Princess Diana and Charles Spencer's Private Letters Reveal the Truth About Their Relationship
Private letters showed a different side of Princess Diana and Charles Spencer’s bond, ahead of the release of the bombshell memoir.
It is well known that Princess Diana and her younger brother, Earl Charles Spencer, shared a close bond. However, behind their well-known sibling connection, their relationship was not always as smooth as it seemed. The inevitable ups and downs between the siblings eventually led to a period of estrangement, with Spencer later describing himself as having become a “peripheral” figure in Diana’s life.
Spencer’s memoir Swan Song: Diana, My Sister is due out on September 22, and early excerpts have already caused quite a stir. Buckingham Palace has even responded to some of his claims. However, there is still plenty to unpack regarding Spencer and Diana themselves, as a series of private letters between the siblings offers a closer look at their dynamic.
Following Diana’s separation from King Charles, a particularly difficult period unfolded between her and her brother. According to HELLO!, their private correspondence was made public during the 2002 theft trial of her butler, Paul Burrell, where the letters were read in court. In one letter, Diana asked her brother if she could move into the Garden House at Althorp, the Spencer family estate in Northamptonshire.
The late Princess wanted to return to the estate where she had grown up and Spencer initially agreed to let her stay at the Garden House, but changed his mind only a few weeks later. He instead pointed her towards a farmhouse on the estate, saying it would cause less disruption to his and his first wife Victoria Lockwood’s lives. He wrote, “I know you will be disappointed but I know I am doing the right thing for my wife and children. I am just sorry I cannot help my sister!”
Moreover, Burrell also published the private letters in his 2003 memoir A Royal Duty. One letter from Spencer reportedly left Diana deeply upset. He had refused her request to move to Althorp and described her bulimia as “mental problems.” Burrell claimed Diana cried as she read the letter, “I long ago accepted that I was a peripheral part of your life, and that no longer saddens me.”
With Swan Song set to be released soon, there could be more revelations about Diana and Charles Spencer’s relationship. The memoir may offer a little more insight into their complicated bond.
