Earl Spencer has announced a deeply personal new book about his sister, Princess Diana, almost three decades after her death. Swan Song: Diana, My Sister will arrive on 22 September 2026, published by Penguin Random House.
The book will cover Diana’s childhood, her marriage to King Charles and the days surrounding her death in 1997. The announcement follows Earl Spencer’s renewed pressure on the BBC over the Martin Bashir scandal.
Announcing the memoir, Charles said renewed interview requests ahead of the 30th anniversary of Diana’s death had convinced him to record his own memories. He said he wanted to challenge opinions which, in his view, rely on “untruths that have become accepted over time”.
“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,” he said.
What will Earl Spencer’s Princess Diana memoir cover?
According to the announcement, Swan Song will tell Charles’s story of his life with Diana. It will also revisit the week of her death and its aftermath.
Diana died aged 36 following a car crash in Paris on 31 August 1997. Her funeral took place at Westminster Abbey six days later, with millions watching on British television.
Charles delivered the eulogy and promised that Diana’s “blood family” would help protect Prince William and Prince Harry. Both boys walked behind their mother’s coffin during the funeral procession.
The decision became a lasting source of discussion. In his 2023 memoir Spare, Harry wrote that his uncle had objected to the young princes taking part and had called the prospect “barbarity”.
Penguin Random House says Charles will now speak at length about his sister’s life from his uniquely personal position. The publisher also promises revelations likely to attract attention, although the announcement does not set out their nature.
Earl Spencer hopes book will introduce Diana to a new generation
Charles said he wanted Swan Song to offer a positive account of Diana, echoing the approach he took in his funeral address.
He hopes the memoir will appeal both to those who remember her and younger readers who never knew her during her lifetime. Charles described his sister as “a one-off, dynamic character, full of love, charisma and self-doubt”.
Daniel Bunyard, publishing director at Penguin Random House UK, called the memoir a book of “historic importance”. He said it brings together Charles’s experience as Diana’s brother, a memoirist and a historian.
Bunyard added: “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.”
Swan Song: Diana, My Sister will feature a black-and-white image of Diana on its cover and will receive a global release on 22 September 2026.
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