In his new book, Swan Song, Diana, my sister, Earl Spencer shares candid insights into the relationship between Princess Diana and the Royal Family, including a striking revelation about a gesture made by Queen Elizabeth II after Diana’s death. According to the Earl, the Queen offered to restore Diana’s ‘Her Royal Highness’ title posthumously-a move he regarded as more of a ‘consolation prize’ than a meaningful honour.
Diana lost the HRH title in 1996 following her divorce from King Charles after 15 years of marriage, thereafter being styled as ‘Diana, Princess of Wales’. In his book, Earl Spencer recounts a moment during a journey on the Royal train to the family estate, Althorp, when the Queen’s private secretary, Robert Fellowes, informed him of the Queen’s offer. The Earl responded: “That’s very kind of the Queen, of course. But what’s the point, Robert? Now? I mean – Diana’s dead.”
This revelation adds to a series of claims made by the Earl regarding Diana’s complex ties to the Royal Family. Earlier in September, Buckingham Palace issued a statement addressing other assertions made in the book, particularly concerning King Charles. The palace emphasised that, while it does not typically comment on books, it recognises that grief can affect memory and judgment.
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Earl Spencer also alleges that King Charles made a remark suggesting the royal family would soon forget Diana following her tragic death in a Paris car crash in August 1997. Additionally, he described Charles as behaving like a ‘lottery winner’ upon hearing of Diana’s passing. The book further explores doubts both Diana and Charles reportedly had about their marriage prior to their 1981 wedding ceremony.
These disclosures shed new light on the Royal Family’s dynamics during a profoundly challenging period and continue to fuel public interest in Diana’s enduring story.