Charles Spencer's Diana memoir shatters sales records

Charles Spencer's book about Princess Diana has become the fastest-selling hardback non-fiction title in the UK this year.

Penned by the younger brother of the late princess, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister has sold 102,668 copies during its opening week on sale.

The intimate portrait of Princess Diana, written from her brother's perspective, now sits at number one across the entire book market.

Nielsen confirmed the achievement, stating: "In its publication week, Swan Song has already become the bestselling non-fiction print book in the UK for 2026 so far."

The remarkable first-week figures also place it among the highest-selling books of any genre in Britain this year.

Charles Spencer's book about his late sister Princess Diana, packed with explosive revelations concerning King Charles III that have rocked Britain's monarchy in recent days, went on last week.

"Swan Song: Diana, My Sister", has been published by Penguin in various English-speaking countries and translated into 12 languages for wider release.

Billed as chronicling her life from his perspective, Spencer's 384-page book comes almost three decades after Diana was killed in a 1997 car crash in Paris.

Extracts serialised in the British tabloid the Daily Mail last week have triggered sensational headlines around revelations involving her ex-husband, and now King Charles III.

Charles issued a rare rebuttal after Spencer wrote that the then Prince of Wales told him in a phone call shortly after Diana's death: "Rest assured, we'll forget her soon enough."

Spencer also claimed Charles had "sounded giddily elated, like a lottery winner" at the news of her demise.