Charles Spencer, the 9th Earl Spencer and brother of the late Diana, Princess of Wales, has released a memoir titled *Swan Song: Diana, My Sister*, which offers a candid and often critical portrayal of his family, including members of the British royal household. Published on September 22, 2026, the 384-page book revisits the life and death of Princess Diana, touching on family dynamics, royal protocol, and personal grievances, and has prompted a response from Buckingham Palace.

In the memoir, Earl Spencer alleges a number of contentious claims about King Charles III, who was Diana’s former husband. Among these is an account of a phone call shortly after Diana’s fatal car crash in Paris on August 31, 1997, in which Charles reportedly said, "Rest assured, we’ll forget her soon enough." The earl also describes another call in which he says Charles sounded “giddily elated,” contrasting with the subdued condolences of other family members. He further accuses Charles of expressing jealousy toward Diana’s popularity and recalls a post-funeral remark by the then-Prince of Wales, in which Charles supposedly told Spencer he was “lucky” to have inherited the family estate early because Charles himself was still treated like a child by his parents despite being in his forties.

Earl Spencer’s memoir also casts other royal family members in an unflattering light. He depicts Prince Philip, Diana’s former father-in-law, as spiteful and occasionally bullying, recounting an incident where Philip embarrassed Charles at a society event. Allegations also include Queen Elizabeth II’s reportedly cold initial reaction to Diana’s death, expressing irritation and suspicion toward Spencer’s intentions regarding the book’s publication. Spencer writes that the late queen described Charles as resentful “even when I taught him the alphabet.” He also shares anecdotes about Princess Anne and Prince Andrew, portraying them as unsympathetic or dismissive during family interactions.

While the book is heavy with royal gossip and critiques, Earl Spencer also delves into the personal and emotional struggles within his own family. He reflects on Diana’s troubled childhood, marked by her parents’ acrimonious divorce and the emotional fragmentation of the Spencer siblings. Despite her global fame, Spencer suggests Diana struggled with feelings of academic failure and longed for a conventional, loving family life, which he argues she never fully achieved. He describes Diana as a positive, maternal figure and expresses concern that her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, risk being pulled back into outdated royal traditions after her death.

The publication has prompted rebuke from Buckingham Palace, which issued a statement questioning the accuracy of Spencer’s claims and suggesting grief may affect memory and judgement. The palace denied the most damaging allegations without providing detailed rebuttals, contributing to a tense public exchange. Critics of the memoir suggest that Spencer’s motives may include personal score-settling or capitalising on his sister’s legacy, noting his considerable wealth from land sales and prior controversies involving royal family exposés.

Supporters of the book argue that Spencer’s account challenges the traditional “stiff upper lip” of the British aristocracy and sheds light on the emotional toll of royal life, particularly on Diana and her sons. The memoir is described as a complex blend of family history, personal reckoning, and societal critique, written in Spencer’s own voice without ghostwriters.

The release of *Swan Song* renews public debate over the royal family’s internal dynamics and the lasting impact of Diana’s death on both her immediate family and the monarchy. While some view the memoir as a betrayal of privacy and a painful reopening of old wounds, others see it as an important counter-narrative to the royal family’s polished public image. The controversy is expected to subside over time, but it underscores ongoing tensions between the Spencers and the Windsors more than two decades after Diana’s passing.