Aug. 29, 2026

Princess Diana’s Brother Promises to Reveal the Truth and Correct Decades of “Untruths”

Show Notes
Transcript

What will Earl Spencer reveal about Princess Diana in his new memoir, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister? Which accepted stories does he consider untrue—and could his account reopen painful questions for King Charles III, Queen Camilla and the Royal Family?

Published ahead of the 30th anniversary of Diana’s death, the book promises Charles Spencer’s personal account of his sister’s childhood, marriage, extraordinary public life and the chaotic days following her death in Paris. Former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond believes it could become an important historical record, while biographer Tom Bower claims Spencer remains furious with Charles, unsympathetic toward Prince William and strongly supportive of Prince Harry.

Plus, a major new Princess Diana exhibition is coming to California. What will be displayed at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library? How is Diana’s famous John Travolta dress being reunited with Nancy Reagan’s White House gown? And what do Diana’s childhood clothes, handwritten letters, record collection and recreated spare wedding dress reveal about the woman behind the global icon?

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Palace Intrigue is a daily British royal family podcast covering King Charles, Meghan Markle, Prince Harry, Kate Middleton and the House of Windsor. New episodes every day. Follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. Part of the Caloroga Shark Media network.

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Hello and welcome to Palace Intrigue. I am your host,

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Mark Francis. Old Spencer is preparing to publish a new

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memoir about his sister, Princess Diana, promising to challenge what

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he calls long-standing untruths about her life. The book, titled

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Swan Song, Diana, My Sister, is due out September 22nd,

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ahead of the 30th anniversary of Diana's death. Publishers say

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the memoir will include new material about Diana's life in

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the period immediately following her death in Paris in 1997.

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Earl Spencer said, With the 30th anniversary of Diana's tragic

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death on the skyline, I've been inundated yet again with

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requests for interviews about my sister. This has convinced me

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to write down my own thoughts and memories once and

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for all, rather than having the discomfort of again reading

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the opinions of others, many of which are based on

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untruths that have become accepted over time. The aim of

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this book is to tell the truth about Diana from

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her brother's perspective, just as I attempted to do so

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when speaking at her funeral. As with my eulogy, I

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wanted to speak on Diana's behalf and do so in

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an openly positive way. I hope this book will be

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of interest to the many who still cherish the memory

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of Diana when she was alive, and I would be

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delighted if those too young to remember her in her

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heyday feel, after reading this, that they get who she

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really was, a one-off dynamic character full of love, charisma

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and self-doubt, who gave life a hell of a go

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and left the world a far better place, despite exiting

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the stage while still so young. Former BBC royal correspondent

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Jenny Bond told the Daily Mirror, it will be a

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fascinating book, and one which, as the Earl says, will

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put to bed some of the many misunderstandings surrounding Diana's

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life and death, and that makes it an important book.

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There will be multiple documentaries and acres of newsprint about

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Diana as the 30th anniversary of her death approaches. Some

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of us can claim to have known her a little.

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Many a film has been made about her and the

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crown distorted the reality of her life for millions of viewers.

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But her brother Charles knows the truth. He's a journalist

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himself and an author. He is brilliantly placed to tell

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us exactly what his sister was really like and what

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happened during her troubled marriage and untimely death. He has

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been besieged with requests to give interviews as the anniversary nears,

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so it makes perfect sense for him to simply put

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it all in a book of his own. I think

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it will be a valuable historical record. One part of

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the memoir likely to attract particular attention is Spencer's account

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of the days immediately after Diana died. Bond said it

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would be particularly interesting to hear his take on what

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happened during the dramatic few days after her death when

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the palace seemed to lose control of the narrative. Some

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of it may prove difficult reading for the royal family,

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but it will be fascinating to hear his side of

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the story. Public relations expert Olivia Bennett told the Mirror

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that Spencer's promise to correct untruths will inevitably raise questions

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about how much of the book deals with the royal family.

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Bennett said, Of course, the minute somebody says they want

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to correct untruths about Diana, people are going to start

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wondering exactly what those untruths are and whether any of

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them involve the royal family. I do think people will

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naturally wonder how much King Charles and Queen Camilla feature

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Diana's marriage was such a huge part of her public

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story that it would be difficult not to ask that question,

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but even if they do feature quite heavily, I'm not

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convinced it would have the same reputational impact today that

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Diana speaking about their relationship had in the 1990s. That

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doesn't mean a genuinely new detail couldn't reopen some of

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that criticism. Diana still carries an enormous amount of affection,

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and anything that appears to cast new light on how

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she was treated will get attention. With Diana, one sentence

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can very quickly become a headline in its own right.

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So if the book does challenge an established version of events,

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I'd expect it to be pulled apart line by line

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once it lands. If difficult claims do emerge, though, I

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certainly wouldn't be advising the palace to start answering the

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book chapter by chapter. That just gives every claim another

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round of coverage. If there is something genuinely significant and

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factually wrong that needs correcting, that's different. Otherwise, getting pulled

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into a public argument about memories from decades ago could

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very easily make the story bigger. Bond said the new

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memoir may also matter to a generation with no direct

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memory of Diana. Diana was an icon, and her early

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death made her even more so. There is now a

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whole generation who know little about her beyond what they

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have seen on The Crown, and it's important that they

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get a more accurate account about who Diana really was

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and why the world idolized her as much as it did.

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Swan Song, Diana, My Sister, is scheduled for release September 22nd.

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Royal biographer Tom Bauer is claiming that Charles Spencer is

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not enthusiastic about Prince William. Speaking to GB News, Bauer said,

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He's doing the book because he just wants to set

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the record, his record, straight. And also, it is a

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fascinating story. He's got a very special angle. I mean,

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he's furious with King Charles, doesn't like William, very pro-Harry,

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awfully unhappy about the way his sister was treated, and

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he is a good writer. More Palace in just a moment.

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A major new Princess Diana exhibition is heading to California.

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Princess Diana Love Life Legacy, A Life of Giving opens

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November 7th at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley,

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California and is scheduled to run through May of 2027.

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The centerpiece will be a dark blue velvet Victor Edelstein

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gown Diana wore to a White House state dinner in

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1985 when she famously danced with John Travolta. And for

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the exhibition, Diana's dress will be reunited with the white

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beaded gown worn that same evening by First Lady Nancy Reagan.

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Renee Plant, founder of the Princess Diana Museum, told People,

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Seeing the two dresses together, like those two iconic women

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on the stairs of the White House, will be very exciting.

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The exhibition is a partnership between Plant's museum and the

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Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute. Plant has assembled a

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large collection of Diana-related objects, but until now her museum

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has primarily existed online. She said, It's been my dream

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for it to be seen in public so people can

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see her life and legacy up close. It's so incredible

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to get these pieces back together and to see it

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come to life after all these years for the public.

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The Travolta dress itself is being loaned by Historic Royal Palaces,

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which acquired it in 2019. The exhibition will recreate some

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of the context surrounding that famous White House evening as well.

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On display will be the state dinner invitation and menu,

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along with sheet music for Stayin' Alive, which the Marine

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Band learned for the occasion. Melissa Giller of the Reagan

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Presidential Foundation explained how the famous dance came about. She said,

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During the state dinner, as was customary, President Reagan had

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a dance with Princess Diana. A Reagan staffer had John

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Travolta tap the President on the shoulder and asked to

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cut in. As soon as John Travolta and the Princess

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joined together in dance, the Marine Band struck up Stayin' Alive,

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creating this iconic moment in history. Gillick called bringing Diana's

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gown back to Reagan's library a full-circle moment. The exhibition

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goes well beyond Diana's glamorous years as Princess of Wales.

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There will be 64 pieces of clothing, including approximately eight

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baby dresses and baby shoes. Plant says some have never

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been previously publicly displayed. Visitors will also see jewellery, accessories,

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handwritten letters and items dating from Diana's life before she

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became one of the world's most recognisable women. That includes

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ski pants and Laura Ashley dresses with hand-sewn labels identifying

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them as Diana's. Plant said, It is the Sloan Ranger years.

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It has never been seen before. Everyone's seen the Christy

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Sol dresses, but this is some of the most intimate stuff.

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Another major item is what Plant calls Diana's caring dress,

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which she purchased at auction for $ 520, 000 in 2025. The

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dress has particular meaning for Plant because Diana was wearing

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it when Plant first encountered her during a royal visit

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to Australia. There are also smaller items that tell surprisingly

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personal stories. Part of Diana's record collection will be displayed,

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including her copy of Elton John's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.

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Diana apparently decorated the album with three hearts beside Elton

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John's photograph. Plant noted the extraordinary coincidence that Elton would

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later become Diana's friend and perform a rewritten version of

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Candle in the Wind, originally from that album, at her funeral.

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How do you make that up, Plant said. I get

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goosies talking about it. Some pieces have been recreated rather

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than being Diana originals. Working with Diana's wedding dress designer

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Elizabeth Emanuel, Plant helped recreate the so-called spare wedding dress

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that had been prepared as a backup for Diana's 1981 wedding.

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Plant says the intention is to tell Diana's story chronologically

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from childhood through her death in 97. This shows a

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trajectory of her life from her birth to when she

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sadly passed away. One by one, I have put this together.

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I thought she was being scattered all across the world

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and nothing was being done to honor her. It was

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that gift of giving. After the California exhibition closes in

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May of 27, Plant hopes to take her Diana collection

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on tour around the world. And there you have it.

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If you'd like to email us, our address is thepalaceintrigue

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thanks to John McDermott. This is Palace Intriguing. Good times.

Princess Diana’s Brother Promises to Reveal the Truth and Correct Decades of “Untruths”

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