Who is Earl Spencer – and why is his new book causing controversy?

WorldOpinion
17 Sep 2026 • 6:09 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

Who is Earl Spencer – and why is his new book causing controversy?

  • Earl Spencer is releasing a memoir titled Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, detailing his relationship and grief following Princess Diana's 1997 death.
  • The book alleges that then-Prince Charles hissed "we'll forget her soon enough" during a heated phone conversation shortly after Diana died.
  • Buckingham Palace responded to the claim, stating that grief can cloud reason and memory, while noting it normally does not comment on books.
  • An excerpt outlines an argument between Spencer and Charles regarding whether young Princes William and Harry should walk in the funeral procession.
  • Spencer is the late Princess of Wales’ younger brother, and a British peer, author, journalist and broadcaster who succeeded his father as Viscount Althorp in 1992, aged just 27.

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