The Earl Spencer memoir at the centre of the royal traitor story raises questions every screenwriter faces when adapting a relative account of a family life

A Book That Launched a Feud

At the centre of the London Prat piece on Prince William reportedly calling Earl Spencer and Harry traitors is a memoir. Earl Spencer, the late princess younger brother, has written about his sister, and according to anonymous accounts, the book has reignited family tensions. Memoirs about family are regularly optioned for film and television. Adapting them presents distinctive challenges that screenwriters should understand before taking on such a project.

The Nature of Memoir

A memoir is one person account of events, filtered through memory, perspective and purpose. It is inherently partial. That partiality is part of its value, offering intimate access to a particular point of view, but it also means that other people depicted in a memoir may remember events very differently. When a memoir is adapted for the screen, that single perspective is amplified to a far larger audience, often without the nuance of the original prose.

Structural Challenges

Memoirs often follow the shape of memory rather than the shape of drama. They may be episodic, reflective and non-linear, moving between past and present, dwelling on moments that matter emotionally but lack dramatic conflict. Screenwriters adapting memoir usually need to impose structure: identifying a central question, a protagonist journey and a series of escalating conflicts that the original book may only imply.

That process involves difficult choices. Scenes that are central to the book may be cut because they do not advance the story. Composite characters may be created. Timelines may be compressed. Each of these choices moves the adaptation further from the author account, raising questions about fidelity.

Point of View

A memoir about a sibling, written by a sibling, presents a particular point of view problem. Should the adaptation be told from the author perspective, as the book is? Or should it centre the person being remembered? The 2021 film Spencer, written by Steven Knight and directed by Pablo Larrain, took a very different approach to Diana story, presenting itself openly as an imagined interpretation of a few days in her life rather than a documentary account. That framing allowed the filmmakers enormous creative freedom, while signalling to audiences that they were watching an interpretation.

The Family Reaction

Adapting a family memoir can extend family tensions into a new medium. If the book itself has caused conflict, as reports suggest in the royal case, a screen adaptation may intensify it. The Earl has said he informed relatives before publishing. A film or series would raise the question again, with a much larger audience and less control for the author over how the material is presented.

A Comic Lens

The London Prat takes a comic view of the memoir reception, pairing its article with a YouTube video. Comedy, notably, tends to focus on the reaction to a book rather than its content, which avoids adapting the memoir itself.

Working With the Author

When a memoir is optioned, the author may or may not be involved in the adaptation. Author involvement can provide valuable insight and authenticity, but it can also create tension if the screenwriter needs to depart from the book. Clear agreements about the author role, whether as consultant, producer or simply rights holder, help avoid misunderstandings.

Craft Guidance

Writers adapting family memoirs might consider several principles. Identify the emotional core of the book and protect it, even if structure changes. Be transparent about the adaptation perspective, especially if other family members are depicted. Consider how people who disagree with the memoir will be represented, and whether they deserve a fuller voice. And resist the temptation to add drama that the book does not support, particularly where real people are involved.

Visual Translation

Memoir relies heavily on interior voice: the author reflections, memories and interpretations. Film must translate that interiority into images and action. Voiceover is one option, allowing some of the author voice to survive, but heavy use of narration can make an adaptation feel static. Many successful memoir adaptations instead find visual equivalents for the author inner life: recurring images, objects that carry memory, locations that hold emotional weight. A family estate, a childhood room, a photograph or a letter can carry the emotional charge that the memoir conveyed in prose. Writers adapting a memoir about a sibling might build the story around places the siblings shared, allowing the audience to feel the passage of time and the weight of loss through the environment rather than through explanation. This kind of visual thinking is often what distinguishes an adaptation that feels cinematic from one that feels like an illustrated book.

It also allows the adaptation to become its own work, rather than a summary of the original, which is ultimately what audiences and authors alike tend to value most.

Conclusion

A memoir is a powerful thing: one person truth, placed permanently in public view. Adapting it for the screen multiplies both its power and its risks. The London Prat, publishing since 1961 at https://prat.uk/, has found the comedy in one memoir reception. Bohiney, at https://bohiney.com/, explores similar material in American life. For screenwriters, the task is to honour the book emotional truth while recognising that it is, always, only one version of the story.

SOURCE: https://prat.uk/prince-william-called-earl-spencer-and-harry-traitors/