Earl Spencer vows to end 'untruths' about Diana in new memoir

Nearly three decades after the world said goodbye to Princess Diana, her brother Earl Spencer is finally ready to tell his version of her story — and he is not holding back.

The Earl has announced the publication of Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, a deeply personal memoir in which he promises to set the record straight about the woman he describes as 'a one-off, dynamic character, full of love, charisma and self-doubt, who gave life a hell of a go, and left the world a far better place, despite exiting the stage while still so young.'

The book is due for release on 22 September in the UK, published by Penguin Michael Joseph, and arrives with the 30th anniversary of Diana's death on 31 August 1997 casting a long shadow over the public conversation about her legacy.

Spencer has been characteristically direct about what prompted him to write the book now. With anniversary media coverage ramping up, he says he found himself 'inundated yet again' with requests for interviews about his sister — and he had grown weary of what he sees as a distorted public record.

It is a pointed statement from a man who has, largely, stayed out of the spotlight when it comes to his sister's life and legacy. The publisher bills the memoir as 'the first time that Earl Spencer has spoken openly and at length about Diana' — a significant claim given how much has already been written and said about the Princess of Wales.

According to reports, the book will cover Diana's childhood, her difficult marriage to then-Prince Charles, and the final days before her death in a Paris car crash on 31 August 1997. Diana was 36 years old. She would have turned 65 on 1 July this year.

Those familiar with the extraordinary eulogy Spencer delivered at Westminster Abbey in September 1997 will know he is more than capable of capturing both the tenderness and the complexity of Diana's character.

In that speech, he described her as 'the very essence of compassion, of duty, of style, of beauty', called her 'the most hunted person of the modern age', and pledged publicly to protect her sons, Princes William and Harry — who were just 15 and 12 at the time of her death.

Now, nearly 30 years on, Spencer says the aim of this new book is consistent with the spirit of that address.

Daniel Bunyard, publishing director at Penguin Random House UK, has described the memoir as containing 'many revelations that will draw considerable attention', while also promising it will serve as 'a fitting tribute to the beloved woman who was Princess Diana.' High praise — and high stakes.

The timing of the announcement has not gone unnoticed by royal commentators. According to reports, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are developing a documentary about Diana through their Archewell Productions company for Netflix, a project that could also be timed around the 30th anniversary. Some observers now suggest Spencer's memoir may complicate their plans.

TalkTV host Kevin O'Sullivan was blunt in his assessment, arguing that Spencer 'might put a bit of a hole in Harry and Meghan's plans' and that the couple may have 'had a march stolen on them.'

Royal biographer Angela Levin also weighed in, noting that the memoir appeared to contain material 'similar to what Harry said' in his own memoir, Spare — though whether that creates overlap or contradiction remains to be seen when the book lands in September.

For now, what is clear is that the conversation about Diana — her life, her legacy, and the competing narratives that have surrounded her for three decades — is far from over. If anything, it is just getting started again.

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