A new memoir by Charles Spencer, the younger brother of late Princess Diana, has been released nearly three decades after her death, reopening old wounds surrounding her life, marriage and relationship with the British royal family.
The book, titled Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, hit bookstores globally on Tuesday and is being published by Penguin in 12 languages.
The memoir has already generated controversy following the publication of excerpts containing explosive claims about Diana’s former husband, King Charles III, and the royal family.
The 9th Earl Spencer has long spoken about his concerns over the treatment of his sister by the House of Windsor.
Among the claims contained in the memoir, Spencer alleged that King Charles sounded “giddily elated” and “like a lottery winner” when he called him following Diana’s death in 1997.
Spencer also revealed that he had opposed plans for Diana’s sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, to walk behind their mother’s coffin during her funeral procession.
According to him, he believed Diana would not have wanted her young sons to endure the ordeal.
Spencer claimed that King Charles “went ballistic” during an argument over the issue, telling him: “Rest assured, we’ll forget her soon enough.”
William was 15 while Harry was 12 at the time.
The sight of the two young princes walking behind their mother’s coffin became one of the most poignant images of Diana’s funeral, watched by millions around the world.
Following the publication of excerpts from the memoir last week, Buckingham Palace issued an unusually strong response.
“His Majesty is mindful that the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgement and color memory in ways others do not recognize, even many years after such a loss,” the Palace said.
Diana married Charles, then the Prince of Wales, in 1981 at the age of 20. Charles was 32.
Their wedding was televised globally and was widely described as a fairytale royal ceremony. However, their marriage later deteriorated and became the subject of intense media scrutiny.
In a 1995 BBC interview, Diana famously said, “there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded,” referring to Charles’ relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles.
Diana became one of the most recognisable members of the British royal family and was popularly known as the “People’s Princess.”
Her global popularity also made her a constant target of intense media attention and paparazzi pursuit.
Charles and Diana divorced in 1996.
A year later, Diana died at the age of 36 in a car crash in Paris while being pursued by paparazzi.
Charles later married Camilla Parker Bowles in 2005.
Credit: AFP
