Earl Spencer to Sue Michael Gove Over Podcast Claims Regarding Princess Diana
Earl Spencer is initiating legal action against Michael Gove and The Spectator magazine following a podcast that made alleged false claims about his relationship with Princess Diana and his handling of her death.
Earl Spencer is taking legal action against former Cabinet minister Michael Gove over statements made in a podcast produced by The Spectator, where Gove serves as editor. The podcast discussed Spencer's memoir, "Swan Song," and included claims that Spencer was on "bad terms" with his sister, Princess Diana, prior to her death in 1997.
Spencer's spokesperson has refuted these claims, stating that Diana never asked to stay at his ancestral home, Althorp, in the summer of 1997, and that had she asked, he would have accommodated her. The spokesperson also asserted that Spencer never turned his sister away, having offered her multiple properties on the Althorp estate and the family's ancestral home, Wormleighton Manor, after her marriage breakdown and in line with police advice for her safety.
The podcast further alleged that Earl Spencer was "monetising her death" by publishing his book. Spencer is seeking the removal of the podcast from The Spectator's website and a correction of the record. Gove has declined to comment on the matter.
This legal action follows an earlier complaint made to Piers Morgan regarding a factual error in Spencer's memoir, "Swan Song."