Spencer Memoir Reopens Dispute Over Diana Claims

Earl Charles Spencer’s memoir, “Swan Song: Diana, My Sister,” was published on September 22, 2026, and revisits Princess Diana’s troubled marriage, death and legacy while presenting his account as an effort to correct long-standing myths. Its most contentious claim is that then-Prince Charles reacted to Diana’s death with apparent elation and later said she would be forgotten “soon enough”; the allegation remains unverified, and Buckingham Palace countered by warning that grief can cloud judgment and memory. Spencer maintains that he is recounting what he personally heard, while the dispute has reopened questions about competing memories of Diana’s final days and the royal family’s version of events. The memoir also says Diana considered calling off her 1981 wedding, struggled profoundly in later years, and that Spencer rejected a posthumous offer to restore her HRH title because it came too late; he describes efforts to protect her privacy and control her funeral. Spencer recounts their childhood as largely happy despite their parents’ separation, acknowledging that Diana may have experienced the family’s past differently, and the book quickly attracted major attention in Britain and reached bestseller lists. Critics including Piers Morgan and others allied with the King accuse Spencer of commercializing Diana’s private life, while speculation that Meghan Markle supported him with a swan emoji was dismissed by her representative.