Former Republican President Donald Trump claimed his new book, Letters to Trump, will feature letters from multiple famous figures before and after he ran for office.
But he's sparked controversy for claiming in an interview with far-right Breitbart News all of these people—including the late Princess Diana—"kissed his a**":
“I think [readers are] going to see a very fascinating life. I knew them all—and every one of them kissed my a**, and now I only have half of them kissing my a**."
Diana, Princess of Wales, was the first wife of the newly-minted King Charles III and mother of Princes William and Harry.
Widely respected for her advocacy work on behalf of children, and those affected by cancer, mental illness and AIDS and landmines, Diana's premature death in a car wreck in Paris in 1997 led to extensive public mourning and global media attention. Her funeral—viewed by an estimated 2 to 2.5 billion people worldwide—was one of the biggest televised events in history.
And according to her brother, Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer, Diana was no fan of Trump.
Spencer responded to Trump's claim with the following message on Twitter:
"Surprised to hear that Donald Trump is apparently claiming that my late sister Diana wanted to “kiss his arse”, since the one time she mentioned him to me - when he was using her good name to sell some real estate inNew York - she clearly viewed him as worse than an anal fissure."
You can see Charles Spencer's tweet below.
Many agreed with Spencer's assessment and joined him in criticizing Trump.
Trump has previously claimed he could have “nailed” Princess Diana, as he did during a 1997 interview months after the car crash that killed her.
His son Donald Trump Jr. has defended his father, saying Trump has corresponded with “some of the most interesting people in the world” but “it’s amazing how quickly their adoration of him changed when he ran for office as a Republican."
Trump Jr. was adamant that Letters to Trump will show readers "exactly how they felt about him and how phony their newfound disdain truly is.”
