Princess Diana’s brother, Earl Charles Spencer, has shared a painful account of the days after her death, describing a dispute over the music for her funeral. In a new excerpt from his upcoming memoir Swan Song: Diana My Sister, he says the Spencer family tried to honor a wish Diana had expressed during her lifetime. The request, however, did not go forward. The account adds another layer to the long public history of Diana’s funeral, one of the most watched royal ceremonies of the modern era.
Charles Spencer Details Request for Mozart's Requiem
According to Daily Mail, Spencer wrote that his sisters believed Diana had wanted Mozart’s Requiem played after her death. "My sisters knew that Diana had always wanted Mozart’s Requiem to be played for her, after her death," said Charles Spencer according to Daily Mail. He said he was then told that "no part of a requiem can be played at a Church of England funeral." That explanation, he wrote, later proved false. In his account, the refusal became an early sign of how tightly funeral decisions were being controlled.
Buckingham Palace Asserted Control Over Arrangements
Spencer’s memoir also describes a broader struggle over who would shape the ceremony. He writes that Buckingham Palace treated Diana as part of the Royal Family in death, despite her divorce from the then-Prince Charles. In practical terms, that meant the Spencer family was expected to follow palace decisions on key details. The issue of the music was not presented as an isolated disagreement, but as part of a larger atmosphere in which Diana’s relatives felt their wishes carried limited weight during preparations for the service.
Spencer Recalls Kindness and Bitterness at the Palace
The memoir excerpt goes beyond the funeral itself and reflects on the behavior Spencer encountered in royal circles at the time. He says some people within the Palace showed real kindness to him and his family during the period of grief. At the same time, he alleges that others seemed "relieved" by Diana’s death, a striking claim that adds fresh tension to the historical record. Those remarks are likely to draw attention as the book revisits one of the monarchy’s most sensitive chapters with deeply personal detail.
Diana's Legacy Stays Central Before Anniversary Year
The timing of the excerpt is notable as interest in Diana’s legacy grows again ahead of the 30th anniversary of her death next year. AOL reports that Prince Harry is rumored to be developing a television film about his mother, with Meghan Markle reportedly linked as narrator. Royal commentator Kinsey Schofield said such a project could create friction if it connects Diana’s life too closely to Harry and Meghan’s public disputes. Against that backdrop, Spencer’s memoir places the focus back on the family’s own memories of loss, conflict, and unanswered grievances.
