Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer

The Earl Spencer
Born	Charles Edward Maurice Spencer (1964-05-20) 20 May 1964 London, United Kingdom
Title	Earl Spencer
Tenure	29 March 1992 – present
Other titles	Viscount Althorp (1975-1992)
Known for	Younger brother of Diana, Princess of Wales
Nationality	British
Residence	Althorp Spencer House
Predecessor	John Spencer, 8th Earl Spencer
Heir	Louis Spencer, Viscount Althorp
Spouse(s)	Victoria née Lockwood (m. 1989; div. 1997) Caroline née Freud (m. 2001; div. 2007) Karen née Villeneuve (m. 2011)
Issue	Lady Kitty Spencer Lady Eliza Spencer Lady Amelia Spencer Louis Spencer, Viscount Althorp The Hon. Edmund Spencer Lady Lara Spencer Lady Charlotte Spencer
Parents	John Spencer, 8th Earl Spencer Frances Shand née Roche

Charles Edward Maurice Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer, DL (born 20 May 1964), styled Viscount Althorp between 1975 and 1992, is the younger brother of Diana, Princess of Wales. He is also a British peer, author, print journalist, and broadcaster. Through his sister Diana he is the maternal uncle of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Prince Harry, and the grand-uncle of both Prince George of Cambridge and Princess Charlotte of Cambridge.

Early life and education

Spencer was born in London on 20 May 1964 and named Charles Edward Maurice, with Queen Elizabeth II as his godmother. His parents were then called Viscount and Viscountess Althorp, as his grandfather Albert Spencer, 7th Earl Spencer, was still alive. He had three elder sisters: Sarah, Jane, and Diana, who later became the Princess of Wales. He also had an elder brother, John, who died within hours of his birth.

He was educated at Eton and Magdalen College, Oxford, where he read Modern History.

Career

Spencer worked as an on-air correspondent with NBC News from 1986 to 1995, primarily for the network's morning programme, Today, and NBC Nightly News. He wrote and presented the 12-part documentary series, "Great Houses of the World" (1994–1995) for NBC Super Channel. He also worked as a reporter for Granada Television from 1991 to 1993.

Spencer has written several book reviews for The Guardian and The Independent on Sunday as well as feature stories for The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, The Sunday Telegraph and American publications such as Vanity Fair, Verandah and Nest.

Upon his father's death on 29 March 1992, 27-year-old Spencer succeeded as 9th Earl Spencer, 9th Viscount Althorp, 9th Viscount Spencer of Althorp, 9th Baron Spencer of Althorp, and 4th Viscount Althorp. He also inherited Althorp, the family's ancestral seat in Northamptonshire. Since 2009, he has restored Althorp, re-roofing it and restoring its entire exterior for the first time since the 1780s. He has also helped establish Althorp Living History, a handmade fine-furniture line reproducing pieces from the collection at Althorp. The Spencer family's wealth derived from their profitable sheep farming in the Tudor era.

On 31 August 1997, his older sister Diana died after a car crash in Paris and Spencer delivered the eulogy at her funeral service held at Westminster Abbey six days later. In his eulogy he rebuked both Britain's royal family and the press for their treatment of his sister.

It was reported in 2003 that Spencer had refused to allow his sister Diana to live at Althorp, despite her request. It was also reported that Spencer had accused Diana of displaying "deceitful" and "manipulative" behaviour which were characteristics of the mental illness associated with Bulimia Nervosa which Diana herself had admitted she suffered.

Diana was buried on Spencer's ancestral estate, Althorp, where he built a mausoleum and a museum to her memory, displaying her wedding dress and other personal effects. The museum was opened to the public in 1998 with all profits going to Diana's Memorial Fund, also set up by Spencer.

At this stage, Spencer began writing a series of books dealing with the estate itself and with his family history, being:

• Althorp: the Story of an English House (1998) London: Viking.
• The Spencers: a Personal History of an English Family (2000).
• Blenheim, Battle for Europe (2004). Paperback edition by Phoenix, 2005. ISBN 0-304-36704-4. This book was a 'Sunday Times' bestseller, and was shortlisted for "History Book of the Year" at the 2005 National Book Awards.
• Prince Rupert — The Last Cavalier (2007). London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson ISBN 978-0-297-84610-9.
• Killers of the King: The Men Who Dared to Execute Charles I (2014). Bloomsbury ISBN 978-1-408-85170-8. This book was a 'Sunday Times' bestseller.

In 2003, Spencer founded the Althorp Literary Festival. Speakers at the annual event have included the authors Bill Bryson, Helen Fielding, Antonia Fraser, and Boris Johnson.

In 2004, he presented two documentaries for the History Channel on Blenheim: Battle for Europe. He contributed a chapter to British Military Greats, published by Cassell in 2005. He also contributed two of the 100 chapters of The Art of War: Great Commanders of the Modern World, published by Quercus in 2009.

Spencer was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of Northamptonshire in November 2005; the Spencer family have had a long association with the county, the home of the family seat, Althorp. Spencer is also a patron of the Northamptonshire County Cricket Club.

Spencer has also involved himself in charitable and humanitarian causes. He has been a patron of the Friends of Cynthia Spencer Hospice in Northampton, England since 1989. He was a patron of the Lifeline and Childline charities in Western Cape, South Africa from 1997 to 2000. He has served as a trustee of Nelson Mandela Children's Fund since 1998. He is a patron of Thomas's Fund, which provides music for severely ill children.

In July 2011 he became one of the patrons of Northampton Hope Centre, a local homeless charity in Northampton.

Personal life

On 16 September 1989, Spencer, then known by the courtesy title of Lord Althorp, married (Catherine) Victoria Lockwood (born 1965). The wedding was held at the Church of St Mary, Great Brington, and Darius Guppy was the best man. Two nieces, Emily McCorquodale and The Hon. Eleanor Fellowes, were bridesmaids. Two of his nephews, Prince Harry and The Hon. Alexander Fellowes (son of Lord and Lady Fellowes), were page boys. Spencer and Lockwood, who had moved to Cape Town, South Africa, were divorced on 3 December 1997. Diana's death occurred while the divorce case was in progress; shortly after his divorce, Spencer moved back to the United Kingdom. The Earl has four children by Victoria Lockwood, three daughters and one son:

• Lady Kitty Eleanor Spencer (born (1990-12-28)28 December 1990)
• Lady Eliza Victoria Spencer (born (1992-07-10)10 July 1992)
• Lady Katya Amelia Spencer (born (1992-07-10)10 July 1992)
• Louis Frederick John Spencer, Viscount Althorp (born (1994-03-14)14 March 1994); heir apparent to the earldom.

On 15 December 2001, he married Caroline Freud (born Caroline Hutton), former wife of Matthew Freud. The Earl has two children by Caroline, from whom he separated in 2007 and since divorced:

• The Hon. Edmund Charles Spencer (born 6 October 2003)
• Lady Lara Caroline Spencer (born 16 March 2006)

On 18 June 2011 at Althorp House, Spencer married Karen Gordon (born Karen Villeneuve), a Canadian philanthropist and the founder and chief executive of Whole Child International, a charity based in Los Angeles which works to improve the lot of orphaned, abandoned, or abused children. They have one child together:

• Lady Charlotte Diana Spencer (born 30 July 2012)

Spencer chose to name his fifth daughter after his late sister, Diana, Princess of Wales. Spencer was reported to have said, "We hadn't settled on a first name before the birth, but Charlotte is a name we both love, and it really suits her. We knew that as soon as we saw her. And though it's been 15 years since Diana died, I still miss her every day and I wanted her commemorated in the naming of our daughter."

The Earl resides at his ancestral seat, Althorp House.

Spencer attended the wedding of his nephew and niece-by-marriage, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at Westminster Abbey on 29 April 2011. Neither Prince Harry nor the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attended the Earl's third wedding.

Titles from birth

• The Honourable Charles Edward Maurice Spencer (20 May 1964 – 9 June 1975)
• Viscount Althorp (9 June 1975 – 29 March 1992)
• His Lordship, Charles Spencer, The Earl Spencer, 9th Spencer of Althorp House of The County of Northamptonshire (29 March 1992–present)

Arms

Arms of Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer

Coronet A Coronet of an Earl Crest Out of a Ducal Coronet Or a Griffin's Head Azure gorged with a Bar Gemelle Gules between two Wings expanded of the second Escutcheon Quarterly Argent and Gules in the 2nd and 3rd quarters a Fret Or over all on a Bend Sable three Escallops of the first Supporters Dexter: A Griffin per fess Ermine and Erminois gorged with a Collar Sable the edges flory-counterflory and chained of the last and on the Collar three Escallops Argent; Sinister: A Wyvern Erect on his tail Ermine similarly collared and chained Motto Dieu Defend Le Droit (God defend the right)

Ancestry

Family of Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer

16. Frederick Spencer, 4th Earl Spencer               8. Charles Spencer, 6th Earl Spencer                       17. Adelaide Horatia Seymour               4. Albert Spencer, 7th Earl Spencer                             18. Edward Baring, 1st Baron Revelstoke               9. Margaret Baring                       19. Louisa Emily Bulteel               2. John Spencer, 8th Earl Spencer                                   20. James Hamilton, 2nd Duke of Abercorn               10. James Hamilton, 3rd Duke of Abercorn                       21. Maria Anna Curzon-Howe               5. Cynthia Hamilton                             22. Charles Bingham, 4th Earl of Lucan               11. Rosalind Cecilia Bingham                       23. Cecilia Catherine Gordon-Lennox               1. Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer                                         24. Edmond Roche, 1st Baron Fermoy               12. James Roche, 3rd Baron Fermoy                       25. Elizabeth Caroline Boothby               6. Maurice Roche, 4th Baron Fermoy                             26. Franklin H. Work               13. Frances Ellen Work                       27. Ellen Wood               3. Frances Roche                                   28. Alexander Ogston Gill               14. William Smith Gill                       29.               7. Ruth Sylvia Gill                             30. David Little-john               15. Ruth Littlejohn                       31. Jane Crombie

Sources

• Diana: Her True Story, written by Andrew Morton
• Two works by Lady Colin Campbell: Diana in Private and Royal Marriages
• The Peerage
• The obituaries for the 8th Earl Spencer, Diana, Princess of Wales, and Frances Shand Kydd in The Times.

External links

• Complete text and audio and video of Lord Spencer's eulogy for his elder sister Princess Diana AmericanRhetoric.com
• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer

Court offices
Preceded by Edward Gordon-Lennox	Page of Honour 1977–1979	Succeeded by Tyrone Plunket
Peerage of Great Britain
Preceded by Edward Spencer	Earl Spencer 1992—present	Incumbent Heir: Louis Spencer, Viscount Althorp
Orders of precedence in the United Kingdom
Preceded by The Rt. Hon. The Earl of Radnor	United Kingdom Order of Precedence (gentlemen)	Succeeded by The Rt. Hon. The Earl Bathurst