Charles Spencer’s Diana memoir revisits royal marriage and 1997 death

London, United Kingdom. Charles Spencer’s memoir, “Swan Song: Diana, My Sister”, is due to be published on Tuesday, offering his account of his late sister’s life and her unhappy marriage to King Charles.

In pre-released extracts, Spencer writes that Charles was “giddily elated” after Diana’s death in 1997, a claim Buckingham Palace has rejected.

New book

Spencer, 62, has previously written bestselling books about British kings, including “Killers of the King” and “To Catch a King”, both focused on the 17th century.

He said he wrote “Swan Song: Diana, My Sister” because he considered it his duty “as an eyewitness to history”.

Palace response

Buckingham Palace responded in unusually strong terms, saying: “The pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgment and colour memory.”

The statement added to the publicity surrounding the book.

Family history

Spencer was born into a British aristocratic family with close links to the royal family. The late Queen Elizabeth was his godmother.

He was 17 when Diana, then 20 and becoming one of the world’s most photographed women, married the then-Prince Charles in 1981.

Spencer later told CNN that he had been more focused on “exams and playing my sports at school” than on the global event.

Diana’s marriage

The couple had two sons, William in 1982 and Harry two years later, but their relationship later unravelled.

Speaking to Good Morning America before the memoir’s release, Spencer said he had not fully understood how difficult circumstances had been for his sister at times.

“That’s one of my regrets,” he said. “I wish I could have done more to help her.”