Earl Spencer has apologised to broadcaster Piers Morgan over an incorrect assumption in his new memoir, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, which wrongly linked Morgan to the 1993 publication of intrusive gym photographs of Princess Diana. Despite the retraction, Morgan vows to continue legal action.
The feud surrounding the newly published memoir has intensified rapidly. Charles Spencer issued a statement on Tuesday acknowledging a factual error in his book, which hit shelves the same day. The apology addresses a passage where the author claimed Morgan edited the Daily Mirror when the tabloid published covertly captured workout photographs of the late royal. In reality, Morgan was working for a rival newspaper at the time.
The Retraction and the Apology Over 1993 Gym Photographs
The disputed passage in Charles Spencer’s book Swan Song claimed that Morgan harbored guilt over the publication of pictures taken with hidden cameras by a gym owner in November 1993. The statement released by the author’s office clarified the timeline after Morgan pushed back.
“The photographs were published by the Sunday Mirror on 7 November 1993. Mr Morgan has pointed out that he did not join the Daily Mirror until October 1995. As an historian, accuracy is important to Earl Spencer. He therefore wishes to clarify that his assumption was incorrect. Earl Spencer apologises to Mr Morgan for this error.”
A spokesperson for Princess Diana’s brother
While the author conceded the chronological mistake, the statement maintained that the earl’s account of a tense telephone conversation between the two men regarding Princess Diana’s funeral remains accurate. According to the text, Morgan snarled with annoyance before he hung up after being informed he was no longer invited to attend Princess Diana’s funeral. Earl Spencer’s account of his conversation with Piers Morgan is accurate, and Morgan was surly and annoyed when Earl Spencer called personally to tell him that he was not welcome at his sister’s funeral.
Piers Morgan’s Pushback and Legal Threats
Morgan strongly disputed the characterization of their phone call, stating he was respectful during the exchange. On his YouTube show, Piers Morgan Uncensored, the broadcaster dismantled the book’s claims about the 1993 media scoop. He noted that during the gym photo publication, he was doing a showbiz column for The Sun, the arch-rival of the Mirror, and did not join the Mirror as its editor until 1995. Morgan called the claim “all bulls***and threatened to sue Earl Spencer over
fabricated inaccuracies” and examples of brazen falsity
in the book, which was published on Tuesday. Morgan had earlier threatened to sue Spencer, and said on X, formerly Twitter: I am taking legal action against Earl Spencer and his publishers over demonstrable lies he has written about me in his new book, which call into question his credibility as a supposed 'historian'.
The gym images in question were published by the Sunday Mirror on 7 November 1993.
“laying out that we want the offending pages to be removed from this book. And if that means they pulp the first edition, so be it”.
Piers Morgan, via BBC
Furthermore, Morgan stated that his lawyers would be in contact and that he wanted damages paid to the King’s Trust. The BBC understands that Penguin, the publishers of Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, will be amending this one point in future editions of the book.
Broader Controversies Surrounding Swan Song
The factual correction regarding Morgan compounds a series of contentious allegations contained within the memoir, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, which finally hit shelves on Tuesday after causing a storm in the weeks leading up to its publication. Charles Spencer has made a raft of claims in the book, including that the King said we'll forget her soon enough
after she died in 1997 and sounded “giddily elated” in the wake of the fatal car crash.
Buckingham Palace issued a response addressing the literary release without commenting directly on specific book contents. A palace spokesperson noted that the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgment and colour memory long after a tragedy occurs.