Diana drove alone to Beachy Head. She parked facing the cliff, one of the highest and most dangerous in England, and stayed watching the sea.
That is what her brother, Charles Spencer, has just revealed in “The Swan Song. Diana, My Sister”, published on September 22, 2026. According to his account, the princess was experiencing suicidal thoughts when she drove there, but only one thing made her turn around.
Before those afternoons at the cliff, Diana was dealt a severe blow. Shortly before marrying the then-Prince Charles, the princess discovered a bracelet he had commissioned for Camilla Parker Bowles, with the letters “F&G”, the initials of their nicknames “Fred” and “Gladys”. According to Spencer, Diana even told her father that Charles did not love her and wanted to back out. Her father replied that it was already impossible. She had to go ahead.
Then came the infidelity, the 1996 divorce, the constant pursuit by cameras, and the loneliness within a family that did not protect her. Spencer writes that it was during those terrible moments that his sister approached the cliff, but the only thing that held her back was thinking of William and Harry.
They were her everything. They did not save her by magic, they did not take away the pain, but they gave her a reason to get back in the car and drive home.
Buckingham Palace responded through a spokesperson for Charles III: the pain of losing a sibling can “cloud reason, impair judgment, and color memories”, even years later.
Diana died on August 31, 1997, in Paris, at the age of 36. William was 15. Harry, 12. Months earlier, she had come close to giving up in front of that same sea. On that August day, they were the ones who walked behind her coffin.
If you or someone you know is experiencing suicidal thoughts, seeking help is an act of courage: in many countries, free and confidential helplines are available 24 hours a day. You are not alone.