Five Explosive Claims in Princess Diana’s Brother’s New Book Reignite Questions About the Royal Family
Earl Charles Spencer’s forthcoming memoir, Swan Song, revisits Diana’s troubled marriage, her relationship with King Charles III and the aftermath of her death — prompting an unusually pointed response from Buckingham Palace
A forthcoming memoir by Earl Charles Spencer, the younger brother of Princess Diana, is once again placing the late princess’s relationship with the British royal family at the center of public attention.
Titled Swan Song, the book contains Spencer’s personal recollections of his sister’s life, her marriage to the then-Prince Charles and the events surrounding her death in Paris in 1997. Although the full book has not yet been released, excerpts published by the Daily Mail have already generated significant controversy.
Buckingham Palace issued an unusually direct response to the claims. While the palace said it generally does not comment on books, a spokesperson said King Charles III was mindful that grief between siblings can affect memory and judgment many years after a loss.
CNN said it had not reviewed the complete book ahead of publication, but Penguin Random House confirmed that the passages quoted by the Daily Mail are accurate.
Here are five of the most consequential claims described in the published excerpts.
1. Spencer says Charles appeared “giddily elated” after Diana’s death
Among the most striking passages concerns Charles Spencer’s recollection of a telephone conversation with the then-Prince Charles shortly after Diana died in a car crash in Paris on August 31, 1997.
Spencer describes receiving and making a series of calls during the night as the news developed. According to his account, when Charles eventually called him after learning that Diana had died, his voice sounded “giddily elated – like a lottery winner.”
Spencer then offers his own interpretation of the conversation, suggesting that Charles may initially have focused on the possibility that Diana’s death would allow him to marry the woman he loved.
That interpretation is Spencer’s recollection and conclusion; it is not independently established as Charles’ actual state of mind.
The passage is particularly sensitive because Charles and Diana’s marriage had already become one of the most scrutinized royal relationships of the modern era.
2. Spencer recalls Charles saying: “We’ll forget her soon enough”
Another passage describes a later conversation between the brothers-in-law concerning the funeral and whether Princes William and Harry should walk behind their mother’s coffin.
Spencer writes that Charles became angry during the call and then allegedly expressed frustration over the enormous public reaction to Diana’s death.
According to Spencer’s account, Charles told him: “Rest assured, we’ll forget her soon enough!”
Spencer says he responded that he could not believe Charles had said it before ending the conversation.
The claim is presented entirely through Spencer’s recollection of a private conversation nearly three decades ago.
3. Diana allegedly considered ending the engagement
The book also revisits the beginning of Charles and Diana’s relationship.
Spencer claims that Diana considered breaking off her engagement to Charles after attending the 21st birthday celebration of his brother Andrew. According to the memoir, Diana believed Charles had shown little interest in her during the event and subsequently told her father that she could not marry someone who clearly did not love her.
Spencer says their father refused to allow her to withdraw from the engagement.
He also links the episode to Diana's discovery of a bracelet Charles had purchased for Camilla, who would eventually become his second wife and Queen Consort.
According to another account cited by Spencer, Charles told Diana shortly before their wedding that he was happy to marry her but was not in love with her.
The claims offer Spencer’s perspective on a relationship that has been extensively documented, but they remain recollections rather than independently verified accounts of every event.
4. The comment about Diana’s weight
Another passage concerns an alleged comment Charles made shortly after their engagement was announced.
Spencer claims that Charles squeezed Diana’s waist and remarked: “Oh, a bit chubby here, aren’t we?”
According to Spencer, the comment was particularly damaging because Diana was struggling with bulimia.
He writes that Diana later told him her waist had decreased from 29 inches to approximately 23½ inches between her engagement and wedding.
Diana publicly discussed her experience with bulimia in later years, making her relationship with food and body image an important part of accounts of her life. Spencer’s new recollection adds another alleged episode to that history.
5. Queen Elizabeth II allegedly offered to restore Diana’s HRH title
The final revelation concerns the aftermath of Diana’s death and her royal title.
When Diana and Charles divorced in 1996, she lost the style “Her Royal Highness”, although she retained the title “Diana, Princess of Wales.” The change followed arrangements made by the royal household after the divorce.
Spencer claims that on the day of Diana’s funeral, Queen Elizabeth II offered to restore Diana’s HRH designation posthumously.
According to Spencer, he rejected the proposal after discussing it with the Queen’s private secretary, Robert Fellowes.
He writes that Diana had been deeply hurt by the loss of the title and that he believed restoring it after her death would have been meaningless.
His response, as described in the memoir, was essentially that there was little point in restoring the title because Diana was already dead.
A memoir reopening an old royal wound
The publication of Swan Song arrives nearly 30 years after Diana’s death, but the circumstances surrounding her marriage, divorce and relationship with the royal family continue to generate public interest.
Spencer's account is significant because he was one of Diana’s closest family members and has previously spoken publicly about his relationship with his sister and her experiences within the royal household. At the same time, the most controversial passages in Swan Song concern private conversations and Spencer’s recollections of events from decades ago.
Buckingham Palace’s response underscores the sensitivity of the allegations. Rather than directly addressing individual claims, the palace emphasized the potential effect of grief on memory and judgment.
The book therefore enters a long-running debate over how Diana’s life and legacy should be remembered — particularly her marriage to Charles, the treatment she received within the royal institution and the extraordinary public reaction following her death.
As Swan Song reaches publication, its full contents will provide a broader context for the excerpts that have already triggered renewed scrutiny of one of the British monarchy’s most consequential and painful chapters.
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