Earl Spencer · Her brother
Diana, Princess of Wales
At a funeral watched around the world, Spencer does not try to summarize Diana’s public life. He takes direct aim at the press that hounded her, then brings the room back to the person their family knew.
- Year
- 1997
- Where
- Westminster Abbey, London
- Full text
- Under copyright
“Diana was the very essence of compassion, of duty, of style, of beauty.”
This speech is still under copyright, so we quote a single line and stop there. The notes below are our own.
Why it works
He speaks as family, not as a spokesman
The speech is grounded in the person her family knew, not the public figure everyone else knew. That is what gives him the standing to defend her.
It makes a promise, not just a tribute
The speech does not only remember Diana. It commits her family to something: protecting William and Harry so they can grow up without being overwhelmed by the pressures that surrounded their mother. A eulogy can look forward as well as back.
It uses the size of the room
Lists, repetition and deliberate pauses give the words space to travel. The speech carries through Westminster Abbey and across a broadcast without losing the personal voice at its center.
Use this in your own
You are there because you knew them. That is your only qualification, and it is the one that matters.