Earl Spencer reveals more surprising details: Elizabeth II intended to restore Diana’s royal title

The book “Swan Song: Diana, My Sister,” written by Princess Diana’s brother, Earl Spencer, is expected to reveal new details about her life. It will be released on September 22.

An excerpt from the book, first published by the Daily Mail and subsequently reported by the British media, says that Queen Elizabeth II had considered restoring Diana’s title of “Her Royal Highness.” She had lost the title in 1996 following her divorce from the then Prince Charles.

Earl Spencer says he learned of this intention from Robert Fellowes, who served as the Queen’s private secretary and was also his brother-in-law. The conversation took place on the way to Althorp, where Diana was to be laid to rest in a private ceremony after the funeral.

According to Spencer’s account, Fellowes told him that the Queen wanted to restore Diana’s title after her death. However, the late Princess’s brother viewed the gesture as a “consolation prize,” given that she was no longer alive to enjoy the title.

The author writes that the removal of the title after the divorce had deeply hurt his sister. He believes that, had Diana still been alive, she would not have accepted the status being restored posthumously.

The book also contains other claims concerning Diana’s relationship with the royal family, as well as the days following her death in 1997. Some of Earl Spencer’s statements have prompted a response from Buckingham Palace.

Responding to claims from the book that had previously been made public, the Palace said that the pain caused by the loss of a sibling can affect reasoning, judgment and memory. In doing so, Buckingham Palace did not automatically accept all of Spencer’s accounts as fact.

“Swan Song: Diana, My Sister” will be officially published on September 22 and is expected to contain a series of Earl Spencer’s personal recollections about his sister and the royal family.