Earl Spencer's book on Princess Diana stolen in the Netherlands

Four copies of Earl Spencer's forthcoming book about his sister, Diana, Princess of Wales, have been stolen from a truck in the Netherlands. The theft occurred as the Dutch language edition of "Swan Song: Diana, My Sister" was being transported from the printers to the warehouse of its Dutch publisher.

Dutch police are aware of the incident and are investigating, according to the BBC. The book's release is scheduled for Tuesday, with the publication set to detail Princess Diana's life from Earl Spencer's perspective. The truck driver was reportedly sleeping in his cab during a mandatory break in a car park when the books were taken.

Earl Spencer announced the book last month, stating his intention to share his own thoughts and memories rather than engage with the opinions of others, particularly in anticipation of the 30th anniversary of Diana's death. He aims to present the truth about his sister from his brother's viewpoint, much as he attempted to do in his eulogy at her funeral in September 1997.

During the funeral, Earl Spencer described Diana as the "very essence of compassion, of duty, of style, of beauty" and a "symbol of selfless humanity." He also criticized the media's treatment of her, calling her the "most hunted person of the modern age," and pledged to protect her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, from a similar fate. Princess Diana died in a car crash in Paris in 1997 at the age of 36. She would have turned 65 on July 1st.

This incident echoes the accidental early release of Prince Harry's memoir, "Spare," in Spain in 2023, just days before its official global launch.