Charles Spencer has offered a striking account of his father’s past: in his new memoir, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, he says Edward John Spencer had a romantic connection with the future Queen Elizabeth II. He also says Lord Mountbatten brought it to an end. The story is intriguing, but the book leaves a crucial detail open: when did this supposedly happen?
That missing date matters. Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten were in contact during the Second World War. Their engagement was announced in July 1947, and they married that November. Spencer’s suggestion that Mountbatten may have wanted to clear a path for his nephew Philip is presented as a possibility, rather than a documented motive.
What does Charles Spencer say?
John Spencer, later the 8th Earl Spencer and father of Diana, joined King George VI’s household in 1950 and subsequently served Elizabeth as an equerry, according to Vanity Fair’s review of the claim. That documented service came after Elizabeth and Philip’s wedding. His son writes that Lord Mountbatten summoned him and told him any hopes of winning Elizabeth’s affections were out of the question. He says his father complied and afterwards deeply disliked Mountbatten.
The memoir also describes a letter sent to John shortly before Diana married Prince Charles in 1981. According to Charles Spencer, John’s aunt Lady Margaret Douglas-Home referred to a private history and his years of discretion. The letter is an interesting family clue, but the excerpt reported so far does not spell out what happened between John and Elizabeth. It cannot, by itself, establish a romance or Mountbatten’s role.
The dates we do know
Elizabeth and Philip: a short timeline
1939 · They meet again at the Royal Naval College, Dartmouth.
During the war · They keep in touch while Philip serves overseas.
July 9, 1947 · Their engagement is announced.
November 20, 1947 · They marry at Westminster Abbey.
1950 · John Spencer joins King George VI’s household, according to Vanity Fair.
Those milestones come from the Royal Family’s account of Elizabeth and Philip’s life together. They provide context, but they cannot locate an undated encounter involving John Spencer. An earlier acquaintance is possible, but the published account supplies no date or contemporary record placing a romance before the 1947 wedding. His documented household appointment in 1950 came after it.
What remains unverified?
Whether John and Elizabeth were romantically involved, what Mountbatten said to him, and why he may have intervened remain matters of Charles Spencer’s account. His wording about Philip is itself speculative. Being considered a possible suitor would be a different claim from having had a romantic relationship.
For now, the fairest reading is straightforward: Spencer has shared a family account, and the public chronology sets useful boundaries around it. A dated letter, diary entry or other contemporary record could add clarity. Until then, the story deserves curiosity and a careful label, not a verdict.
Sources: Town & Country’s reporting on the memoir excerpt; its post-publication summary; the Royal Family’s historical timeline; and Vanity Fair’s September 29 examination.
Book cover courtesy of Penguin Books.
Interested in reading it yourself?
Swan Song: Diana, My Sister by Charles Spencer is now available.
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