Charles Spencer apologizes to Piers Morgan over misidentified job description in his new Diana memoir while the broadcaster announces legal action

Alfred Dunhill Links Championship 2025 - Day One - Source: Getty
Piers Morgan stated he still plans to pursue legal action - Source: Getty

The feud between Piers Morgan and Earl Spencer has not been resolved despite Spencer's apology for a factual inaccuracy in his new memoir, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister.

When pictures of Princess Diana working out at a gym were released in 1993, Spencer admitted that he mistook Piers Morgan for the Daily Mirror's editor. According to Morgan, he was employed by The Sun at the time and didn't start working for the Daily Mirror until 1995.

Morgan has stated that he will keep suing Spencer and his publisher, Penguin, for the allegations made about him in the book regardless of the apology.


Why did Charles Spencer apologize to Piers Morgan?

In Swan Song, Spencer recalls personally calling media editors to tell them they were not invited to Diana's 1997 funeral. Spencer claims that while Morgan apparently responded differently, the majority of editors were perplexed or embarrassed by the request.

Spencer wrote:

“The only one who sounded surly, as opposed to merely confused or embarrassed, was Piers Morgan of the Mirror, who snarled with annoyance before he hung up.”

Spencer went on to say he thought Morgan's response related to photographs of Diana exercising that the Mirror published in 1993.

Piers Morgan clarified, though, that at the time the photographs were released, he was not employed by the Daily Mirror. Before joining the Daily Mirror in October 1995, he was working as a showbiz columnist at The Sun.

Spencer now acknowledges that his assumption regarding Morgan's employment was inaccurate. A statement was released; it read:

“Earl Spencer’s account of his conversation with Piers Morgan is accurate. Mr Morgan was surly and annoyed when Earl Spencer called personally to tell him that he was not welcome at his sister’s funeral.”

The statement continued:

“The book then records Earl Spencer’s assumption that Mr Morgan’s response was because he was editor of the Daily Mirror when the Mirror Group had published highly intrusive photographs of Princess Diana at the gym.”

It concluded:

“As an historian, accuracy is important to Earl Spencer. He therefore wishes to clarify that his assumption was incorrect. Earl Spencer apologises to Mr Morgan for this error.”

It is expected that the disputed passage will be corrected in Swan Song: Diana, My Sister's second edition.


Piers Morgan says he will still pursue legal action

Although Piers Morgan acknowledged Spencer's apology for the factual inaccuracy, he stated he still plans to pursue legal action. Morgan posted on X:

"BREAKING NEWS: Earl Spencer has apologised to me for his defamatory lies published in his new book, Swan Song, published today. 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."

Additionally, Morgan is disputing Spencer's version of their phone call. Morgan refuted Spencer's assertion that he sounded "surly and annoyed" upon learning he was not welcome at Diana's funeral. He wrote another tweet:

“Earl Spencer’s account of our phone call is also deeply misleading. I was neither surly nor annoyed, but instead, very respectful to him and his family, as I wrote in my diaries, The Insider. It would seem that Spencer’s recollection of phone calls is very suspect.”

Additionally, Piers Morgan told Sky News that he wants the book taken down, claiming that the longer the disputed material is accessible, the more damage might occur.


What else has Earl Spencer claimed in his Diana memoir?

The dispute with Piers Morgan is just one of several issues that surround Swan Song: Diana, My Sister.

Additionally, Spencer has made statements regarding King Charles's response to Diana's passing in 1997. He claims that the then-Prince of Wales assured him, "We'll forget her soon enough," after seeming "giddily elated" over the phone.

Buckingham Palace reacted to the claim with an unusual statement, stating that the King was aware that grief may "cloud reason, affect judgment, and color memory" even years after a death.

Spencer has maintained his story in an interview with the BBC, claiming to have a vivid memory of Charles' alleged words.

The memoir also explores Diana's marriage to Charles, her interactions with the media, and the circumstances surrounding her passing and funeral.

For the time being, Spencer has apologized and fixed the factual error regarding Piers Morgan's employment, but he still maintains his memory of their phone call. Morgan, on the other hand, insists that the story of their conversation is incorrect and threatens to take legal action.


Stay tuned to Soap Central for more information.

Edited by Zachary D. Lyngdoh