Earl Spencer publishes Diana memoir as old Spencer Farms filings resurface
Charles Spencer, Earl Spencer, published his memoir about Diana, Princess of Wales on 22 September 2026. Days later the story shifted from the book to paperwork.
The book came first. The paperwork came next.
The memoir is titled Swan Song: Diana my Sister, and was published in the week before 28 September, according to Hello Magazine. The publication date was 22 September 2026, according to The New York Times. Earl Spencer was 62 at the time.
A copy of the memoir was stolen before publication, according to People. Publishing sources told The Sun the book could earn Earl Spencer between £5 million and £10 million, in a report published on 26 September. That figure is an estimate from unnamed publishing sources, not a confirmed payment.
Then came the trademarks. A UK Intellectual Property Office listing, the public register where British trademarks are recorded, names Spencer Farms for goods. The application potentially covers honey, tea, marmalade, wine, rugs and bags, according to Hello Magazine. A separate registration covers Earl Spencer's own name for public speaking and appearances.
A source told The Sun, as reported by Hello Magazine, that the trademarks were filed in 2023 as a preventative measure and left dormant. They are not a new venture, the source said. That denial sits alongside the listing itself.
The memoir contains claims about Diana's final years. Earl Spencer claims in the book that Mohamed Al Fayed touched Diana inappropriately early in her relationship with his son Dodi Fayed, according to reporting on the book. He also claims that King Charles III was "giddily elated like a lottery winner" when told of Diana's death in a Paris car crash.
Those passages have drawn responses. Paul Burrell, Diana's former butler, said Earl Spencer rarely spoke to Diana in her final five years. Other coverage pointed to Earl Spencer's earlier statement that he would never make money from his sister's death.
For readers picking this up now, the two threads are separate. One is a memoir and what it alleges. The other is a trademark entry from 2023 and what, if anything, it becomes.
