Earl Spencer to publish memoir about Princess Diana's life and death

Earl Spencer to publish memoir about Princess Diana's life and death

Earl Spencer is releasing a memoir about his sister, Diana, Princess of Wales, which he says will address untruths and provide revelations that will draw considerable attention. The book, titled Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, is scheduled for publication on September 22, 2026.

According to the Earl, the decision to write the book came after he was inundated yet again with interview requests as the 30th anniversary of his sister's death approaches. He stated that writing his own thoughts and memories would spare him the discomfort of reading others' opinions, many of which he believes are based on falsehoods that have become accepted over time.

The memoir is expected to cover a wide span of the former Princess of Wales' life, including her childhood at the Spencer family home of Althorp and her failed marriage to the now King Charles. It will also detail the tragic week of her death and the tense days that followed her car crash in Paris in August 1997, when she was 36.

Earl Spencer described his aim as telling the truth from a brother's perspective and speaking on Diana's behalf in an openly positive way. He hopes the account will help those too young to remember her understand her as a one-off, dynamic character characterized by charisma, love, and self-doubt.

The publication follows a history of public advocacy for his sister. During the funeral at Westminster Abbey on September 6, 1997, Earl Spencer delivered a defiant eulogy broadcast to a global audience. In that speech, he praised Diana as a symbol of selfless humanity and a standard bearer for the rights of the truly downtrodden.

"It is a point to remember that of all the ironies about Diana, perhaps the greatest was this—a girl given the name of the ancient goddess of hunting was, in the end, the most hunted person of the modern age,"

Earl Spencer, eulogy via Town & Country

During that service, he also pledged that Diana's blood family would protect Princes William and Harry, who were 15 and 12 at the time. However, later accounts suggest tension regarding the ceremony. In the 2023 memoir Spare, Prince Harry wrote that Earl Spencer objected to the princes walking in the funeral procession, describing the situation as barbarity.

The book will be published by Penguin Michael Joseph, a division of Penguin Random House. Daniel Bunyard, publishing director at Penguin Random House UK, described the work as one of historic importance and remarkably candid, noting that the Earl's perspective as a brother, historian, and memoirist allows for emotional depth without sentimentality or rancour.

Earl Spencer is an experienced author of non-fiction and history. His previous works include The Spencers: A Personal History of an English Family, Althorp: The Story of an English House, and histories such as To Catch a King and The White Ship. In 2024, he released a memoir titled A Very Private School regarding his boarding school experiences.

Beyond his writing, the Earl continues to manage Althorp, where Princess Diana is buried. The estate recently saw a visit from Prince Harry, Meghan, Prince Archie, and Princess Lilibet. In a previous appearance on the Rosebud podcast with Gyles Brandreth, the Earl noted that Diana's legacy remains a point of investment for many, particularly women who may have seen their own struggles with eating disorders or unhappy marriages reflected in her life.

The memoir is set to be released in the UK on September 22, 2026.