Charles Spencer Says He Told Prince William and Prince Harry About His Princess Diana Memoir at the Same Time
In an exclusive interview at Althorp, Princess Diana’s brother Charles Spencer discusses how he informed her sons about his deeply personal new memoir.
Charles Spencer says he made a point of telling Prince William and Prince Harry about his new memoir at “exactly the same time,” according to an exclusive interview with PEOPLE at Althorp. The decision places the brothers at the center of a personal family conversation surrounding a book connected to their late mother, Princess Diana.
Spencer, Diana’s brother, described the timing of that conversation as important. Rather than informing one nephew before the other, he says he told both about the memoir simultaneously. His account, as reported by PEOPLE, offers a glimpse into the care he brought to a project involving private family history and the continuing public interest in Diana’s life.
The memoir is described as deeply personal, although the available account does not disclose its title, publication details or the specific subjects Spencer discusses in the book. It also does not set out the full content of his conversations with William and Harry. What is clear is that Spencer wanted both princes to hear about the project directly and on equal terms.
The timing of the conversation is the central detail of Spencer’s comments. Saying he spoke to William and Harry at exactly the same time emphasizes that neither brother was given advance notice over the other. For a family story involving their mother, that distinction appears to have mattered to Spencer as he prepared to share his memoir with the wider public.
Diana remains one of the most closely followed figures in modern royal history, and her family connections continue to attract intense attention. Any memoir by her brother is therefore likely to be read not only as a personal account but also as a contribution to the broader public record surrounding her life and legacy. Spencer’s decision to speak with her sons before the book became the subject of wider discussion reflects the sensitivity of that connection.
The interview took place at Althorp, the setting identified in the report. Spencer’s comments there focus on the family dimension of the memoir rather than providing a detailed account of every chapter. The material supplied for the interview does not indicate whether William or Harry offered an opinion about the book, whether either prince asked for changes, or how they responded when Spencer told them about it.
That lack of detail makes the timing itself especially significant. Spencer is not reported as saying that the princes approved the memoir, endorsed it or participated in writing it. He is also not reported as describing their private reactions. The confirmed point is narrower: he says he informed both men about the project at the same moment.
For readers, the distinction is important. A family member’s decision to notify relatives about a memoir does not necessarily mean those relatives agreed with every account in it. In this case, the available information supports only the conclusion that Spencer considered it appropriate to tell William and Harry personally and simultaneously before discussing the book publicly.
The arrangement may also reflect the unusual position occupied by Diana’s sons. William and Harry have lived with their mother’s public image since childhood, while also carrying their own memories of her. A memoir written by her brother adds another family perspective to a story that has often been told through biographies, interviews and media coverage. Spencer’s comments suggest he was conscious that the book would touch a subject that remains personal for both princes.
The report does not identify the memoir’s publication date or explain whether it is already available to readers. It similarly does not specify the period covered, the events examined or the reason Spencer decided to write it now. Those details cannot be established from the supplied interview summary. The description of the work as deeply personal, however, indicates that Spencer presents it as more than a general account of public events.
Spencer’s role as Diana’s brother gives the project a distinct perspective. He is connected to her through family history, rather than through the royal household or the professional institutions that shaped much of her public life. That perspective may be part of the memoir’s appeal, although the source material does not set out its themes or claims in detail.
His relationship to William and Harry also gives the announcement a personal dimension. By addressing both princes together, Spencer avoided creating a visible difference in how he communicated with them. The wording “exactly the same time,” as reported in the interview, conveys an effort to be even-handed while discussing a book about their mother.
The brothers’ own public lives have often been examined separately, but Spencer’s account places them together in this particular family moment. The source does not say whether the conversation happened in person, by telephone or through another form of communication. It also does not say who initiated it or how far in advance of publication the disclosure occurred.
Those unanswered questions are part of the boundaries of the report. No detailed reaction from William or Harry is included in the supplied material, and no claim is made that either prince has publicly commented on the memoir. Readers should therefore distinguish Spencer’s statement about what he did from any assumptions about what the princes thought or felt.
The choice to tell the brothers before wider publication can nevertheless be understood as a mark of family consideration. Memoirs frequently combine personal recollection with accounts of people who may still be alive and connected to the author. When the subject is Princess Diana, the personal and public dimensions are particularly difficult to separate. Spencer’s comments show that he recognized the need to address the people most directly connected to her before presenting his account to the public.
At the same time, the interview does not suggest that Spencer intended to make William and Harry the focus of the memoir. The supplied summary identifies the book as his own deeply personal work and says that he opened up about telling Diana’s sons about it. Beyond that, the source provides no reliable basis for describing the book’s chapters, tone, conclusions or treatment of particular family events.
The memoir’s eventual reception will likely depend on how readers assess Spencer’s memories and the perspective he brings to Diana’s story. It may also prompt renewed discussion about the difference between private family recollection and the public narratives that have grown around the former Princess of Wales. For now, the clearest news is the way Spencer handled the advance disclosure to her sons.
By emphasizing that William and Harry were told at precisely the same time, Spencer presents the conversation as a deliberate act of fairness. He did not describe a separate briefing for one prince followed by another. Instead, his account places both men on equal footing before the memoir reached a wider audience.
The detail also underscores the continuing sensitivity of Diana-related projects. Her life remains familiar to audiences around the world, but the people who knew her personally still have their own memories and boundaries. Spencer’s decision to speak with her sons acknowledges that a family memoir can carry consequences beyond the author’s own experience.
At this stage, the available report does not establish whether the memoir will introduce new revelations or revisit well-known aspects of Diana’s life. It does not provide excerpts, dates, sales information or details about the publishing process. Any claims about those matters would go beyond the information made available in the source material.
What the interview does establish is a simple but meaningful sequence: Charles Spencer wrote a personal memoir connected to his family, chose to tell Prince William and Prince Harry about it, and says he did so at exactly the same time. That sequence is now part of the public conversation surrounding the book.
Speaking from Althorp, Spencer offered a limited but revealing account of the care he took before discussing the memoir more broadly. His remarks do not settle how the princes regard the project, nor do they explain what readers will find in its pages. They do show that, for Spencer, informing Diana’s sons was important enough to make the timing of that conversation a point worth highlighting.
As further information about the memoir becomes available, attention is likely to remain focused on what Spencer remembers, how he interprets his sister’s life and whether William or Harry choose to comment. Until then, the confirmed account is that both princes were told together, before the public was invited to engage with their uncle’s deeply personal story.