Books by Charles Spencer

Beautiful. Beloved. Hunted. The extraordinary life and death of Diana, as told by her brother, Charles. ‘Head-spinning, fascinating, truly touching, devastating. A portrait of Diana that is affectionate, sad, and lovely’ Guardian ‘Explosive, devastating, astonishing, extraordinary’ Daily Mail *** 'When asked, ‘What was it like, growing up with Diana?’, my first thought is always, But I don’t know what it was like not to grow up with her...’ In September 1997, Charles Spencer stood in Westminster Abbey before a watching world and shared his grief at losing his beloved sister, Diana. Now, nearly thirty years later, he tells the astonishing story of his life with Diana and the tragic week of her death. In childhood, Charles and Diana, the youngest Spencers, were inseparable – secretly calling one another Duch and Carlos. As each other’s closest confidantes, they roamed the family estate, endured extremely challenging boarding schools, survived terrifying nannies and helped each other through the agony of their parents’ divorce. Yet everything changed when Diana married the Prince of Wales, now King Charles III, and overnight became a global icon. Charles saw his older sister serve the world’s marginalized and relish being mother to her treasured sons. But, pursued by a barbaric press as her royal marriage crumbled, she was left desperately alone. Charles always tried to be there for Diana – until that black night in August, 1997. In Swan Song, Charles Spencer provides the most intimate, loving and honest portrait yet of his sister. *** 'Compelling, fascinating, a solemn act of brotherly devotion ’ The Times 'A poignant, honest portrayal . . . and one that will endure’ Daily Express 'Credible and candid and vitally it re-centres Diana, whom the Palace have been wiping from national memory for many years. I was moved to tears' Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, i 'A brotherly tribute to the People’s Princess, no holds barred . . . Full of love and vengeance' New York Times 'Charles Spencer was there for all this history, indelibly present in one of the most iconic tableaux of the late 20th century. After holding back for so long, his memoir finally tells us what it was like' Tina Brown, Fresh Hell Substack Praise for Charles Spencer’s writing: 'Top marks for its searing frankness, framed in wistfully beautiful prose’ The Times ‘Acutely observant, his turn of phrase is often delightful' Daily Telegraph ‘A moving, heartbreaking memoir’ Financial Times ‘A tour de force' Washington Post

A WARREN OF WEIRD AND WONDERFUL FACTS AND TALES RESCUED FROM OBSCURITY Read the first trivia book from the team behind the hit history podcast The Rabbit Hole Detectives, investigating the provenance of historical objects, real and metaphorical, with intelligence and humour 'Compulsively dip-in-able' The Times ---- Ever fallen down a rabbit hole? Ever got lost chasing a fact, a hunch or a curious piece of cultural ephemera? Then the Rabbit Hole Detectives – Richard Coles, Cat Jarman and Charles Spencer – are here to do the burrowing for you. Why were eight WWII Hurricane fighter planes buried in Ukraine? What have chimpanzees to do with the invention of toilet paper? How many dynamite sticks should not be used to blow up a whale? Which ancient civilisation liked a short tongue and a shaved head? Written to accompany the unforgettable hit podcast, The Rabbit Hole Book follows Richard, Cat and Charles as they investigate and elucidate weird and wonderful curiosities from history, telling stories that are as often dumbfounding as they are gripping, as unexpected as they are hilarious or deeply moving. What are you waiting for? Welcome to the warren . . . Whatever you think you know, guess again.

INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER | NPR “BOOKS WE LOVE” 2024 | PEOPLE’S “BEST CELEBRITY MEMOIRS” 2024 | TOWN & COUNTRY’S “BEST NEW ROYAL BOOKS” 2024 | THE TIMES (LONDON) “10 BEST BIOGRAPHIES AND MEMOIRS” 2024 | WINNIPEG FREE PRESS’S “BEST BOOKS” 2024 “A tour de force.” —The Washington Post In this poignant memoir, Charles Spencer recounts the trauma of being sent away from home at age eight to attend boarding school. A Very Private School offers a clear-eyed, first-hand account of a culture of cruelty at the school Charles Spencer attended in his youth and provides important insights into an antiquated boarding system. Drawing on the memories of many of his schoolboy contemporaries, as well as his own letters and diaries from the time, he reflects on the hopelessness and abandonment he felt at aged eight, viscerally describing the intense pain of homesickness and the appalling inescapability of it all. Exploring the long-lasting impact of his experiences, Spencer presents a candid reckoning with his past and a reclamation of his childhood.

THE #2 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER ‘As gripping as any thriller. History doesn't get any better than this’ BILL BRYSON ’A brilliant read ... Game of Thrones but in the real world’ ANTHONY HOROWITZ

How did the most wanted man in the country outwit the greatest manhunt in British history?

The story of the great house and grounds of Althorp is the story of a family, a family whose driving passions include art and the enjoyment of books: the Spencers. Acquiring the 300-acre Northamptonshire estate in 1508, Sir John Spencer built the first house, and for over 500 years twenty generations of the Spencer family have lived and died at Althorp. In recent times it has taken on added significance as the burial place of the most loved princess of the twentieth century, Diana. In 1998 there was further major work with the adapting of the quite beautiful Stable Block - once home to 100 horses and forty grooms into a centre for visitors incorporating an exhibition celebrating the life of Diana. This fascinating account, written by one who acted as a guide there at just twelve years old, ripples with both personal insights and an appreciation for the architecture, art and characters of Althorp, and is a perfect guide to one of England's greatest houses. Charles, Viscount Althorp, became the ninth Earl Spencer on the death of his father in 1992. Since then, he has undertaken extensive refurbishment of the house and supervised the changes made to accommodate the many thousands of people who wish to visit the home and grounds following the death of his sister. An acclaimed, bestselling historian of works regarding Althorp and his family's history, he founded the Althorp Literary Festival in 2003. He was educated at Eton College and obtained his degree in Modern History at Magdalen College, Oxford. He is the author of five books, including the Sunday Times bestseller 'Blenheim: The Battle for Europe' (shortlisted for History Book of the Year, National Book Awards), 'Killers of the King: The Men Who Dared to Execute Charles I' and 'The Spencer Family'. Endeavour Press is the UK's leading independent digital publisher. For more information on our titles please sign up to our newsletter at www.endeavourpress.com. Each week you will receive updates on free and discounted ebooks. Follow us on Twitter: @EndeavourPress and on Facebook via http://on.fb.me/1HweQV7. We are always interested in hearing from our readers. Endeavour Press believes that the future is now.

Charles Spencer tells the shocking stories and fascinating fates of the men who signed Charles I's death warrant in this Sunday Times bestseller 'Seamless, pacy and riveting ... exceptional' ALISON WEIR 'The virtues of a thriller and of scholarship are potently combined' TOM HOLLAND 'Outstanding: a thrilling tale of retribution and bloody sacrifice' JESSIE CHILDS __________________ January, 1649. After seven years of fighting in the bloodiest war in Britain's history, Parliament faced a problem: what to do with a defeated king, a king who refused to surrender? Parliamentarians resolved to do the unthinkable, to disregard the Divine Right of Kings and hold Charles I to account for the appalling suffering and slaughter endured by his people. On an icy winter's day on a scaffold outside Whitehall, the King of England was executed. When the dead king's son, Charles II, was restored to the throne, he set about enacting a deadly wave of retribution against all those – the lawyers, the judges, the officers on the scaffold – responsible for his father's death. Bestselling historian Charles Spencer explores this violent clash of ideals through the individuals whose fates were determined by that one, momentous decision. A powerful tale of revenge from the dark heart of royal history and a fascinating insight into the dangers of political and religious allegiance in Stuart England, these are the shocking stories of the men who dared to kill a king.

King Charles's Pirate Prince To his fellow Royalists, fighting for King Charles I, Prince Rupert of the Rhine was the archetypal 'cavalier'. Young, handsome, expert horseman, crack pistol shot, his swaggering style irritated the stuffier of the king's courtiers almost as much as the 'Roundheads' they were fighting. To the parliamentarians, above all Oliver Cromwell, he was the ultimate 'malignant', one of those Royalists who fought on even after Charles was executed in 1649. Rupert commanded the Royalist forces in exile, at one point reduced to little more than pirates before the triumphant restoration of the monarchy in 1660. In Charles Spencer's thoroughly researched account, Prince Rupert is revealed as more than just a great general and dashing cavalier. He was a scientist and classical scholar too: a true renaissance prince. From his dramatic childhood escape through the snows of Bohemia to respected older statesman, this is the first comprehensive biography of the greatest cavalier of them all.

How two men brought about the defeat of Louis XIV's previously unbeaten army and saved Europe from French domination - A Sunday Times Bestseller By the summer of 1704 Louis XIV's vast armies dominated Europe. France defeated every alliance formed against her and Louis was poised to extend his frontier to the Rhine and install a French prince on the throne of Spain. Two men saved Europe from French military domination: the Duke of Marlborough and Prince Eugene of Savoy. Marlborough masterminded a brilliant campaign, working with Eugene to surprise the French invaders inside Germany. The rival armies clashed in August and the hitherto unbeaten French were utterly destroyed. Blenheim was a major turning point in European history. Charles Spencer's narrative is drawn from original sources and moves seamlessly from the deliberations of Kings and princes to the frontline soldiers. This is the battle that creates the enduring reputation of the British redcoat and shatters the image of the 'Sun King' and his mighty army.

Chronicles the history of the Spencer family, starting with the barons, earls, and dukes who founded the family, and ending with Lady Diana Spencer, the former Princess of Whales.