Princess Diana Had One Heartfelt Wish for a Book About Her Life: "Please Don't..."

Princess Diana's legacy of charity and compassion has inspired numerous books, including a memoir by her former voice coach, published 23 years after her death. Stewart Pearce launched the book only in 2020 as he had made a promise to Diana. The late Princess had asked her coach to publish the work only once her sons were grown up and married. This poignant act of love was her way of shielding her boys from the public eye.

Diana's influence extended far beyond her role as a royal. Her kindness and warmth were indelible to those fortunate to have met her. After her devastating death, people closest to her felt her absence profoundly. Among them was Pearce. So he penned Diana, The Voice of Change, paying tribute to the Princess' enduring spirit. In an interview with Town & Country magazine, the author revealed Diana’s last wish about the book, which he complied with. “Diana said to me shortly before she died, 'Wouldn't it be amazing if all of the work that we've done together became a book, but if you do, please don't publish it until after the boys are married,'” Pearce shared.

Pearce believed that Diana’s heartwarming wish came from a place of protectiveness and a wish for stability for her boys. He added, “That was the meaning that I put to it — that it was to do with...that they could begin to then reflect through their wives on the possibility of all of the exercises that I include within the book.” As per Nicki Swift, he went on to explain that he believed the book would help support Harry and Meghan Markle, specifically, because she was becoming "another great voice of change."

Other than the request, Diana's love for her sons also reflected in how she protected them from invasive paparazzi. According to former royal correspondent, Jane Moore, Diana on one vacation in St. Tropez, confronted paparazzi who were intimidating her sons. Instead of yelling, she cheekily promised them a ‘big surprise’ if they left her children alone. In another instance, during a 1995 ski trip, she boldly told photographers to back off and respect her children's space. Diana always strived to give her sons a sense of normalcy, despite their royal status.

Coming back to Pearce, Diana reportedly hired him after her painful divorce from Prince Charles. The duo worked professionally after her infamous Panorama interview with Martin Bashir. The voice coach explained that he helped her refurbish her ‘submissive tone’ to give it more ‘weight and resonance.’ He played a key role in helping her use her voice to empower others. Their professional relationship and personal friendship were cut short when the Princess passed away in a car accident in 1997.