Earl Spencer has announced he will publish a new book detailing the life story of his sister, Diana, Princess of Wales, from his own personal perspective. Titled Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, the work is scheduled for release in the UK next month, arriving nearly 30 years after her death. Princess Diana, who would have turned 65 on 1 July this year, died at the age of 36 following a car crash in Paris in 1997. At the time of the tragedy, her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, were 15 and 12 years old, respectively.
Regarding his motivation for the project, Earl Spencer stated his desire to speak on Diana's behalf in an openly positive manner. He expressed a hope that the book would allow readers to understand the true nature of his sister: "A one-off, dynamic character, full of love, charisma and self-doubt, who gave life a hell of a go, and left the world a far better place, despite exiting the stage while still so young."
The decision to write the book was prompted by being "inundated yet again" with requests for interviews as the 30th anniversary of her death approaches. Earl Spencer explained that this pressure convinced him to record his thoughts and memories "once and for all," rather than enduring the discomfort of reading accounts by others that he feels are based on inaccuracies that have become accepted over time. He noted that the goal is to tell the truth about Diana from her brother’s perspective, consistent with the effort he made during his eulogy at her funeral in Westminster Abbey in September 1997.
In that historic speech, he described his sister as the "very essence of compassion, of duty, of style, of beauty," calling her a "symbol of selfless humanity" and a "standard bearer for the rights of the truly downtrodden." He also used the occasion to criticize the media, labeling her the "most hunted person of the modern age," and pledged to protect her sons. With this new book, he hopes to reach those who still cherish her memory, as well as younger generations who were not alive during her heyday, so they might finally understand who she really was.
The book will be published by Penguin Michael Joseph, a division of Penguin Random House, on 22 September in the UK. Daniel Bunyard, the publishing director at Penguin Random House UK, remarked that the pages contain revelations that will draw significant attention, while serving as a "fitting tribute to the beloved woman who was Princess Diana."
