His eulogy at Diana’s funeral was electrifying. As her brother, Earl Spencer, stared down at the Royal Family, vowing to protect Diana’s sons and allow their “souls to sing openly”, the unthinkable happened. The vast crowds of mourners outside Westminster Abbey began to applaud. Slowly, the ripple of applause moved forwards towards the Abbey doors and then to the congregation inside. Spencer’s words had ignited the fire of indignation about how Diana had been treated in life – and perhaps in death too. In the front rows, most of the Royal family sat in stony silence. But William and Harry gingerly applauded their uncle.
Now, with the 30th anniversary of the Princess’s death on the horizon, he has written what promises to be the definitive account of his sister’s all too short life: a young woman he brilliantly defined as “unique, complex, extraordinary and irreplaceable”.
Earl Spencer remains in close contact with his nephews (Photo: Princess Diana Archive/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Charles Spencer is an established historian, author and journalist. He does not dabble in the sensational and he has clearly become frustrated by the many myths surrounding Diana that have somehow become accepted as truths. Besieged with requests for interviews about the Princess, he has decided to speak once again on her behalf in what he says will be an openly positive way. No one is better placed to do this than he, and it promises to be a fascinating read – as well as an important historical document which will separate fact from fiction.
