Charles Spencer: Four copies of his book on Diana stolen

Four copies of Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, the new book by Charles Spencer about Princess Diana, were stolen from a truck in the Netherlands just days before its release. Dutch police are investigating, according to several media reports.

The truck was transporting thousands of copies from a printing house in Central Europe to a warehouse in the Netherlands. It was reportedly broken into while the driver was sleeping at a rural rest area, as reported by The Times and People.

Among the entire cargo, only four books wrapped in black plastic are said to have gone missing. The driver discovered the break-in in the morning, and the publisher Penguin Random House was subsequently informed. The exact circumstances of the theft and the identity of the perpetrators remain unknown.

The British publication of the book is scheduled for September 22, 2026, by Michael Joseph. Presented by the publisher as a narrative of Diana’s life and death from her brother’s perspective, the book will reflect on their childhood, their relationship, and the days following the princess’s death in 1997.

Charles Spencer, 62, describes Swan Song as the most personal of his ten books. The aristocrat regularly honors his sister’s memory at Althorp, where he recently unveiled a magnolia planted near her grave.

At this stage, no excerpts from the stolen copies have been reported publicly. The available information also does not clarify whether the book was the specific target of the break-in or if other items were taken.