Uploaded September 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 hours ago
Is Charles Spencer’s new book, Swan Song: Diana My Sister, all about his sister Princess Diana, really as controversial as the media reports would have us believe? Does Princess Diana’s brother Earl Spencer try to take down the monarchy in his book, or has its anti-royal content been overstated? What exactly does Charles Spencer say about King Charles in the book and why did Charles Spencer write his book now? Above all, what does Earl Spencer say about Princess Diana in the new book?
In this book review from History Calling I tell you what I think of Charles Spencer’s book about Princess Diana, having actually read it from cover to cover. I discuss why Charles Spencer wrote a book about Diana, Princess of Wales, from possible financial motives, to a desire to remember his sister and perhaps a wish to hurt those who hurt her. We’ll also use this book as a case study to help us think about how to analyse primary sources (which this is) and what the limits of human memory are.
I’ll look at some of the claims made in the book about King Charles and others, at whether we can believe Charles Spencer’s account of Princess Diana’s life and death, at whether this book really serves anyone and at what its effect on Princes William and Harry and their children might be. Above all I’ll ask, is this memoir about the People’s Princess worth a space on your bookshelf, or not?
#PrincessDiana #CharlesSpencer #EarlSpencer #SwanSong
BUY MY BOOK (Find Your Irish Ancestors Online): amzn.to/3Z2ChnG
Join my mailing list (with 2 FREE DOWNLOADS):
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YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:
INSIDE PRINCESS DIANA'S FUNERAL & GRAVE AT ALTHORP
youtu.be/EqCWeRM1yPs
PRINCESS DIANA’S TRAVOLTA DRESS
youtu.be/sWBDaJz_qY4
ALL THE PRINCESSES OF WALES
youtu.be/-6f1WmRs-v8
BUY THE BOOK:
Charles Spencer, Swan Song: Diana, my sister (2026)
amzn.to/4hp57bb
Want to watch/hear/read more about history (and a whole host of other topics)? Then you might benefit from a free Audible or Prime video trial. They are available from the following links:
AUDIBLE
amzn.to/44MvlMi
AUDIBLE PLUS & AUDIBLE PREMIUM PLUS
amzn.to/42rh3PF
PRIME VIDEO
amzn.to/3LW7ykg
GEAR USED
Apple MacBook Pro Laptop (for video editing): amzn.to/3S6IoRK
Blue Yeti Microphone: amzn.to/3FgEDYq
Go-Pro Hero 13 camera: amzn.to/41H4Xnt
GoPro 3-Way 2.0 (Tripod/Grip/Arm): amzn.to/3vaVxjU
Memory Card: amzn.to/3KeLZZs
DJI Drone: amzn.to/39hROZm
NB: Links above may be affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase through one of these links, I earn a small commission. It in no way affects the price you pay.
Open Street Map copyright information
openstreetmap.org/copyright
Creative Commons licenses used see creativecommons.org/licenses
Is Charles Spencer’s new book, Swan Song: Diana My Sister, all about his sister Princess Diana, really as controversial as the media reports would have us believe? Does Princess Diana’s brother Earl Spencer try to take down the monarchy in his book, or has its anti-royal content been overstated? What exactly does Charles Spencer say about King Charles in the book and why did Charles Spencer write his book now? Above all, what does Earl Spencer say about Princess Diana in the new book?
In this book review from History Calling I tell you what I think of Charles Spencer’s book about Princess Diana, having actually read it from cover to cover. I discuss why Charles Spencer wrote a book about Diana, Princess of Wales, from possible financial motives, to a desire to remember his sister and perhaps a wish to hurt those who hurt her. We’ll also use this book as a case study to help us think about how to analyse primary sources (which this is) and what the limits of human memory are.
I’ll look at some of the claims made in the book about King Charles and others, at whether we can believe Charles Spencer’s account of Princess Diana’s life and death, at whether this book really serves anyone and at what its effect on Princes William and Harry and their children might be. Above all I’ll ask, is this memoir about the People’s Princess worth a space on your bookshelf, or not?
#PrincessDiana #CharlesSpencer #EarlSpencer #SwanSong
BUY MY BOOK (Find Your Irish Ancestors Online): amzn.to/3Z2ChnG
Join my mailing list (with 2 FREE DOWNLOADS):
historycallingofficial.com
Patreon: patreon.com/historycalling
Amazon storefront: amazon.com/shop/historycalling
Instagram: instagram.com/historycalling
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:
INSIDE PRINCESS DIANA'S FUNERAL & GRAVE AT ALTHORP
youtu.be/EqCWeRM1yPs
PRINCESS DIANA’S TRAVOLTA DRESS
youtu.be/sWBDaJz_qY4
ALL THE PRINCESSES OF WALES
youtu.be/-6f1WmRs-v8
BUY THE BOOK:
Charles Spencer, Swan Song: Diana, my sister (2026)
amzn.to/4hp57bb
Want to watch/hear/read more about history (and a whole host of other topics)? Then you might benefit from a free Audible or Prime video trial. They are available from the following links:
AUDIBLE
amzn.to/44MvlMi
AUDIBLE PLUS & AUDIBLE PREMIUM PLUS
amzn.to/42rh3PF
PRIME VIDEO
amzn.to/3LW7ykg
GEAR USED
Apple MacBook Pro Laptop (for video editing): amzn.to/3S6IoRK
Blue Yeti Microphone: amzn.to/3FgEDYq
Go-Pro Hero 13 camera: amzn.to/41H4Xnt
GoPro 3-Way 2.0 (Tripod/Grip/Arm): amzn.to/3vaVxjU
Memory Card: amzn.to/3KeLZZs
DJI Drone: amzn.to/39hROZm
NB: Links above may be affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase through one of these links, I earn a small commission. It in no way affects the price you pay.
Open Street Map copyright information
openstreetmap.org/copyright
Creative Commons licenses used see creativecommons.org/licenses
