Princess Diana's brother to 'tell the truth' about sister

• Earl Spencer announces memoir on Princess Diana.
• New book revisits Diana’s life and death.
• Spencer aims to challenge “untruths” about sister.
• Memoir precedes 30th anniversary of Diana’s death.

Earl Spencer is set to publish a new book detailing the life story of his sister, Diana, Princess of Wales, told strictly from his own perspective as her brother.

Titled Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, the memoir will be released in the UK next month on September 22 by Penguin Michael Joseph, a division of Penguin Random House, nearly 30 years after her tragic passing.

Princess Diana, who died at age 36 following a car crash in Paris in 1997, would have turned 65 on July 1 this year. Her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, were aged 15 and 12 respectively at the time of her death.

In a statement released on Tuesday to mark the book's announcement, Earl Spencer explained that the approaching 30th anniversary of her death had brought a flood of media attention.

"With the 30th anniversary of Diana's tragic death on the skyline, I've been inundated yet again with requests for interviews about my sister," Earl Spencer said. "This has convinced me to write down my own thoughts and memories, once and for all, rather than having the discomfort of again reading the opinions of others, many of which are based on untruths that have become accepted over time."

Tribute to Diana's character 

Earl Spencer emphasized that his motivation for writing the memoir mirrors his intentions during his famous eulogy at Westminster Abbey in September 1997.

In that historic speech, he described Princess Diana as the "very essence of compassion, of duty, of style, of beauty," calling her a "symbol of selfless humanity" and a "standard bearer for the rights of the truly downtrodden."

He also used the platform to criticize the media, describing her as the "most hunted person of the modern age" and pledging to protect Prince William and Prince Harry from a similar fate.

Regarding the new book, Earl Spencer stated:

"The aim of this book is to tell the truth about Diana from her brother's perspective, just as I attempted to do when speaking at her funeral. As with my eulogy, I want to speak on Diana's behalf and do so in an openly positive way."

He added that he hoped the narrative would give readers a clearer picture of her true nature:

"I hope this book will be of interest to the many who still cherish the memory of Diana when she was alive, and I would be delighted if those too young to remember her in her heyday feel – after reading this – that they 'get' who she really was: a one-off, dynamic character, full of love, charisma and self-doubt, who gave life a hell of a go, and left the world a far better place, despite exiting the stage while still so young."

Daniel Bunyard, publishing director at Penguin Random House UK, praised the upcoming release:

"While these pages contain many revelations that will draw considerable attention, readers will find, for the first time, but also for all time, a fitting tribute to the beloved woman who was Princess Diana."