Charles Spencer is preparing to publish a new Princess Diana book about his sister’s life from his perspective as her only brother.
Swan Song: Diana, My Sister will be released Sept. 22, shortly after the 30th anniversary of Diana’s death in a car crash in Paris on Aug. 31. According to a press release, the book will mark the first time Spencer has spoken openly about his sister.
Charles Spencer’s new book will explore Princess Diana’s life from her brother’s perspective
Spencer said repeated requests for interviews ahead of Diana’s anniversary influenced his decision to write the book himself. He said he wanted to preserve his memories rather than continue reading what he considers inaccurate accounts of his sister.
“This has convinced me to write down my own thoughts and memories, once and for all, rather than having the discomfort of again reading the opinions of others, many of which are based on untruths that have become accepted over time,” he told PEOPLE.
The memoir will also revisit Spencer’s childhood relationship with Diana. Their parents divorced in 1969, after which their father, John Spencer, received custody of the children. Spencer previously recalled how the divorce affected Diana. With their two older sisters away at school, he said he and Diana were left to navigate the experience together.
In 2020, Spencer told The Sunday Times, “Diana and I had two older sisters who were away at school, so she and I were very much in it together and I did talk to her about it.” He also recalled the moment their mother left the family home and promised to return for Diana, who was 5 at the time.
“Our father was a quiet and constant source of love, but our mother wasn’t cut out for maternity. Not her fault, she couldn’t do it,” Spencer said.
Spencer later reflected on the loss of Diana, including the emotional impact of delivering her eulogy at Westminster Abbey. “I was furious, I wasn’t just angry,” he said in 2017. “[I thought] what could I have done. But you always think, God, I wish I could’ve protected her. It was just… it was devastating.”
“I always felt… intensely protective towards her,” Spencer added.
“The aim of this book is to tell the truth about Diana from her brother’s perspective, just as I attempted to do when speaking at her funeral,” Spencer said. “As with my eulogy, I want to speak on Diana’s behalf and do so in an openly positive way.”
Penguin Press will release Swan Song: Diana, My Sister in the U.S. and translate the book into 12 languages. Publisher Daniel Bunyard described it as “extraordinarily moving, beautifully written and remarkably candid.”
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