EXCLUSIVE: Charles Spencer's 'Stupid' Blunder Let Him Keep Princess Diana Funeral Speech Secret
Charles Spencer pretended he left his eulogy to Diana at home to keep it a secret.
Sept. 24 2026, Published 7:55 p.m. ET
Princess Diana's brother has admitted a supposedly "stupid" blunder allowed him to prevent royal courtiers from vetting the explosive eulogy he delivered at her funeral, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
Charles Spencer, 62, recounts in his memoir Swan Song how he arrived at Westminster Abbey for a rehearsal the day before Diana's funeral in September 1997 and realized officials were apparently expecting to inspect his speech.
Charles Spencer Kept Princess Diana's Eulogy Secret
Charles Spencer kept Princess Diana's funeral speech hidden from royal officials.
Rather than surrender the text, Spencer said he pretended he had accidentally left it at home, allowing its contents to remain secret until he addressed a worldwide audience.
A source familiar with Spencer's account claimed: "Charles realized he'd effectively walked into what he regarded as an ambush. He believed the people gathered there expected to see the speech and potentially have a say over what he was going to tell the world.
"His solution was remarkably simple. He played the fool, claimed he'd forgotten it, and removed any opportunity for the speech to be picked apart beforehand."
"Given how powerful and controversial that eulogy became, it was an extraordinary moment," the insider noted. "Had its contents been scrutinized in advance, the funeral might have unfolded very differently."
Spencer writes in his new memoir that he told those assembled at the rehearsal: "God, I'm stupid!… in all the excitement of getting here on time, I've only gone and left my speech at home!"
'The Hunted Person of the Modern Age'
Spencer delivered his secret speech at Westminster Abbey.
The following day, September 6, Spencer delivered one of the most memorable royal speeches of modern times before mourners inside Westminster Abbey and a vast global television audience.
Diana had died aged 36 in Paris six days earlier after the Mercedes carrying her and her rumored lover, Dodi Fayed, 42, crashed in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel while being pursued by photographers.
Her death triggered an extraordinary outpouring of public grief after a turbulent life lived under intense scrutiny.
Diana had married the future King Charles III in 1981, aged 20. They had two sons – Prince William, now 44, and Prince Harry, now 42 – before their marriage deteriorated amid unhappiness and infidelity.
The couple separated in 1992 and divorced in 1996, a year before Diana's death.
At Westminster Abbey, Spencer used his eulogy to describe his sister as "the most hunted person of the modern age" and promised her blood family would help protect William and Harry from suffering similar pressures.
Applause erupted outside the abbey and could be heard inside.
Queen Elizabeth's Offer After Princess Diana's Funeral
Queen Elizabeth II offered to restore Princess Diana's royal title after her death, according to Spencer.
Swan Song also reveals another exchange following the funeral.
Spencer writes he boarded the royal train carrying family members from London to Althorp, where Diana was to be buried on an island in the estate's ornamental lake.
During the journey, his brother-in-law Robert Fellowes, then Queen Elizabeth II's private secretary, approached him with an offer from the monarch concerning Diana's royal status.
Spencer claims the Queen offered to restore the title Diana had lost following her divorce.
He replied: "That's very kind of the Queen, of course. But what's the point, Robert? Now? I mean – Diana's dead."
'Swan Song' Revisits Princess Diana's Final Days
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Princess Diana's funeral drew an enormous global audience in September 1997.
Spencer has revisited those extraordinary days as the 30th anniversary of Diana's death approaches.
