Penguin Press to Publish Charles Spencer’s SWAN SONG, the Story of His Sister Diana, Princess of Wales

Charles Spencer will publish SWAN SONG: Diana, My Sister which tells the story of his sister Diana’s life from a brother’s perspective, with Penguin Press, a division of Penguin Random House.

President & Publisher Scott Moyers acquired North American rights from Penguin UK. Penguin Michael Joseph will publish in the UK and the book will be published globally around the world and translated into 12 languages. U.S. publication is slated for September 22, 2026.

In September 1997, Charles Spencer stood in Westminster Abbey before a watching world and shared his grief at losing his beloved sister, Diana, in a eulogy that was judged to be one of the great speeches of the twentieth century. Now, nearly thirty years later, he tells the astonishing story of his life with Diana and the tragic week of her death. SWAN SONG: DIANA, MY SISTER marks the first time that Earl Spencer has spoken openly and at length about his sister.

Earl Spencer says, ‘With the 30th anniversary of Diana’s tragic death on the skyline, I’ve been inundated yet again with requests for interviews about my sister. This has convinced me to write down my own thoughts and memories, once and for all, rather than having the discomfort of again reading the opinions of others, many of which are based on untruths that have become accepted over time.’

‘The aim of this book is to tell the truth about Diana from her brother’s perspective, just as I attempted to do when speaking at her funeral. As with my eulogy, I want to speak on Diana’s behalf and do so in an openly positive way.

‘I hope this book will be of interest to the many who still cherish the memory of Diana when she was alive, and I would be delighted if those too young to remember her in her heyday feel – after reading this – that they ‘get’ who she really was: 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.’

Scott Moyers says, ‘Charles Spencer is both a loving brother and a great writer, and it is a gift to the world that he now has told his sister’s story fully as he witnessed it, through to her tragic death and beyond. While there are many revelations here that will draw wide attention, ultimately what will abide is an indelible human portrait of one of the most fascinating figures of our age against the backdrop of her times. An acclaimed memoirist as well as a celebrated historian, the author marries those genres marvelously in SWAN SONG — it is a book of astonishing intimacy, and unvarnished candor.’