Princess Diana’s brother reignites royal tensions with new book

Charles Spencer, the younger brother of the late Princess Diana, has reignited controversy surrounding the British royal family with the publication of his new book about his sister and her troubled marriage to King Charles.

Spencer’s book, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, explores Diana’s life, her relationship with the former Prince Charles and the events surrounding her death in 1997. The book is being published on Tuesday, with excerpts already drawing strong reactions from the royal household.

In the book, Spencer makes several claims about King Charles’ behaviour following Diana’s death. He alleges that Charles appeared “giddily elated” after the tragedy and claims the King later said that people would soon forget Diana.

Spencer, 62, has described himself as an “eyewitness to history”. He says he felt a personal responsibility to document his memories of Diana and the difficult years surrounding her marriage, separation and death.

Buckingham Palace has strongly challenged Spencer’s account. In a statement, the Palace suggested that grief could influence a person’s recollection of events. It said that “fraternal grief” could affect judgment and memory.

The response has added further attention to Spencer’s book and reopened discussion about one of the most difficult periods in the modern history of the British monarchy.

Spencer was born into one of Britain’s prominent aristocratic families. He also had close links with the royal family. Queen Elizabeth II was his godmother.

He was only 17 when Diana married then-Prince Charles in 1981. The wedding became a global event and attracted enormous public attention. Spencer later recalled that, at the time, he was more focused on his school examinations and sports than on the historic significance of the ceremony.

Diana and Charles went on to have two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry. However, their marriage gradually deteriorated. By the early 1990s, their marital problems had become a major international news story.

Spencer has said he did not fully understand how difficult Diana’s situation had become. He has also expressed regret that he could not do more to support his sister during those years.

Charles and Diana eventually divorced in 1996. Diana died the following year in a Paris car crash at the age of 36 while travelling with her companion Dodi Fayed. Their vehicle was being pursued by photographers at the time.

Spencer delivered a widely remembered eulogy at Diana’s funeral. His speech was watched by millions of people around the world and became one of the defining moments of the funeral.

He praised Diana’s compassion and described the unique impact she had on people. However, some of his remarks also created tension with the royal family, particularly his suggestion that Diana’s family would protect her sons.

His latest book has brought those old tensions back into the spotlight. Spencer claims that Charles reacted angrily when he questioned whether William and Harry, who were teenagers at the time, should walk behind their mother’s coffin during the funeral procession.

Spencer has also disputed Buckingham Palace’s suggestion that grief may have influenced his recollection. He described the Palace’s response as deeply provocative and said it effectively questioned his honesty without allowing the King to directly answer his allegations.

Beyond his connection to Diana, Spencer has built a career as a historian, author and broadcaster. He studied history at Oxford University and later worked for NBC News for around a decade, presenting lifestyle and travel programmes.

He inherited the Spencer family’s Althorp estate after his father’s death in 1992. The historic property has remained in the family for centuries and is also the final resting place of Princess Diana.

Spencer later turned to historical writing and produced several bestselling books. His literary career has also contributed to the restoration and maintenance of the Althorp estate.

In 2024, he published another memoir, A Very Private School. In the book, he discussed his childhood experiences at boarding school, including abuse, neglect and isolation.