Princess Diana Foresaw Her Death, Brother Claims in New Memoir
The late royal's brother recounts a chilling comment made just two months before her fatal car crash.
Princess Diana once remarked that her home looked like a "funeral parlour" due to an abundance of flowers, a comment made just two months before her untimely death, according to her brother Charles Spencer. The observation, detailed in Spencer's new memoir "Swan Song: Diana, My Sister," occurred on Diana's 36th and final birthday, July 1, 1997.
Spencer recalled that Diana had sent a thank-you note for a bouquet of flowers received for her birthday, stating, "I’ve been so lucky! My house is so full of gorgeous flowers that the place looks like a funeral parlour!" He later encountered Diana at London's Tate Gallery shortly after her birthday, and their brief conversation marked their last meeting. "We had only that brief chat, never to see each other again," Spencer wrote, referencing her death in a Paris car crash on August 31, 1997.
Spencer also details his experience of writing Diana's eulogy, a task he undertook just two months after her death. He reflected on incorporating the poignancy of their final meeting into the eulogy as a reminder of the suddenness with which loved ones can be lost. "Now here I was, just two months later, trying to write something suitable for her funeral," he wrote in the memoir.
The release of Spencer's book has been accompanied by controversy, particularly regarding his accounts of King Charles and the funeral arrangements. He previously claimed that King Charles had stated Diana would be forgotten "soon enough" after her death. A spokesperson for Buckingham Palace issued a statement in response, suggesting that "fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgment and color memory." Spencer also alleged that King Charles had an "odd wish" to walk behind Diana's casket in the funeral procession, despite their divorce, a desire that reportedly led to a confrontation with Spencer. Ultimately, Princes William and Harry, along with their father, grandfather Prince Philip, and uncle Spencer, walked behind the coffin. Spencer's memoir is now available.