What Were Princess Diana's 1993 Gym Photos? Piers Morgan Challenges Earl Spencer Over Claims in New Memoir

Princess Diana's controversial 1993 gym photographs have resurfaced more than three decades later after Piers Morgan accused Earl Spencer of making a 'complete lie' about his connection to their publication.

The images, secretly taken while Diana exercised in a leotard at a London gym, triggered legal action and became an infamous example of press intrusion into her private life.

Spencer revisits the episode in his new memoir, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, but Morgan says one crucial part of the account is impossible because he did not work for the Daily Mirror when the photographs appeared.

What Were Princess Diana's 1993 Gym Photos?

The photographs showed Diana exercising privately at a gym in 1993 and were reportedly taken without her knowledge. They were subsequently published by the Sunday Mirror and Daily Mirror, prompting the Princess of Wales to take legal action against Mirror Group Newspapers.

The episode caused a major privacy controversy.

Diana famously obtained an injunction preventing further publication, and the dispute was eventually settled. The Mirror apologised and reportedly paid approximately £1 million ($1,336,639.29) towards her legal costs as well as £200,000 ($267,327.86) to charity.

The controversy was significant even by the standards of Diana's turbulent relationship with the tabloid press. The Press Complaints Commission criticised the use of the photographs at the time, and the row contributed to a wider debate over newspaper self-regulation and privacy.

What Does Earl Spencer Claim About Piers Morgan?

Spencer returns to the gym photographs in Swan Song, his newly released account of his relationship with Diana and the period surrounding her death and funeral.

According to reports, Penguin describes the book as Spencer's personal account of growing up with his sister and witnessing her treatment as she became one of the world's most photographed women.

Spencer writes that when he telephoned newspaper editors to tell them they were not welcome at Diana's 1997 funeral, Morgan 'snarled with annoyance' before hanging up.

He then links Morgan to the earlier gym controversy, suggesting the journalist may have felt 'guilt' over the Sunday Mirror publishing Diana's leotard photographs four years earlier.

Morgan Says Princess Diana Claim Gets Timeline Wrong

Morgan has strongly challenged that connection and says he intends to take legal action.

His central objection is straightforward: the Sunday Mirror published the photographs in November 1993, while Morgan did not begin working at the Daily Mirror until 1995.

At the time of the gym story, he was a showbiz columnist at rival newspaper The Sun. Historical reporting also records Morgan replacing Colin Myler as Mirror editor in 1995.

Morgan said he was therefore 'about as far removed from responsibility for the Mirror scoop as I could possibly have been'. He acknowledged he was 'not claiming to be a journalistic angel', but argued that Spencer's specific allegation about the photographs was demonstrably wrong.

He has demanded that the disputed material be removed and said Spencer would be hearing from his lawyers.

Although Morgan has publicly threatened legal action as of 22 September, no court decision has been reported that establishes liability in the dispute. The historical timeline indicates that Diana's gym photos were released in 1993, two years prior to Morgan taking over as Daily Mirror editor.