Princess Diana’s brother, Charles Spencer, released his memoir Swan Song: Diana, my Sister
on September 22. The book reveals explosive details about Diana’s life, including that she once slapped her father, John Spencer, over his secret 1976 marriage to Raine Spencer.
Beyond chronicling her upbringing, the book addresses Diana’s complex relationships within the royal family, including her marriage to then-Prince Charles.
Memoir Revelations and the Slap That Shocked John Spencer
Charles Spencer’s book details an explosive moment from Diana’s youth when she discovered her father’s secret marriage to Raine Spencer. John Spencer and Raine Legge wed on July 14, 1976, in London, while Diana and her siblings were left out of the ceremony entirely.
According to resurfaced audio and the new memoir, Diana learned of the nuptials when her sister Sarah called her after seeing the news in the papers. When the 15-year-old Diana confronted her father, the exchange turned physical. Charles Spencer recalled that his sister could occasionally become physical, identifying the confrontation with their father as the most prominent instance.
Tensions Surrounding Raine Spencer and Childhood Trauma
The familial friction did not end at the wedding. Charles Spencer noted that Diana viewed their stepmother as unbelievably rude, noting that Raine frequently hurled insults.
The memoir recounts that years later, Diana pushed Raine down a flight of stairs after hearing her say, I always felt very sorry for the Prince of Wales, for marrying such a very stupid person like you.
Diana’s upbringing involved severe domestic strain. In tell-all materials, she previously confessed to witnessing physical abuse between her parents, recalling that she hid behind a door while her mother cried after being slapped by her father. Diana also stated that her parents never expressed love or offered hugs during her childhood. Her mother, Frances Shand Kydd, separated from John in 1969, remarried, and passed away in 2004. John Spencer died of a heart attack in early 1992.
Troubled Courtship and Marriage to Prince Charles
The memoir casts a harsh light on Diana’s relationship with then-Prince Charles, asserting that the couple never experienced a single happy period. Even during their engagement, Diana wanted to break off the match after discovering a bracelet Charles had purchased for Camilla, and after facing bullying over her stomach weight.
Diana tried to break the engagement by confronting her father, telling him she did not want to go ahead with marrying a man who clearly did not love her, but John Spencer refused to let her dissolve the match.
Reactions Following the 1997 Death of Princess Diana
Charles Spencer’s book also revisits the immediate aftermath of Diana’s death in a Paris car crash on August 31, 1997, at age 36. He details a phone call with Prince Charles right after the tragedy, describing the prince as extremely euphoric, like someone who had won the lottery because he believed the event would free him to marry the woman he loved.
During a subsequent call to coordinate funeral arrangements, Charles Spencer objected to Buckingham Palace’s decision forcing young princes William and Harry to walk behind their mother’s coffin. According to the memoir, Prince Charles ended the conversation with a sharp, low-toned remark: Rest assured, we will forget her very soon.
