Princess Diana’s brother Lord Spencer is selling copies of the eulogy he read at her funeral for £30 – and will even sign them
PRINCESS Diana’s brother Earl Charles Spencer is selling copies of the eulogy he read at her funeral for £30 – and you can get signed copies.
The blue bound book includes the full text he read at his older sister’s ceremony at Westminster Abbey on September 6, 1997. Princess Diana died 22 years ago today in a car crash in Paris.
The book, which is titled “Earl Spencer’s Tribute to Diana, Princess of Wales”, comes in a case which is secured by a decorative ribbon.
It is available to buy in the gift shop of the family’s estate Althorp House in Northamptonshire, which is open to visitors during the summer months, and also online.
And on certain visiting days, Lord Charles Spencer, who is worth around £116m, sets up a booth to sign copies for visiting customers.
A visitor, who went to the estate on Thursday, told Fabulous Digital: “He does the signings every day, apparently.
“He walks over from the house and they only advertise on the day he’s going to do it. He usually spends 15 minutes meeting people.
“He does it most days according to staff. There was about 50 or 60 people in the queue, probably more.
“He was quite nice with people, pleasant and thanked them for coming.”
The commemorative item – which doesn’t include any photos of the late Princess - includes the full speech of the text Charles Spencer read out over two decades ago.
The onlooker added: “He’ll only sign his history books, which are around £20 each, or this eulogy for £30. He wouldn’t sign my £5.99 guidebook.
“My wife was disappointed there weren't any pictures of Diana in it.”
Who is Earl Spencer?
Born Charles Edward Maurice Spencer on May 20, 1964, Earl Spencer is Princess Diana's younger brother and Prince William and Harry's maternal uncle.
Queen Elizabeth II is his godmother and his parents were the Viscount and Viscountess Althorp.
Earl Spencer had two other sisters, Sarah and Jane, and an elder brother John who died within hours of being born.
He studied at Eton and then read modern history at Magdalen College, Oxford.
On the Althorp website, the eulogy is described as being “bound and boxed” and “exclusive to Althorp” – and states it was initially printed in 2000.
Online orders can also include a personal dedication to a name of your choice.
Earl Charles has written a number of books, including To Catch a King, which is a “true tale” about Charles II’s six weeks on the run, and Impressions of Althorp, which is his personal perspective on owning the private historic estate.
Representatives of Earl Spencer have been contacted for comment.
The Althorp Grade I-listed stately home is also the site of Princess Diana’s final resting place, and she is buried on an island in the middle of a lake in the grounds.
Surrounded by rolling, lush grounds, Diana’s grave is peacefully nestled on an island nicknamed the Oval in the middle of an ornamental lake.
WHAT WAS EARL SPENCER'S EULOGY TO PRINCESS DIANA?
Earl Charles Spencer, who made headlines after his moving eulogy at Princess Diana's 1997 funeral.
In his speech, the earl said: “Diana was the very essence of compassion, of duty, of style, of beauty.
“All over the world she was a symbol of selfless humanity. All over the world, a standard bearer for the rights of the truly downtrodden, a very British girl who transcended nationality.
"Someone with a natural nobility who was classless and who proved in the last year that she needed no royal title to continue to generate her particular brand of magic.”
Stunning shots show the crystal clear lake protecting the grave that was not originally intended to be her burial site – but her brother Earl Spencer said in 2017 it was the “safest place” for her to be rested.
Diana was buried on Thursday September 6, 1997, and hundreds of visitors are expected to pay homage to the beloved royal in light of the anniversary.
The peaceful spot is regularly visited by her sons Prince William, 37, and Prince Harry, 34, along with thousands of adoring fans who flock to the estate each summer - with some already leaving notes for their "Queen of Hearts" this year.
The lake grave was eventually chosen to defend the late princess' remains from “ghouls” and to keep it safe from intruders.
In 1998 Earl Spencer said the water would "act as a buffer against the interventions of the insane and ghoulish with the thick mud presenting a further line of defence.
"We all agreed that, with its beauty and tranquillity, this was the place for Diana to be."
Despite the spot being picked for security reasons, he admitted to BBC Radio 4 that there have been “four attempted break-ins over the past 20 years” since she passed away.
Diana grew up on the 13,000-acre Althorp estate, which now features 36 oak trees that were specially planted to represent each year of her life.
CAN YOU VISIT PRINCESS DIANA'S GRAVE?
The public can visit Althorp House and Park from July 1 to August 31 - excluding certain dates that are listed on the
Opening hours are from noon until 5pm.
The estate is located just off the M1 and is about an hour-and-a-half from London.
The grave is inaccessible to the public as it is located on an island in the middle of the lake, but there is a separate memorial site nearby for guests to pay their respects.
Princess Diana's family, the Spencers, have owned the Althorp Estate for over 500 years, with Diana calling the estate home before her marriage to Prince Charles.
She grew up there with her siblings Lady Sarah McCorquodale, Lady Jane Fellowes and her brother , and could often be found as a child tap dancing on the hall’s black and white marble floor.
Currently, the property is held by Earl Charles Spencer, who made headlines after his moving eulogy.
The estate, which dates back to 1508, includes the stately home, along with 50 square kilometres of woodland, cottages and farms in the surrounding area.
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In other royal news, we shared how Princess Diana’s brother plans to leave his Althorp estate to his son instead of his eldest child, daughter Lady Kitty Spencer.