Dutch police have launched an investigation after four copies of Earl Spencer’s book about his sister, Diana, Princess of Wales, were stolen from a truck. The copies disappeared while they were being transported from the printing press to the Dutch publisher’s warehouse, days before the book’s worldwide publication.
The truck was carrying thousands of copies of Swan Song: Diana, My Sister. However, only four copies were taken. The exact location has not been disclosed, but the theft occurred earlier this week in the Dutch countryside.
The driver was sleeping in the cab
The truck driver was sleeping in the vehicle’s cab after stopping at a parking area for a mandatory rest period. It remains unclear whether the copies were targeted because the thieves knew the book’s contents had not yet been published or whether they were unaware of the nature of the books.
Penguin Michael Joseph, the British publisher owned by Penguin Random House, and the Dutch publisher Overamstel were asked for comment on the incident.
The book is scheduled for publication on September 22
The book is scheduled to be published in the United Kingdom and internationally on September 22. It covers Diana’s childhood, marriage and the period surrounding her death through the memories and reflections of her younger brother, Charles Spencer.
Charles Spencer announced the book ahead of the 30th anniversary of Diana’s death. He said repeated interview requests influenced his decision to write his own memories rather than read narratives shaped by others.
Spencer said his aim was to tell Diana’s story from her brother’s perspective and to speak openly about her in positive terms. In a speech at Diana’s funeral, he had described his sister as the essence of compassion, duty, style and beauty.
Diana died in Paris in 1997
Diana, Princess of Wales, died at the age of 36 after a traffic accident in Paris on August 31, 1997. Her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, were 15 and 12, respectively, at the time.
At the funeral ceremony in Westminster Abbey, Charles Spencer also criticized the media’s treatment of Diana and described her as the most closely followed person of the modern era. Spencer also promised that his family would help prevent her sons from experiencing similar pain.
