At a glance…
- Princess Diana’s brother, Charles Earl Spencer, is releasing a memoir, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, about the life and death of his sister.
- 2027 marks 30 years since Princess Diana tragically died in a car accident in Paris, France.
- Extracts from the memoir have been shared online, and Earl Spencer sat down with the BBC for an interview about the memoir.
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. One claim alledges after Diana’s death, the then-Prince Charles told Charles Spencer, “Rest assured, we’ll forget her soon enough,” according to the Daily Mail.
After extracts of the novel leaked online, King Charles 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.”
Charles Earl Spencer sat down with the BBC to discuss his memoir, stating he wanted to commit to history as a living witness before he died (he is in his 60s and both his parents died in their 60s). In the interview, he defended his claims about King Charles, telling the outlet that Charles had a “giddy tone” when sharing the sad news about Diana’s death.
“I’d had a lot of calls that day from people who cared, who were stunned… and I just felt there was a lightness in his tone about Diana’s death that really jarred with me,” he said.
“I was hyper-alert to what he was saying, and those are precisely the words he said,” regarding the comment that people would “forget” Diana. “And I promise that to you now. Genuinely, that is what he said.”
Another falsehood spread among royal watchers, was the idea that Princess Diana had an unhappy childhood. “The childhood I remember us sharing was a really happy one,” he told People, revealing he affectionately nicknamed her “Duch.”
“Of course, there was the blight of my mother leaving home, but my father was a really caring father and made the house really joyful… So, maybe there was stuff going on inside that was more personal than she was processing, but at the time I think we seemed very happy.”
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.
During his BBC interview, Charles Earl Spencer reiterated his belief that Prince Harry and his family should have more security.
“I would say that I personally worry about the fifth-in-line to the throne who’s served in the military not having any police protection,” he admitted. “As an uncle who’s seen his sister die in very, very preventable circumstances, I would veer towards protection.”
Their security measures are currently under reconsideration given they are moving permanently to the UK. Charles Earl Spencer said that he sees “echoes” of how Diana was treated in the press in how the Sussexes are treated today. He also shared his hopes of reconciliation between Harry and his elder brother, and heir to the throne, Prince William.
“I hope one day it’s resolved, but I don’t know all – I certainly don’t know what’s been done in the finer detail and so I would feel intrusive if I got more involved than to say of course a mother would want her two sons to be happy together and love each other,” he shared.
This story is developing.
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