

What did Ed Sheeran say in response to Macklemore?

Responding directly to Macklemore’s post, Sheeran said he was “appalled by the conflict between Israel and Palestine.” He said venues scheduled after his New Jersey concerts had indicated they would cancel the shows if Macklemore continued as a supporting act.

“I was informed that this stance was based on how Macklemore conveyed part of his message during his performance, rather than on everything that was said,” Sheeran wrote.

Sheeran said he tried to reach a resolution with several venue owners, including Robert Kraft, the head of the Kraft Group and owner of the New England Patriots. Sheeran is due to perform at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, later this month.

“I was also involved in direct talks with promoters along with activists on both sides to try and find a mutual resolution for all, but the venue’s and promoter’s decision was final,” Sheeran said.

Sheeran reiterated that Macklemore’s exit was not his call, writing: “Macklemore coming off tour was the promoter’s decision, it was not mine. Macklemore’s contract for the tour was with the promoter, not me.”

In his lengthy statement, Sheeran also addressed why he has chosen not to use his public platform to deliver political messages.

“There is a reason I do not use my professional platform for politics – my audience includes young people, often children, of all backgrounds. Those who come to my shows do not expect a political forum,” he said.

Sheeran continued, “I respect Macklemore’s strength of purpose to stand up and shout for what he believes. However, there is room for multiple approaches to the same end: peace.”

Why did Macklemore say he was dropped from tour?

In his statement on Monday, Macklemore said that he and Sheeran were friends but “our friendship can’t change my responsibility to tell the truth about what happened.”

Macklemore said that Sheeran’s “typical apolitical stance was being challenged in a way it never had been before. He told me that the words ‘Free Palestine’ and the image of the Palestinian flag were hurtful to a lot of people he spoke with.”

In his post on Monday, Macklemore said Kraft rallied other venue owners and gave Sheeran an ultimatum, threatening to block the shows if Macklemore remained on the tour.

Macklemore also pushed back on accusations of antisemitism in his post, saying when “opposing Zionism” is conflated with “hatred of Jewish people… It protects Israel from accountability.”

The rapper also shared that he hoped this did not mark the end of his relationship with Sheeran.

Macklemore was scheduled to play eight more shows alongside Sheeran, according to Variety.

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“I didn’t need 10 shows from Ed. I needed 2. Two chances to stand in front of 90,000 people and say the words that somehow became too dangerous to say,” Macklemore wrote. “Free Palestine.”

In a video from the New Jersey show posted to Macklemore’s Instagram, he says, “One of the reasons why I wanted to come on this tour, was because I wanted to stand up here on stages and stadiums across America, and say two words that are very near and dear to my heart. Free Palestine. I said Free Palestine.”

He continued, “I want those words to be loud and clear.”

Macklemore also said, “To all of my Jewish brothers and sisters, criticism of Israel, criticism of apartheid, being against genocide, in no way is a criticism of you,” in the lead up to his song “Hind’s Hall.”

According to the New York Times, Macklemore also showed the song’s music video which features clips from Gaza and U.S. student protests.

ABC News has reached out to Macklemore for any further comment.

Promoter said cancellation would ‘impact hundreds of thousands of fans’

In a statement to ABC News, Messina Touring Group, the tour’s U.S. promoter, said, “As the concert promoter for Ed Sheeran’s U.S. Loop Tour, we have been notified by venues on the upcoming U.S. tour dates that they will not allow a concert to take place with Macklemore on the lineup, which would result in the cancellation of the tour and impact hundreds of thousands of fans. After discussions with stakeholders, Macklemore will not be performing on the remaining support dates.”

Robert Kraft explains why Macklemore would not play Foxborough

In a statement to ABC affiliate WCVB in Boston on Monday, and shared with ABC News, Kraft responded to Macklemore’s comments.

“Based on Macklemore’s recent actions, material shared from the stage during Ed Sheeran’s shows in New Jersey, and a broader history of antisemitic rhetoric and imagery that we believe has been deeply offensive and hurtful to the Jewish community, we determined that his participation in the September 25th and 26th concerts at Gillette Stadium would cross that line,” Kraft stated in part.

He continued, “This decision is not about diminishing the suffering of innocent Palestinians or denying anyone the right to advocate on their behalf. Their pain and loss are real.”

Kraft added, “I would welcome the opportunity to sit down with Macklemore and discuss the facts, because ultimately our goal is the same – peace for all people, an end to suffering, and an end to all hate.”

More supporting acts drop out of Sheeran’s show

Rowe announced on social media, where he also expressed support for Palestine, he would be withdrawing from the tour after Macklemore was dropped.

“I don’t take the decision lightly. Ed has been a friend to me and has changed my life, I could never thank him enough for this,” Rowe wrote in a social media post Tuesday.

“But as Irish people we know all too well about genocide, forced famine and violent occupation,” Rowe said in part.

He finished, “I need to be true to myself and my ancestors who resisted colonisation, and fought for a freedom that I enjoy today in Ireland.”

Rowe was slated to perform with Sheeran on several future tour dates.

More supporting acts including Finneas, Beoga and Lukas Graham also withdrew support on Tuesday.

Two members of a Romanian crime gang burgled the £13.4 million UK home of “Peppa Pig” creator Mark Baker, making off with valuables worth about $87,500 more than a decade after taking part in one of the world’s biggest art thefts.

Radu Dogaru, 41, and Adrian Alempi, 34, entered the English animator’s secluded south-west England property through a first-floor window on Valentine’s Day. The break-in took place during the 90 minutes Baker and his wife were away, a court heard during the men’s sentencing on Tuesday.

“The value of the stolen items was [$87,500] and included jewellery, a Rolex watch, Chanel and other designer handbags and suitcases,” prosecutor Joanne Cecil told the court, according to the Sun.

Both men had already served prison sentences over a 2012 robbery at a Dutch gallery, where paintings by Picasso, Matisse and Monet were among the works stolen.

Alempi had illegally entered the UK only a day before the raid on the cartoon creator’s 12,500-square-foot home.

The burglars were seen at a subway station roughly two hours before the break-in and returned there afterward carrying items taken from the property, including a Louis Vuitton suitcase.

Dogaru and Alempi were placed under surveillance, but that did not prevent them from attempting to target another large London home three days later.

Police caught the pair as they boarded a bus in an apparent attempt to leave the area, after they had already filled their bags with valuables.

Investigators later executed a search warrant at Dogaru’s property and recovered some of Baker’s stolen belongings, prosecutors said, though they did not specify which items were found.

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The two men had previously been convicted over the October 2012 Kunsthal gallery heist in Rotterdam.

Among the works stolen were Picasso’s “Tête d’Arlequin,” Matisse’s “La Liseuse en Blanc et Jaune,” and Monet’s “Waterloo Bridge, London,” which were insured for an estimated $24.4 million.

Dogaru was released from prison in either 2017 or 2018 despite being sentenced to six years behind bars in February 2014, while Alempi received a five-year prison term.

Dogaru has since been sentenced to four years behind bars, while his accomplice has been hit with a five-year prison sentence.

Alempi also pleaded guilty to entering the UK illegally the day before carrying out the heist.

Meanwhile, Baker’s wife has been left traumatized – and has even thought her husband was a crook by mistake.

“She didn’t want to leave the house in case she came back to find it burgled again,” Cecil said.

“She said she screamed when her husband came up behind her wearing dark clothes as she thought he was a burglar.”

With Post wires.