Princess Diana’s brother is preparing to reopen one of the royal family’s most painful chapters with a new book that promises to tell his version of the “truth” about the late princess.
Charles Spencer, 62, is reportedly set to release Swan Song: Diana, My Sister next month, offering what is being described as a deeply personal account of his relationship with Diana and the controversies that followed her throughout her life.
And the timing is no accident.
With the 30th anniversary of Diana’s death approaching in 2027, Spencer said he felt it was finally time to put his memories on the record “once and for all.”
“The aim of this book is to tell the truth about Diana from her brother’s perspective,” Spencer said.
The book is expected to challenge what Spencer considers long-running “untruths” surrounding Diana, including the public narrative about her turbulent marriage to the future King Charles III.
Diana and Charles married in 1981, but their relationship dramatically unraveled in front of the world before they divorced in 1996.
In the years surrounding their split, Diana was frequently portrayed as emotionally unstable — a characterization her supporters have long argued was pushed by people close to the royal establishment as the marriage collapsed.
Spencer’s new book could also force him to revisit one of the most controversial moments of Diana’s life: her explosive 1995 BBC Panorama interview.
Journalist Martin Bashir gained access to Diana after approaching Spencer and showing him forged bank statements that helped convince him to arrange an introduction.
During the now-infamous interview, Diana spoke openly about the breakdown of her marriage and famously discussed the presence of another person in the relationship.
Years later, an independent investigation found Bashir had used deceitful methods to secure the interview. Spencer has since spoken about his deep regret over helping make the introduction.
That history could make his account particularly explosive, as Spencer is expected to examine not only what happened to his sister but his own part in events that helped reshape her public image.
Spencer’s personal life has also attracted headlines over the years. He has been married three times and is the father of seven children.
He is currently in a relationship with archaeologist Dr. Cat Jarman, his co-host on the history podcast Rabbit Hole Detectives.
Diana died in a Paris car crash on Aug. 31, 1997, at just 36 years old. Nearly three decades later, fascination with her life, fractured royal marriage and treatment inside the monarchy remains as intense as ever.
Now her brother is preparing to tell the story as he remembers it — and his version could once again put Diana’s complicated relationship with the royal family under a glaring spotlight.