LONDON, August 19 – Charles Spencer, the younger brother of the late Princess Diana, is set to publish a new book offering his personal account of her life, legacy and death, ahead of the 30th anniversary of her passing.
Charles Spencer Says Book Will Challenge Long-Standing Myths About Diana’s Life and Legacy
The book, titled Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, will be published worldwide, including in the United Kingdom, on September 22 and will be translated into 12 languages, publisher Penguin Random House said in a statement.
It marks the first time Spencer has spoken publicly and extensively about his sister in such a format. The 62-year-old said repeated requests for interviews ahead of Diana’s 30th death anniversary prompted him to put his memories and reflections into writing.
Spencer said many widely held views about Diana were based on “falsehoods” that had gradually come to be accepted as fact.
He said the book aims to present the truth about Diana from the perspective of her brother and offer a more personal understanding of her character.
Diana’s Enduring Legacy
Princess Diana was killed in a car crash in Paris in August 1997. At her funeral at Westminster Abbey in London, Charles Spencer delivered an emotional speech in which he pledged to look after Diana’s two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry.
Three decades after her death, Diana remains one of the most recognisable figures associated with the British royal family.
Her sons, however, have developed a strained relationship amid wider tensions within the royal family. William is now the Prince of Wales, while Harry has stepped back from royal duties and lives in the United States with his wife, Meghan Markle, and their children.
Diana’s former husband, King Charles III, is now Britain’s monarch and is married to Queen Camilla, whom he had previously been in a relationship with.
Despite the family tensions, Spencer has maintained relationships with both William and Harry. In early July this year, Harry, Meghan and their two children reportedly visited Spencer’s ancestral home at Althorp in central England, where Diana is buried.
A Personal Portrait of Diana
Spencer hopes the book will resonate with people who continue to cherish Diana’s memory while introducing younger generations who never had the opportunity to see her during her lifetime.
He describes his sister as a unique and dynamic person—full of love and charisma, yet also affected by self-doubt. Through the book, he seeks to portray Diana as someone who enjoyed life deeply and, in his view, left the world a more beautiful place.
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