Swan Song: Diana, my sister (Unabridged)
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4.4 • 111 Ratings
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- $16.99
Publisher Description
The #1 New York Times bestseller
Beautiful. Beloved. Hunted. The extraordinary life and death of Diana, as told by her brother, Charles.
“A brotherly tribute to the People’s Princess, no holds barred . . . Full of love and vengeance.” —The New York Times
“Charles Spencer was there for all this history, indelibly present in one of the most iconic tableaux of the late 20th century . . . After holding back for so long, his memoir finally tells us what it was like." —Tina Brown, Fresh Hell Substack
In September 1997, Charles Spencer stood in Westminster Abbey before a watching world and shared his grief at losing his beloved sister, Diana. Now, nearly thirty years later, he tells the astonishing story of his life with Diana and the tragic week of her death.
In childhood, Charles and Diana, the youngest Spencers, were inseparable – secretly calling one another Duch and Carlos. As each other’s closest confidantes, they roamed the family estate, endured extremely challenging boarding schools, survived terrifying nannies, and helped each other through the agony of their parents’ divorce.
Yet everything changed when Diana married the Prince of Wales, now King Charles III, and overnight became a global icon. Charles saw his older sister serve the world’s marginalized and relish being mother to her treasured sons.
But, pursued by a barbaric press as her royal marriage crumbled, she was left desperately alone. Charles always tried to be there for Diana – until that black night in August, 1997.
In Swan Song, Charles Spencer provides the most intimate, loving, and honest portrait yet of his sister.
Customer Reviews
Swan Song: Diana, My Sister by Charles Spencer
I watched Diana's wedding with friends back in high school, and over the following decades watched her become someone who genuinely moved the world — her work on AIDS, landmines and other causes made such an impact. I didn't watch her funeral broadcast in 1997 though I'd long heard how incendiary her brother's eulogy was.
I hesitated before buying this audiobook, expecting something combative given the headlines about "reopened royal wounds" and the palace's sharp pushback. I'm glad I didn't let that stop me — this isn't the anti-Monarchy, anti-King Charles book so many would have you believe.
Swan Song is a deeply personal, honest, and beautifully written tribute — a brother writing about his sister, who happened to be one of the most loved public figures in the world, nearly thirty years after losing her. Spencer writes with real tenderness about their childhood, her transformation into a global icon, and the isolation she faced as her marriage crumbled — never as score-settling, but as a brother finally saying what he couldn't in 1997. The book sent shockwaves worldwide on release, but it's far more moving and measured than its reputation suggests.
Highly recommend.
Not worth the time and money
This is more about her brother than an inside, personal look at his sister. Don’t bother.
Don’t Bother
Just warmed up toast — nothing new boring