The claim appears in a forthcoming memoir and has reignited discussion surrounding one of the Royal Family's most scrutinised marriages. Share Princess Diana’s brother has made an extraordinary new claim about the breakdown of her marriage, alleging that the late Princess once told him her husband was “in love with his valet” . Charles Spencer, the 9th Earl Spencer, recalls the private conversation in his forthcoming memoir, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, as he prepares to share his version of events nearly three decades after Diana’s death. Earl Spencer appears on the BBC discussing claims from his forthcoming memoir, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister , in which he recounts private conversations with Princess Diana about the breakdown of her marriage to the then-Prince Charles. According to Spencer, Diana made the remark during lunch at a London restaurant after announcing that she intended to seek a divorce. When he reportedly warned that the public ...
Black History Month Shout Out: Honouring Surya Bonaly’s Legacy on the Ice
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Surya Bonaly: The Trailblazer Who Challenged a Sport’s Boundaries
During Black History Month, Surya Bonaly’s legacy stands as one of the most compelling in modern sport — a story of brilliance, resistance, and the quiet power of refusing to conform. As a five‑time European champion and three‑time World silver medallist, Bonaly was one of the most technically gifted skaters of her era.
Image Credit: BuzzFeed
Tet her athletic style, which included jumps and combinations far ahead of her time, often clashed with a judging system that historically favoured a narrow, Eurocentric interpretation of artistry. Her career became a lens through which many observers examined how race, aesthetics, and tradition shaped competitive outcomes in figure skating.
Bonaly’s most discussed controversies were rooted in this tension. Despite consistently delivering some of the most difficult technical content in women’s skating, she was frequently scored below competitors whose strengths aligned more closely with the sport’s preferred stylistic norms.
The 1998 Olympics cemented her place in cultural history when she performed a banned backflip — landing on one blade — as a symbolic protest after years of disputed scoring. While the backflip rule applied to all skaters, the severity of the penalty and the broader context of her career led many analysts to argue that she faced disproportionate scrutiny. These debates, widely covered at the time and still referenced today, highlight how subjective judging could intersect with racial and aesthetic bias.
Modern figure skating now operates under a more regulated, points‑based scoring system designed to reduce subjectivity and reward technical difficulty more transparently. Yet Bonaly’s experiences remain central to conversations about representation and fairness in judged sports.
Her career is not only a testament to extraordinary athletic ability but also a reminder of the barriers faced by Black athletes in spaces where tradition has long dictated who is celebrated and why.
Honouring Surya Bonaly during Black History Month means recognising both her achievements and the systemic challenges she confronted — and acknowledging how her defiance helped push the sport toward greater accountability and inclusivity.
