Earl Spencer has said the Royal Family retains “very serious power” and can galvanise sections of the British media to take “vengeance” on its behalf, as he promotes his new memoir, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister.
Princess Diana’s brother made the comments during an interview with Marie Claire, reflecting on the different reaction the book has received in the United States compared with Britain. He believes the disparity is partly down to the monarchy’s influence over the UK press.
Royal influence over the media
“I think it’s surprising to people to know quite how powerful, in real terms, the Royal Family remain today,” the 9th Earl Spencer said. He acknowledged the monarchy’s public image, including its “pageantry and charming dressing up and having palaces”, but said he believed it also retained “a very serious power”.
Spencer went on to claim that when someone steps outside what the Royal Family would consider acceptable norms, “they do galvanise sections of the UK media to take vengeance on their behalf”. He added that he had “certainly felt that” response.
Book details and palace response
His comments come after the book generated headlines over his recollections of conversations and events following Diana’s death in 1997. In Swan Song, Spencer recalls a heated conversation with King Charles, then Prince Charles, shortly after Diana died. He writes that the then-Prince of Wales sounded “giddy” and told him Diana would be forgotten “soon enough”. The book also includes Spencer’s recollection that Diana once told him she believed Prince Charles was “in love with his valet”.
An early serialisation of the book prompted a rare response from Buckingham Palace. A spokesperson for the King said: “While we do not comment on books as a matter of principle, His Majesty is mindful that the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgment and color memory in ways others do not recognize, even many years after such a loss.”
US reaction and intentions
Spencer has continued to stand by his account despite criticism from some royal commentators. He compared the reaction to his latest book with the treatment he received after giving the eulogy at Diana’s funeral. “Twenty-nine years ago when I gave the eulogy at Diana’s funeral, I was pummeled very much by the U.K. media who did not want me saying things about them to the world,” he said. “So, there’s been a reflex reaction to that again in the UK.”
During the funeral, Spencer spoke strongly about the paparazzi and tabloid press, describing his sister as “the most hunted person of the modern age”. He said he had noticed a more positive response to Swan Song during his US book tour, adding: “I find Americans have a broader view of the world and the Royal Family than in the UK.” US-based royal fans had been “much more rounded in their view” of both the book and his intentions.
Despite the controversy, Spencer said Swan Song was not intended as an attack on the monarchy. “It’s not setting out to be revengeful or point scoring as it was portrayed before the book was out in the UK,” he said. The Earl described the book as a memoir covering the period between Diana’s death and her funeral, alongside memories of their childhood and relationship as brother and sister.
