Earl Spencer’s Memoir Reignites Debate on Royal Family and Diana’s Legacy

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Earl Spencer's Memoir Reignites Debate on Royal Family and Diana's Legacy

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Charles Spencer, the 9th Earl Spencer and Princess Diana’s brother, has recently published a memoir titled “Swan Song: Diana, My Sister,” which includes controversial claims about the Royal Family following Diana’s death in 1997.

One of the most significant allegations is that King Charles, then Prince Charles, told Spencer, “rest assured, we’ll forget her soon enough,” just days after Diana’s fatal car crash. Spencer claims this comment was made during a heated argument regarding funeral arrangements, specifically whether Princes William and Harry, then 15 and 12, should walk behind their mother’s coffin. Spencer had initially resisted the idea of the young princes participating in the procession.

Buckingham Palace responded to these claims on September 18, 2026, with a statement that did not directly address the alleged remark but suggested that “the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgment and colour memory in ways others do not recognise, even many years after such a loss.” Spencer has publicly defended his account, stating in a BBC interview that he is “telling the truth” and that those were “exactly the words he said.” He further mentioned that he had informed friends and family of the comment at the time because it was “so monstrous.”

Spencer’s eulogy at Diana’s funeral in Westminster Abbey on September 6, 1997, was widely remembered for its emotional tribute to his sister and its implicit criticisms of the Royal Family. In that speech, he pledged to protect William and Harry from a similar fate to their mother and to ensure their souls would “sing openly” as Diana had planned, rather than being solely immersed in duty and tradition. Recent reports also indicate that Spencer had initially planned a “very different” and more traditional eulogy but changed it to reflect Diana’s true character and his duty as guardian to her sons.

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