Princess Diana's Brother Drops Bombshell Royal Revelations in New Memoir
Charles Spencer's new memoir reveals a past romance between Queen Elizabeth and his father, alongside dark details about Princess Diana's marriage and tragic death.
Charles Spencer's new memoir, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, brings a wave of extraordinary revelations about Princess Diana and the British royal family. Among them is a surprising romantic connection between the young Queen Elizabeth and Spencer and Diana's father, John.
Spencer claims in the book that his father, John Spencer, had a romance with Elizabeth before she married Prince Philip in 1947. He further alleges that Lord Mountbatten, Philip's uncle, put a sudden stop to the relationship, intervening and ordering John Spencer to cut it out.
A Heartbroken Young Officer
According to Spencer, his father eventually listened to the esteemed lord but never forgave him, maintaining a deep resentment. Speaking to People magazine ahead of the book's release, Spencer elaborated on the affair.
My father never spoke about it, but in his youth, he was a very handsome young officer working near the royal family. I believe there was some mutual affection between him and Elizabeth. Then Lord Mountbatten told my father, 'What the hell do you think you're doing? You're not good enough for her,' and told him to vanish. It broke his heart at the time.
Revelations About the Tragedy
Aside from romance, the memoir touches on the tragic night of Diana's car crash in Paris. Spencer writes that upon first hearing of the accident, Queen Elizabeth reportedly showed displeasure and asked, What has she done now?, before realizing the full severity of the event.
Spencer also claimed that during a phone call shortly after Diana's death, King Charles—then Prince—sounded surprisingly upbeat and remarked that she would likely be forgotten quickly. Reflecting on the marriage, Spencer revealed that the day before the wedding, Charles told Diana he was happy to marry her but was not in love with her, leaving the young princess devastated.
The Brink of Cancellation
According to her brother, Diana seriously considered calling off the wedding after feeling neglected by Charles during Prince Andrew's 21st birthday celebrations. The emotional toll pushed her to the edge, with Spencer noting that she drove to Beachy Head, England's highest chalk sea cliff, contemplating taking her life before her love for her sons stopped her.
