Charles Spencer to ‘Tell the Truth’ About Princess Diana in New Book

Almost 30 years after Princess Diana’s death, her younger brother, Charles Spencer, is preparing to publish his first extended account of her life from his perspective.

Spencer, the 9th Earl Spencer, will publish Swan Song: Diana, My Sister on 22 September 2026. The memoir will cover their childhood, Diana’s marriage to the then Prince of Wales, her life after the breakdown of the marriage and the events surrounding her death in Paris in 1997. The book will be published by Michael Joseph in the UK and is set to appear internationally in 12 languages.

Photo: Penguin

Spencer has spoken publicly about Diana over the years, but this will be his first book devoted to his sister. He said repeated requests for interviews about her had made him increasingly uncomfortable with accounts that he believed contained untruths that had become accepted over time.

The decision comes as interest in Diana continues ahead of the 30th anniversary of her death in August 2027. Spencer says he wants to tell her story as her brother, drawing on memories that date back to their childhood rather than relying on accounts written by people who knew her primarily through her public role.

Photo: Getty

The memoir will begin before Diana became a member of the Royal Family. She and Spencer grew up together at Park House in Norfolk and later at Althorp, the Spencer family estate in Northamptonshire. Their parents, John Spencer and Frances Shand Kydd, divorced when the siblings were children.

Spencer has previously written about aspects of his childhood in his 2024 memoir, A Very Private School. The book examined his experiences at boarding school, including the abuse and isolation he says he experienced after being sent away from home at the age of eight. His new memoir shifts the focus to Diana and the family life they shared.

Photo: Getty

The book is also expected to revisit the period following Diana’s 1981 marriage to Charles, then Prince of Wales. Her public role changed dramatically after the wedding, followed by her separation from the Prince of Wales and the intense media attention surrounding the end of their marriage.

Spencer’s own involvement in Diana’s media history could make some sections of the memoir particularly closely watched. He was involved in the circumstances that led to Martin Bashir’s 1995 Panorama interview with Diana. A later BBC investigation found that Bashir had used forged documents to secure access to the princess. Spencer subsequently supported journalist Andy Webb’s investigation into the affair.

Photo: Getty

Spencer also played a central public role after Diana’s death. At her funeral in 1997, he delivered a eulogy in which he criticised the treatment she had received from the press and promised that her sons, William and Harry, would be protected by the family.

His new book takes that personal connection further. Rather than presenting another biography based on interviews and historical research, Spencer is writing about someone he knew throughout her life as his sister.

Photo: Instagram

The memoir arrives on 22 September, shortly after the 29th anniversary of Diana’s death and almost a year before the 30th anniversary. Its publication will add another account to the extensive record of Diana’s life, with Spencer addressing the memories, events and disputed versions of her story that he says have stayed with him for decades.

Swan Song: Diana, My Sister is expected to offer Spencer’s most detailed account yet of his relationship with Diana and his recollections of the years that shaped her life.