Earl Spencer reveals he removed part of Princess Diana’s eulogy in last-minute change

The Earl’s initial plan was to have somebody else read the eulogy

Earl Spencer has revealed that part of Princess Diana’s eulogy was “very different” from what he eventually read in a last-minute change.

Sharing new details of his original eulogy, Charles Spencer sat down with author Gyles Barndreth on his Rosebud podcast to discuss what he read out.

As he started piecing together the tribute, the Earl said: “[It was a] very traditional eulogy, almost… ‘She was very good at this as a child’ and all that. And then I thought, ‘Well, this is ridiculous, that’s not who she was.’ ”

He “realised” that his job in that moment was not to speak about Diana, but to “speak for” his late sister.

The Earl explained: “I knew I’d been left at that stage; it had no legal standing, but I knew she’d left me as guardian of her sons.

“Obviously, the other parent being alive, that meant nothing, but it meant something to me. That sort of duty, I think. And then I wrote it in an hour and a half and, yeah, that was it, really.”

The Earl revealed on the podcast that he did “take one bit out” of his eulogy about Rupert Murdoch.

Charles Spencer deemed the part “rather unnecessary”, taking the focus off of Diana.

\u200bThe Earl changed his eulogy, saying the initial draft was 'ridiculous' as it did not reflect who Diana was
The Earl changed his eulogy, saying the initial draft was ‘ridiculous’ as it did not reflect who Diana was

The Earl initial plan was to have somebody else read the eulogy, saying he was “in bits” when returning to the UK.

He said: “I flew back [to the UK] – I was living in South Africa – I flew back from Cape Town overnight. [I had a] very sweet stewardess help me.

“I had a big, thick address book, and I thought, ‘I want to find someone who’s going to make the speech for her.’ And I got to ‘Z’ and I hadn’t found anyone.

“[I] got off the plane in Heathrow [Airport], called my mother, I said, ‘I can’t think who’s going to give the eulogy. And I’ve got an awful feeling it’s going to have to be me.’

“And she said, ‘Well, it is going to be you. Your sisters and I have decided it.'”

Spencer famously delivered his eulogy at Diana’s funeral in September 1997.

In it, he criticised the mistreatment of his sister and pledged to ensure that her sons would be raised so that their souls “can sing openly as you planned”.

He said: “She would want us today to pledge ourselves to protecting her beloved boys William and Harry from a similar fate and I do this here Diana on your behalf.

\u200bSpencer famously delivered his eulogy at Diana's funeral in September 1997
Spencer famously delivered his eulogy at Diana’s funeral in September 1997

“We will not allow them to suffer the anguish that used regularly to drive you to tearful despair.

“William and Harry, we all cared desperately for you today. We are all chewed up with the sadness at the loss of a woman who was not even our mother.

“How great your suffering is, we cannot even imagine.”

An estimated two to 2.5 billion people watched the Earl’s eulogy for his sister, as part of her funeral broadcast on September 6, 1997.