Charles Spencer has spoken from the heart about his late sister Princess Diana ahead of the coronation this weekend. As King Charles prepares to be crowned alongside Queen Consort Camilla, the 9th Earl Spencer's thoughts turned to his late sister and the magical impact she had on the people who met her.
The proud younger brother of Diana opened up about his sister to Dame Twiggy on her podcast Tea With Twiggy which was shared with listeners on Friday, on the eve of the coronation. "They loved her," he said. Wearing his heart on his sleeve, he got candid while sharing his enthusiasm for Diana's "brilliant sense of humour" and "genius for people".
Looking back, Charles remembered a special time when people were mesmerised by his sister. In that special moment, he recognised how her charm was the equivalent to the magic of Father Christmas. He shared: "She had such a brilliant sense of humour. That’s the thing. That was the real thing. The royal family before Diana were doing a solid job of responsibility and duty but I remember once going with Diana to a concert for one of her charities. It was a classical concert. It was a lovely event. Afterwards she went on stage after the public had left to talk to the orchestra and they loved her. Eighty people were clustered around and it was rather like children meeting Father Christmas. The look in their eyes. She was so at ease with them and put them at ease. She had a genius for people."
The heartwarming conversation came about as Twiggy recalled the time she met Princess Diana. Kindly, Charles said he was sure his sister would have been equally happy to have met her at the time because Twiggy was a huge star. He said: "Because you were so famous when you were so young, when Diana and I were growing up, there was so much about you in the news so she would have been genuinely thrilled to have met you." Putting the emphasis on his words, he added: "That's true."
Elsewhere in the podcast, Charles was also touched when Twiggy complimented him on his "moving" memorial for his sister at his ancestral home Althorp, in West Northamptonshire. "You are very kind," he told her. Often Charles delights his legion of loyal fans with photographs of Althorp, Diana’s childhood home, on Instagram.The author was the latest guest to speak openly on Tea With Twiggy, an intimate weekly podcast chat. Previous guests include Joanna Lumley, Lynda La Plante, Elaine Paige, Christopher Biggins, Myleene Klass and more. Admittedly, Charles said he felt so relaxed in conversation with Twiggy that he has revealed things he hasn’t told others before. He went on: "I've said things on this podcast that I've never said before." Elsewhere on the podcast, Charles also spoke at length about the history of his family and his home.
His moving interview was released ahead of King Charles' coronation. His ceremony will be shorter than that of his predecessors, for instance the coronation of Queen Victoria took over five hours.