Earl Spencer has launched legal action against former Cabinet minister Michael Gove over claims made about Princess Diana during a podcast produced by The Spectator magazine.
The uncle of Princes William and Harry instructed lawyers after Michael Gove, who serves as editor of The Spectator, hosted a podcast discussing Lord Spencer's best-selling memoir, Swan Song. The move comes despite complaints Earl Spencer previously received from television presenter Piers Morgan regarding a factual error in the book.
During the broadcast, Michael Gove and assistant editor Madeline Grant, who is married to a Church of England vicar, made a series of claims about Lord Spencer. The pair alleged that Earl Spencer was on bad terms with his sister, Princess Diana, when she was killed in a car crash in 1997, and accused him of monetising her death by publishing his memoir.
The podcast also alleged that Earl Spencer had refused permission for Princess Diana to stay at Althorp, his stately home in Northamptonshire, with Princes William and Harry. Following the episode, Earl Spencer demanded that The Spectator remove the recording from its website.
Podcast claims spark dispute
A spokesman for Earl Spencer refuted the claims in detail, saying: "The Spectator's podcast claimed that in the summer of 1997 Diana asked her brother if she and her sons could stay with him to escape the Press, and that he said 'No' because the paparazzi would bother his family at Althorp."
"That is untrue. She never asked to stay that summer," the spokesman added. "She would not have done, as Althorp was open to the public throughout the summer months. But had she asked, he would have done everything possible to make it happen."
The spokesman emphasized that Earl Spencer never turned his sister away. After her marriage broke down, and in line with police advice about her safety, he offered her a choice of a dozen homes on the Althorp estate, as well as Wormleighton Manor, the family's ancestral home.
"Earl Spencer has asked The Spectator to correct the record. People are entitled to whatever opinion they like of his book; they are not entitled to invent how he treated his sister," the spokesman said. Michael Gove declined to comment.
Earl Spencer, the 9th Earl Spencer, is the younger brother of Diana, Princess of Wales, and manages the family estate at Althorp in Northamptonshire. Michael Gove is a former British Cabinet minister who took over as editor of The Spectator, a weekly political magazine published in London.
Engagement for rock star daughter
In entertainment news, Issy Knopfler, the 28-year-old daughter of Dire Straits frontman Mark Knopfler, has announced her engagement to actor Sam Buchanan.
The actress and her 29-year-old fiance starred together in the fantasy television series The Wayfinders. The couple confirmed their engagement by posting a photograph online showing Issy holding up her left hand to reveal a pear-shaped diamond engagement ring.
They captioned the photo with the date of their engagement: '02.10.2026.' Her father, Mark Knopfler, achieved global fame as the lead guitarist, singer, and songwriter for Dire Straits, the British rock group formed in 1977.
Meanwhile, Victoria Beckham continues to generate steady income from her pop music career despite the Spice Girls showing no signs of reuniting. The 52-year-old performer, known as Posh Spice, last performed with the group in 2012.
Financial accounts reveal that Moody Productions, the firm she uses to channel her musical royalties, made a profit of £315,000 last year. Latest filings show the company has net assets of £4.5million.
Royalty earnings and marriage choices
Former royal girlfriend Chelsy Davy has revealed why she married hotelier Sam Cutmore-Scott rather than Prince Harry, who was in the school year below her husband at Eton College.
Writing online in a blog marking a decade of her jewellery brand, Aya, the 40-year-old businesswoman explained: "It wasn't that I suddenly developed some great romantic vision of settling down. It was much more instinctive than that. I met Sam and, for the first time, I knew I wanted a family, specifically with him."
Chelsy Davy, who was in an on-off relationship with Prince Harry for almost seven years until 2011, added: "I was also 35 by then, so I can't give Sam all the credit. Timing, and possibly biology, may have played their part." Prince Harry attended Eton College, the independent boarding school in Berkshire.
Family life and theatre commentary
The couple have had three children together: four-year-old Leo, two-year-old Chloe, and seven-month-old Finn. Chelsy Davy added: "I had never organised my life around having children. I was very lucky that it was still possible."
Television presenter Stacey Dooley has reflected on a troubling stage run, revealing that a performance stint in Southampton left her disturbed despite having visited war zones for her documentaries.
"I don't love Southampton," said the 39-year-old Strictly Come Dancing winner, who starred in the play 2:22 A Ghost Story in the city. "I heard two girls at the theatre slagging me off in the canteen, saying I wasn't speaking loud enough."
Stacey Dooley added: "I found a hair in my fajita in a very mediocre restaurant." The broadcaster gained fame presenting investigative documentaries for the BBC before winning the dance competition in 2018.
Author and former politician Jeffrey Archer thanked the Daily Mail during his final public appearance at the Leicester Square Theatre on Sunday, the day before he died at 86.
Final tribute and habit changes
Addressing the audience, Lord Archer recalled how former Daily Mail editor David English helped him persuade rock group The Beatles to join a £500,000 fundraising drive for Oxfam.
Lord Archer recounted contacting manager Brian Epstein: "He said, 'Come up to Liverpool.' So, I went to Liverpool and met The Beatles, and they agreed to come down to Oxford, and we raised some money. Thanks to the Daily Mail and David English they came to Oxford."
Lord Archer was a best-selling author and former Conservative politician. Oxfam is an international anti-poverty charity founded in Oxford in 1942, while The Beatles were managed by Brian Epstein in Liverpool.
Singer Lily Allen has revealed she is attempting to quit vaping, saying the habit simply makes her sad.
The 41-year-old Smile singer was delighted to win a lucrative contract to advertise Vype e-cigarettes in 2019. However, following a bitter split from her second husband, Stranger Things star David Harbour, she says: "I'm actually trying to give up vaping now, annoyingly. It's just not serving me any more."
Lily Allen added: "It's been a coping mechanism and a crutch for me, but I'm feeling in a pretty good place and I think I can get rid of it." David Harbour is an American actor best known for playing Jim Hopper in the hit Netflix series.
