Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles yesterday condemned a new book by a former close aide of Princess Diana.
In a strongly worded joint statement, Buckingham Palace and St James's Palace said Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles "deeply deplore" the decision by Princess Diana's former private secretary, Mr Patrick Jephson, to publish the book.
The royal family had "reluctantly" ruled out legal action, which was "a matter of immense regret and disappointment", the statement said.
The book, due to be serialised by a British Sunday newspaper and published in the US, was likely to cause upset to Princess Diana's sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, the royal statement claimed.
Mr Jephson, who worked for Princess Diana during her marriage break-up, said his book was "a truthful and balanced account" intended to protect her memory.
The book has been the subject of a legal wrangle for some time. Royal advisers are concerned that Mr Jephson's revelations will soon be published worldwide on the Internet.
Mr Jephson was a central figure during Princess Diana's divorce and was privy to some of her innermost thoughts. But eventually his close working relationship with her ended after she failed to tell him about her 1996 Panorama interview in which she admitted her affair with a cavalry officer, Mr James Hewitt.
Meanwhile in Paris, lawyers representing Mr Mohamed al-Fayed appealed yesterday against a decision to drop charges against photographers arrested following the 1997 car crash that killed Princess Diana and his son, Dodi.