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Earl Spencer has written a sensational memoir about his sister Princess Diana and the tumultuous aftermath of her tragic death, the Daily Mail can reveal.

Set to be published next month, 'Swan Song: Diana, My Sister' is a deeply personal account of his relationship with his sibling, which he has never told before.

The book, described as 'historic' and 'extraordinarily moving', is expected to cover Diana's childhood, her deeply unhappy 15-year marriage to the then-Prince of Wales, and the febrile days following her shocking death in a car crash in Paris in August 1997.

Announcing the news today, Earl Spencer, 62, said: 'With the 30th anniversary of Diana's tragic death on the skyline, I've been inundated yet again with requests for interviews about my sister.

'This has convinced me to write down my own thoughts and memories, once and for all, rather than having the discomfort of again reading the opinions of others, many of which are based on untruths that have become accepted over time.'

Swan Song, which will be published around the world and translated into 12 languages, is expected to provide an unprecedented inside account of a seismic week during which the House of Windsor was rocked by a global wave of public grief and anger.

Earl Spencer famously delivered a raw and defiant eulogy during Diana's funeral at Westminster Abbey, which was broadcast to an astonishing worldwide audience of 2.5billion.

During the powerful oration, he highlighted how his sister 'needed no royal title to continue to generate her particular brand of magic'.

He also pledged that Diana's 'blood family' would protect Princes William and Harry 'so that their souls are not simply immersed by duty and tradition, but can sing openly as you planned'.

His words so moved the huge crowds gathered outside that their spontaneous applause was eventually followed by clapping from the congregation inside the Abbey.

Earl Spencer today added: 'The aim of this book is to tell the truth about Diana from her brother's perspective, just as I attempted to do when speaking at her funeral.

'As with my eulogy, I want to speak on Diana's behalf and do so in an openly positive way.

'I hope this book will be of interest to the many who still cherish the memory of Diana when she was alive, and I would be delighted if those too young to remember her in her heyday feel – after reading this – that they 'get' who she really was: a one-off, dynamic character, full of love, charisma and self-doubt, who gave life a hell of a go, and left the world a far better place, despite exiting the stage while still so young.'

In the days leading up to the funeral, a heated row broke out behind the scenes over the decision for William and Harry to walk in Diana's funeral procession.

Writing in his controversial 2023 memoir Spare, Harry disclosed that his uncle objected vocally at the time, describing as a 'barbarity' the idea of having the boys, then aged 15 and 12, following the funeral cortege.

He also revealed that when an alternative plan was suggested of having William walk alone behind the coffin, Harry objected, saying he did not want his brother to undergo the ordeal on his own.

Earlier this year, Earl Spencer described how 'fundamentally unhappy' he becomes every year on the anniversary of his sister's death and how he finds it hard when strangers tell him where they were when she died.

Reflecting on Diana's 'extraordinary' legacy, he added: 'It's different things to different people, particularly to women of a similar age. They really invested their lives in hers.

'Maybe they had an unhappy marriage, maybe they battled an eating disorder. There's plenty of Diana to look into and take your bit out of – almost like a horoscope, you can make it make sense for you.'

Swan Song is due to be published in the UK by Penguin Michael Joseph, a division of Penguin Random House, on September 22.

The book's striking cover features an elegant black-and-white photograph of Diana.

Publisher Daniel Bunyard today said: 'This is a book of historic importance, telling as it does the story of one of the 20th century's most iconic and culturally significant figures, but it is also utterly unique in being written by Earl Spencer, from a vantage point of such intimacy.

'Charles Spencer is both a loving brother and an acclaimed memoirist as well as a celebrated historian, and all these facets are brought together in Swan Song.

'It is extraordinarily moving, beautifully written and remarkably candid, in no small part due to Charles's rare ability to access great emotional depth without sentimentality, honest observation without rancour, and warmth without gloss.

'While these pages contain many revelations that will draw considerable attention, readers will find, for the first time, but also for all time, a fitting tribute to the beloved woman who was Princess Diana.'

Charles Spencer and Diana grew up at the idyllic Park House on Queen Elizabeth's Sandringham estate in Norfolk, until the family moved to Althorp in 1975 when Charles was 12.

Diana affectionately called her younger brother 'Carlos', while he would call her 'Duch' – short for Duchess.

Their father, Viscount ('Johnnie') Spencer, had been equerry to both Queen Elizabeth and her father, George VI, while Diana's mother, Frances, was the younger daughter of the 4th Baron Fermoy.

Diana was the Spencers' third daughter and not the longed-for son who would secure continuance of the title. When Charles was born three years after Diana, a fireworks display was held in celebration.

Frances left Johnnie, later the 8th Earl Spencer, for the wallpaper heir Peter Shand Kydd in 1967. In an acrimonious custody battle the following year, Frances was dubbed 'a bolter' and lost the care of Diana, Charles and their older sisters Jane and Sarah.

From the age of eight, Charles was sent to Maidwell Hall boarding school in Northamptonshire, where he suffered appalling physical and sexual abuse.

In an extract from his poignant 2024 memoir A Very Private School, serialised exclusively in The Mail on Sunday, he described how a predatory assistant matron – whom he called a 'voracious paedophile' – preyed on him and other boys, grooming and then abusing them in their dormitory beds.

Earl Spencer had a ringside seat during his sister's marriage to the future King, their eventual bitter separation and, in 1996, their divorce.

In 2020 he revealed how rogue BBC reporter Martin Bashir spun a shocking web of deceit to obtain his 1995 Panorama interview with Diana, during which the princess famously declared 'there are three of us in this marriage' – referring to Camilla Parker Bowles.

Bashir showed the Earl forged bank statements to gain access to Diana and then tricked her by peddling a string of lies, including that Prince William's watch had been bugged to record her conversations.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and their children Archie and Lilibet reportedly visited the Althorp estate last month, where they are thought to have laid flowers on Diana's grave.

The princess's final resting place is on a tree-covered island in the middle of an ornamental lake called the Oval Lake.

Andrew Mountbatten–Windsor is due to receive a royal ceremonial funeral – despite his dramatic downfall and being stripped of all his titles.

Senior Whitehall sources have told The Mail on Sunday that the former Duke of York remains on a secret government list of royals who will receive high–profile funerals, even though he became a private citizen following revelations of his friendship with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

This newspaper understands the controversial arrangement is part of the Government's so–called 'bridge' plans, which lay out – far in advance and in meticulous detail – the funeral arrangements for members of the Royal Family.

Queen Elizabeth's funeral in 2022 followed a blueprint known as 'Operation London Bridge', while Prince Philip's was 'Operation Forth Bridge' – after the bridge close to the Scottish capital.

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It is anticipated that Mountbatten–Windsor would be buried at the Royal Burial Ground at Frogmore, a 33–acre private cemetery in Home Park, Windsor.

Others buried there include King Edward VIII, who abdicated the throne in disgrace in 1936 to marry American socialite Wallis Simpson, who is also buried there.

It is not expected that the plan for 66–year–old Mountbatten–Windsor, which is overseen by the Cabinet Office and kept under constant review, will be required for some time, given that he appears to be in good health.

But on Saturday US lawyer Gloria Allred, who has represented 27 of Epstein's victims, said: 'Andrew has brought disgrace upon the Royal Family and the UK as a result of his involvement with Jeffrey Epstein.

'Under these circumstances, the question arises as to why this man should be afforded the honour of a royal funeral. What kind of message would such a ceremony send to Epstein's victims?

'Additionally, why should UK taxpayers bear the burden of paying his expenses either in life or after his death?'

Alicia Kearns, Tory shadow Home Office minister, said: 'There are no circumstances under which Andrew should be afforded a royal funeral.

'He should live out his days far from public life, and the police and CPS should ensure their investigations into him are robust and don't drag on. All such plans should be revoked immediately.'

Norman Baker, a former government minister and expert in royal finances, said: 'This must be an oversight. Mr Mountbatten–Windsor is a commoner and should in no way be getting any sort of royal funeral.'

The 'bridge' plan for Andrew is likely to have been revised in the past year to take into account that he is no longer a working royal. In a humiliating blow, King Charles stripped his brother of his HRH style and prince title in November last year.

At least five women who were abused by former Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed have been formally recognised by the Home Office as victims of modern slavery.

The BBC revealed in April that Rachel Louw, who has waived her right to anonymity, had become the first woman known to receive such a decision.

Since then, at least four other women have received positive "conclusive grounds" decisions recognising them as victims of modern slavery, with more expected to follow, according to PA Media.

The latest cases include women who were trafficked internationally and within the UK, including one case in which the trafficking took place entirely within Harrods.

When an individual receives a positive "conclusive grounds" decision through the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) - the UK's official framework for identifying victims of modern slavery - they are formally recognised as a victim.

Legal experts have previously told the BBC that these decisions can strengthen the credibility of witnesses in criminal proceedings and may influence the way police investigate cases.

The Modern Slavery Act, which came into force in 2015, defines human trafficking as arranging or facilitating the travel of another person within a country or across borders for the purposes of that person being exploited.

The latest decisions include all four members of the survivor advocacy group No One Above, who had been awaiting rulings after being referred to the NRM by the anti-slavery charity Unseen.

According to PA Media, one survivor had been recruited to a false role within Harrods, while two others were employed in legitimate roles before being selected for abuse from the shop floor.

A fourth worked as a domestic employee for the Fayed family after being recruited by a letting agency called Hyde Park Residence.

One of the survivors said receiving the decision was "very significant".

"Seeing it in writing that you were a victim of modern slavery and trafficking is very... it's really shocking to read," she told PA Media.

Speaking to the BBC in April, Louw said she felt "vindication" and "validation" that the government had recognised her case.

In her final determination, the Home Office found she had been subjected to sexual exploitation in the UK and France over a three-year period by Al Fayed and his brother Salah.

"It was an odd feeling to feel positive about an acknowledgement of something that was so intrinsically negative," she said. "But it is vindication and validation."

Hundreds of women have accused Al Fayed, who owned the luxury Harrods store in London between 1985 and 2010, of rape, sexual assault and trafficking. Al Fayed died in 2023 aged 94 having never faced any charges. Several women have also accused his brother Salah of abuse. Salah died in 2010.

The Metropolitan Police's investigation, Operation Cornpoppy, is examining whether others facilitated or enabled Al Fayed's crimes.

The Met has broadened its investigation to include human trafficking, and in March announced that four people had been interviewed under caution over offences including human trafficking for sexual exploitation and facilitating rape.

It said that 154 victims had come forward and reported allegations of sexual assault, rape, sexual exploitation and human trafficking.