Earl Spencer Memoir Claims to Put Diana and Charles Back in Spotlight
The Earl Spencer memoir claims have put the turbulent relationship between Princess Diana and King Charles back under intense scrutiny almost three decades after Diana’s death.
Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer, and Diana’s younger brother, has written a deeply personal account of his sister’s life titled Swan Song: Diana, My Sister.
The book is due to be published on 22 September 2026, ahead of the 30th anniversary of Diana’s death next year.
Excerpts released before publication contain a series of striking allegations concerning Diana’s marriage, her struggles with an eating disorder, her mental health and the tense days following her death in Paris on 31 August 1997.
Perhaps the most explosive allegation concerns a telephone conversation Spencer says he had with the then-Prince Charles shortly after Diana died.
Spencer claims Charles sounded “giddily elated” during the conversation.
Buckingham Palace has pushed back against the memoir’s portrayal, saying that grief can affect reason, judgement and memory.
It is therefore important to distinguish Spencer’s recollections and interpretations from independently facts.
Here are seven of the biggest claims to have emerged from the memoir so far.
Charles Allegedly Sounded ‘Giddily Elated’ After Diana’s Death
The allegation attracting the most attention concerns the hours immediately following Diana’s death.
Spencer says his telephone was constantly ringing as relatives, friends and others attempted to offer condolences.
According to his account, most callers sounded shocked and struggled to find the right words.
He claims Charles sounded noticeably different.
Spencer describes him as sounding “giddily elated”, and compares his impression of the then-Prince of Wales to someone who had just won the lottery.
Charles reportedly told Spencer that he had already informed William and Harry of their mother’s death at Balmoral.
Spencer says he found the conversation unusually matter-of-fact considering the enormity of what had happened.
Looking back, Spencer speculates that Charles may initially have considered how Diana’s death could affect his future relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles.
That last point is explicitly Spencer’s interpretation rather than an independently verified account of Charles’s thoughts.
Charles Allegedly Told Diana He Was Not in Love With Her
Another major claim concerns the period immediately before Charles and Diana married in July 1981.
Spencer says Diana confided in a close friend that her future husband had told her he was happy to marry her but was not actually in love with her.
According to Spencer’s account, doubts about the relationship had emerged even earlier.
He says Diana became so concerned about the engagement that she considered ending it approximately two months after the announcement.
However, Spencer claims their father told her that withdrawing from such an enormous public commitment was no longer realistically possible.
Charles and Diana married at St Paul’s Cathedral on 29 July 1981 in a ceremony watched by hundreds of millions of people around the world.
Their marriage later deteriorated publicly.
They separated in 1992 and their divorce was finalised in 1996.
Diana Was Allegedly Already Struggling With an Eating Disorder at Her Wedding
Spencer’s memoir also revisits Diana’s well-documented struggle with bulimia.
He claims Diana told him that by the time she walked down the aisle at St Paul’s Cathedral, she had already been dealing with an eating disorder for around five months.
According to Spencer, Diana became deeply concerned about her appearance following photographs taken around the time of her engagement.
He also recalls an alleged comment from Charles about her waist shortly after their engagement, which Spencer believes worsened her insecurity.
Spencer writes that Diana later told him her waist measurement fell dramatically between her engagement and wedding.
Diana herself discussed her struggle with bulimia publicly during her lifetime, most famously in her 1995 BBC Panorama interview.
The new memoir attempts to provide Spencer’s perspective on how early those difficulties developed and the circumstances surrounding them.
Spencer Says Diana Considered Taking Her Own Life
One of the most sensitive sections of the book concerns Diana’s mental health.
Spencer claims his sister experienced periods of severe emotional distress and contemplated suicide on multiple occasions.
He writes that Diana sometimes drove to Beachy Head in East Sussex while experiencing suicidal thoughts.
According to Spencer, her love for William and Harry prevented her from going further.
These claims concern an intensely private and painful period of Diana’s life.
Diana had previously spoken publicly about self-harm, bulimia and the psychological difficulties she experienced during her marriage.
Spencer’s book provides his recollections and interpretation of those struggles.
For publishers covering this section, it is important to handle the subject carefully rather than sensationalising it.
Spencer Claims There Were Tensions Inside the Palace Before Diana’s Funeral
The memoir also provides Spencer’s version of the chaotic days between Diana’s death and funeral.
He says there were “grave tensions” between the teams surrounding Queen Elizabeth II and the then-Prince Charles.
Spencer served as the main point of contact for his family while they discussed funeral arrangements.
Yet he claims senior members of the Royal Family did not communicate with him directly about many of the arrangements.
Instead, discussions were handled through courtiers.
Spencer attributes some of those tensions to what he describes as Charles’s frustrations about still waiting to become king while already in middle age.
Charles was 48 when Diana died.
He eventually became King Charles III following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022.
The memoir’s description of Charles’s motivations is Spencer’s interpretation and has not been independently established.
Spencer Claims Some Palace Figures Were ‘Pleased’ Diana Had Gone
Another particularly serious allegation concerns attitudes inside the Royal Household after Diana’s death.
Spencer praises Lieutenant Colonel Malcolm Ross, who was responsible for ceremonial events involving Queen Elizabeth II, for treating him courteously during preparations for the funeral.
But he contrasts that behaviour with how he perceived others around the Palace.
Spencer claims that he believed some people within the institution felt relieved by Diana’s death.
He goes further, alleging that some were even pleased she was gone.
No individuals are identified in the excerpt as having explicitly expressed such feelings, and the allegation should therefore be understood as Spencer’s account rather than a proven description of the attitudes of Palace staff.
Diana’s relationship with the Royal Family had become increasingly complicated following the breakdown of her marriage.
By the time of her death, she and Charles had been divorced for approximately a year.
Even so, her death produced an extraordinary wave of public grief in Britain and around the world.
Spencer Claims Charles Said ‘We’ll Forget Her Soon Enough’
Perhaps the most confrontational section of the memoir concerns the decision for Princes William and Harry to walk behind their mother’s coffin.
William was 15.
Harry was just 12.
Spencer says he strongly opposed the idea.
According to his account, he told one of Queen Elizabeth II’s senior aides that Diana would never have wanted her sons placed in such a difficult public situation.
Spencer claims Charles then telephoned him and argued that he himself had walked in the funeral procession for his great-uncle Lord Mountbatten.
Spencer reportedly pointed out that Charles had been around 30 when Mountbatten died, whereas Harry was only 12.
The conversation allegedly became increasingly heated.
Spencer then makes one of the memoir’s most striking claims: that Charles told him the public would eventually forget Diana.
Spencer says he immediately ended the telephone conversation.
Buckingham Palace has not accepted Spencer’s broader portrayal of these events.
Buckingham Palace Issues Rare Response
The allegations have produced an unusually direct reaction from Buckingham Palace.
The Palace generally avoids commenting on books about the Royal Family.
However, following publication of the first excerpts, a spokesman said that while the Palace does not normally comment on books, the King is mindful that fraternal grief can affect reason, judgement and memory.
The statement is significant because it challenges the reliability of Spencer’s recollections without attempting to respond individually to every allegation.
The Palace referred journalists back to that statement when further claims emerged.
That leaves readers with two very different perspectives.
Spencer presents his memories of an intensely traumatic period.
The Palace argues, in effect, that grief may have shaped those memories.
Why the Funeral Procession Remains So Controversial
The image of William and Harry walking behind their mother’s coffin remains one of the defining photographs of Diana’s funeral.
They were accompanied by Prince Philip, Charles and Earl Spencer.
The decision has been debated repeatedly in the years since.
Harry has spoken about how difficult the experience was, while accounts from those involved have differed over exactly how the final decision was reached.
That historical debate lends Spencer’s latest account additional significance.
His memoir portrays him as strongly opposed to the boys participating.
Whatever happened during the private discussions, the public image became unforgettable.
Millions watched as two grieving children walked through London behind their mother’s coffin.
Earl Spencer Says the Book Is About Remembering Diana
Despite the explosive headlines the extracts generated, Spencer has presented the memoir as something broader than an attack on Charles.
He intends the book as a personal account of his relationship with Diana.
It explores their childhood, her marriage, her international fame and the private difficulties behind her public image.
Spencer has said he wants to challenge what he regards as misconceptions about his sister.
The timing is also significant.
Diana died on 31 August 1997, meaning 2027 will mark 30 years since the Paris crash.
Interest in her life remains enormous.
Decades later, people continue to debate her influence on the monarchy, celebrity culture, charity work and public attitudes towards the Royal Family.
Why the Claims Need Careful Treatment
Memoirs are valuable historical sources, but they are also personal accounts.
Memories can differ.
People who experienced the same event may remember conversations, motives and emotions differently.
That is especially important when discussing conversations that allegedly occurred privately almost 30 years ago.
Several of Spencer’s allegations concern words supposedly spoken when only a small number of people were present.
Some involve Spencer’s interpretation of another person’s tone or motivation.
Those distinctions matter.
It is accurate to report that Spencer says Charles sounded “giddily elated.”
It would not be accurate to state as an established fact that Charles was delighted Diana had died.
The first describes what Spencer says he remembers.
The second draws a conclusion about Charles’s emotions that cannot be independently established from the excerpts.
That difference is particularly important for responsible royal reporting.
What Happens Next?
Swan Song: Diana, My sister is scheduled for publication on 22 September 2026.
Additional excerpts could therefore emerge before the complete book becomes available.
Once readers and journalists can examine the memoir in full, they may find considerably more context for some of the most controversial passages.
Further responses from Buckingham Palace or people connected to the events are also possible.
For now, the excerpts have already reopened arguments about Diana’s marriage, her relationship with the monarchy and the decisions made in the extraordinary days following her death.
Conclusion
The claims in Earl Spencer’s memoir are certain to generate considerable debate as the publication of Swan Song: Diana, My Sister approaches.
Among the seven major allegations to emerge so far, Spencer says Charles sounded “giddily elated” after Diana’s death, claims Diana was told before her wedding that Charles did not love her, describes her struggles with an eating disorder and suicidal thoughts, alleges tensions within the Palace after her death, and recounts a fierce dispute over William and Harry walking behind their mother’s coffin.
Perhaps the most controversial allegation is Spencer’s claim that Charles suggested Diana would soon be forgotten.
Buckingham Palace has responded by warning that the pain of grief can affect judgement and colour memory.
That response is important.
Nearly three decades have passed since the events Spencer describes, and many of the conversations remain unverifiable.
The memoir therefore offers one deeply personal perspective on Diana’s life and death rather than an undisputed historical record.
What cannot be disputed is Diana’s continuing cultural impact.
Almost 30 years after her death, new accounts of her life continue to attract worldwide attention — and to reopen some of the most painful chapters in modern royal history.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Earl Spencer’s new book called?
The memoir is titled Swan Song: Diana, My Sister.
When will Earl Spencer’s memoir be released?
The book is scheduled for publication on 22 September 2026.
What did Earl Spencer claim about Charles after Diana died?
Spencer claims the then-Prince Charles sounded “giddily elated” during a telephone conversation shortly after Diana’s death. This is Spencer’s recollection and interpretation, and Buckingham Palace has challenged the reliability of his account.
What did Buckingham Palace say?
The Palace said it does not normally comment on books, but it noted that the pain of fraternal grief can affect reason, judgement and memory.
Did Earl Spencer oppose William and Harry walking behind Diana’s coffin?
According to his memoir, yes. Spencer says he strongly objected because William and Harry were only 15 and 12.
When did Princess Diana die?
Diana died following a car crash in Paris on 31 August 1997, aged 36.
