Charles Spencer to Write in Depth About His Sister, Princess Diana, for the First Time in Much-Anticipated New Book
Charles Spencer to Write in Depth About His Sister, Princess Diana, for the First Time in Much-Anticipated New Book
Gina Kalsi, Simon PerryTue, August 18, 2026 at 2:45 PM UTC
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Charles Spencer, left, and the cover of his upcoming book about Princess Diana.Credit: Stuart McClymont/The Sunday Times News Licensing; Penguin -
Princess Diana’s only brother,Charles Spencer, is set to share memories of her in his upcoming book, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister
Charles described his sister, who died in August 1997, as “a one-off, dynamic character” who was “full of love” in a press release for the much-anticipated book
The 9th Earl Spencer said the aim of the book was to “tell the truth about Diana from her brother’s perspective”
Charles Spencer is set to release a book about his globally famous and beloved sister, Princess Diana.
The upcoming release, titled Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, will tell the story of the royal’s life from the best-selling author and historian’s perspective as her only brother as the 30th anniversary of Diana’s death in a car crash in Paris approaches on Aug. 31.
The book will mark the first time that the 9th Earl Spencer, 62, will speak “openly” and “at length” about his sister, per a press release obtained by PEOPLE.
“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 in the release. “As with my eulogy, I want to speak on Diana’s behalf and do so in an openly positive way.”
The cover of ‘Swan Song: Diana, My Sister’ by Charles SpencerCredit: Penguin
Charles Spencer and his sister, Diana, in an undated childhood photo.Credit: Charles Spencer/Instagram
Spencer said he decided to write the book after being “inundated” with requests for interviews about Diana as the anniversary of her tragic death approaches.
“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 said.
Diana at age 6 with brother Charles.Credit: Hulton Archive/Getty
The 9th Earl Spencer described his sister 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.”
Spencer said he hoped the book would be of interest to “the many who still cherish the memory of Diana when she was alive.”
“I would be delighted if those too young to remember her in her heyday feel – after reading this – that they ‘get’ who she really was,” he said.
Diana’s sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, were 15 and 12 years old, respectively, when their mother died.
Throwback photo of Charles Spencer with his sister, DianaCredit: Charles Spencer/Instagram
Swan Song: Diana, My Sister will be published by Penguin Press in the U.S. and translated into 12 languages for global publication.
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Publisher Daniel Bunyard described the book as “extraordinarily moving, beautifully written and remarkably candid,” per the release.
Charles Spencer and Princess Diana as children in 1968.Credit: PA Images via Getty
“While these pages contain many revelations that will draw considerable attention, readers will find, for the first time, but also for all time, a fitting tribute to the beloved woman who was Princess Diana,” Bunyard said.
Spencer grew up with three older sisters, Lady Sarah McCorquodale, Lady Jane Fellowes and Lady Diana Spencer, who would later become Diana, Princess of Wales.
The author previously opened up about how he and Diana went through a difficult time following their parents’ divorce. Their father, John Spencer, received custody of the children following his 1969 divorce from their mother, Frances Shand Kydd.
Charles Spencer and Princess Diana in November 1985.Credit: Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty
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“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,” Spencer told U.K. newspaper The Sunday Times in 2020.
“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 added to the outlet. “While she was packing her stuff to leave, she promised Diana [then age five] she’d come back to see her. Diana used to wait on the doorstep for her, but she never came.”
Spencer stood at the pulpit of Westminster Abbey and delivered a famous, historic, fiery eulogy for her following her shocking death.
He previously told PEOPLE that he was haunted by thoughts that he could have done something to save his sister.
“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,” Charles added at the time.
on People
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