Who is Earl Spencer? What Diana’s brother claims King Charles said after her death
Who Is Earl Spencer? Diana’s Brother and His Claim About King Charles
Theindiapostdaily.com – For readers asking, “Who is Earl Spencer? What has Diana’s brother said about King Charles?”, Charles Spencer is the 9th Earl Spencer and the younger brother of Diana, Princess of Wales. His forthcoming memoir, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, revisits their family life, Diana’s death in Paris in August 1997 and the events that followed.
The book is scheduled for publication on 22 September 2026. It offers Spencer’s account of Diana as a sister, mother and public figure, while also returning to painful disagreements over the arrangements for her funeral.
Who is Earl Spencer?
Charles Spencer was born on 20 May 1964 and grew up at Althorp, the Spencer family estate in Northamptonshire. He was raised with Diana and their elder sisters, Lady Sarah McCorquodale and Lady Jane Fellowes.
He attended Eton College and studied Modern History at Magdalen College, Oxford. Spencer later worked as a television journalist for NBC News before becoming an author and broadcaster focused on British history and the Spencer family’s past.
He inherited the title of Earl Spencer in March 1992 after the death of his father, John Spencer, the eighth Earl Spencer. Before then, he was known as Viscount Althorp. He is also the maternal uncle of Prince William and Prince Harry.
A brother’s perspective on Diana
Spencer’s memoir is expected to explore the contrast between Diana’s private life and the extraordinary public attention that followed her marriage into the royal family. It reflects on her childhood, motherhood and the pressures that accompanied her global fame.
Althorp remains closely associated with Diana’s life and legacy. For Spencer, it is also the setting of a shared childhood that predated the royal spotlight and the intense scrutiny that later shaped her public image.
His address at Diana’s funeral in Westminster Abbey made him one of the most prominent family voices in the public remembrance of the princess. In the speech, he spoke of her compassion, her connection with the public and the importance of protecting her sons.
Spencer’s claim about the funeral procession
The most sensitive passages in Swan Song concern Prince William and Prince Harry walking behind their mother’s coffin. William was 15 and Harry was 12 when Diana died, and the image became one of the defining moments of the funeral.
Spencer says he opposed asking the boys to take part in the procession because he believed Diana would not have wanted them exposed to such grief in front of a worldwide audience. He recounts discussing the issue with the then-Prince Charles in the immediate aftermath of her death.
According to Spencer’s recollection, King Charles made clear that he wanted the boys to walk in the procession. The account is Spencer’s personal memory of a private and deeply distressing period, rather than an independently documented transcript of the conversation.
Spencer’s account returns to the central question of how two bereaved children should have been protected during one of the most publicly watched funerals in modern royal history.
Why the account has renewed attention
The debate remains emotionally powerful because William and Harry’s walk behind the coffin was witnessed by millions around the world. Spencer’s memoir places that moment within the family’s private grief and his own concern for Diana’s sons.
Nearly three decades after Diana’s death, the book is set to revisit themes that have long defined Spencer’s public role: family loyalty, loss, media pressure and the lasting impact of Diana’s life on her children and relatives.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Earl Spencer in relation to Princess Diana?
Earl Spencer, Charles Spencer, was Diana’s younger brother. He is the 9th Earl Spencer and the maternal uncle of Prince William and Prince Harry.
What is Charles Spencer’s new memoir about?
Swan Song: Diana, My Sister is expected to tell Diana’s story from her brother’s perspective, including their childhood, her public life and the aftermath of her death.
What does Spencer say about Diana’s funeral?
Spencer says he objected to Prince William and Prince Harry walking behind Diana’s coffin, believing that their mother would not have wanted them placed in such a public and painful situation.