With the 30th anniversary of Princess Diana’s death nearing, her brother Earl Spencer has written a memoir sharing precious memories and shedding light on “untruths.”
Since Princess Diana’s sudden passing on August 31, 1997, Earl Spencer has been inundated with questions from the media and royal watchers alike. All hoped to use his memory as a way to connect with the People’s Princess. For many years, Earl Spencer declined such intrusions.
But after three decades, something has urged Earl Spencer to tell his sister’s life story through his own eyes. Swan Song: Diana, My Sister will be released in September in the UK.
“With the 30th anniversary of Diana’s tragic death on the skyline, I’ve been inundated yet again with requests for interviews about my sister,” the 62-year-old shared.
“This has convinced me to write down my own thoughts and memories, once and for all, rather than having the discomfort of again reading the opinions of others, many of which are based on untruths that have become accepted over time.”
Many of these “untruths” naturally connect to the British royal family. But mostly King Charles, who allegedly, shortly after Diana’s death, told Charles Spencer, “Rest assured, we’ll forget her soon enough,” according to the Daily Mail.
With extracts of the novel leaking online, King Charles has responded to the criticism — a very uncharacteristic move from the monarch.
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: “While we do not comment on books as a matter of principle, His Majesty is mindful that the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgement and colour memory in ways others do not recognise, even many years after such a loss.”
In August, when Earl Spencer announced the publication, he shared: “The aim of this book is to tell the truth about Diana from her brother’s perspective, just as I attempted to do when speaking at her funeral. As with my eulogy, I want to speak on Diana’s behalf and do so in an openly positive way.”
The eulogy he is referring to was delivered in Westminster Abbey on September 6, 1997. In that eulogy, his sister was described as the “very essence of compassion, of duty, of style, of beauty.” Spencer was just 33-years-old when Diana passed away in Paris, France.
“All over the world she was a symbol of selfless humanity… a standard bearer for the rights of the truly downtrodden,” he said, before adding she was the “most hunted person of the modern age.”
Then and there, he pledged to protect his nephews, Prince William and Prince Harry, from suffering a similar fate.
Published by Penguin Random House UK, Daniel Bunyard praised the novel, sharing: “While these pages contain many revelations that will draw considerable attention, readers will find, for the first time, but also for all time, a fitting tribute to the beloved woman who was Princess Diana.”
This story is developing.
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