Columnist Susan Lee has criticised Earl Spencer's decision to write a new book about his sister, Princess Diana, questioning the timing and necessity of the revelations nearly three decades after her death.
In her latest column, Lee reflects on the 29th anniversary of Diana's death, recalling the night her best friend rang her in tears with the news. At the time, Lee was pregnant with her son and settling into a new house. Now, she writes, her son is a father himself, and she is adjusting to life as a grandparent.
Diana's enduring presence
Lee acknowledges that Diana's presence continues to haunt both the royal family and the public imagination, even in 2026. She describes the former Princess of Wales as a remarkable woman who refused to fit the royal mould, speaking out about eating disorders, loneliness, and her collapsed marriage.
Diana's actions, Lee notes, were shocking at the time but now feel almost modern. She changed the Monarchy and public discourse by lifting the lid on life behind palace walls. Diana also commanded worldwide headlines by holding the hand of an AIDS patient, walking through landmines, and running in the mums' race at school. Her death at just 36 was tragic, leaving her frozen in time as forever young.
Questions over the new book
Lee says she understands the ongoing fascination with Diana but struggles with the news that Earl Spencer has written a new book about her. Swan Song: Diana, My Sister will, according to Spencer, contain “revelations that will draw considerable attention” and take on the “untruths” told about her.
The book is being released with the 30th anniversary of Diana's death “on the skyline”. Lee acknowledges Spencer has every right to write about his sister, noting it must have been hard to see millions of words written about her over the years, some half-baked conjecture, some plain wrong. However, she questions why now, and what more can be said that is genuinely new after almost three decades.
A plea to let Diana rest
Lee points out that both of Diana's sons, whatever their personal disagreements, continue to find the loss of their mother hard, and the Royal Family has seen enough drama recently. She argues that no good will come of dragging up a past which has been raked over aplenty, and it is time to leave Diana's memory alone and allow her to truly rest in peace.
In a separate item in her column, Lee welcomes Wetherspoons' ban on customers playing music or taking calls on speakerphones after noise complaints. Founder Tim Martin said that in a world dominated by amplified sound, his pubs were “an oasis of tranquillity and contemplation”. Lee, while not going that far, agrees that nobody wants to be sonically assaulted by other people's Spotify playlists in public, and if a ban improves a night out, she'll drink to that.
