Lady Elizabeth Sarah Lavinia McCorquodale (''née'' Spencer; born 19 March 1955) is one of the two older sisters of

Diana, Princess of Wales Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997) was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William and Harry. Her ac ...

, the other being Jane Fellowes, Baroness Fellowes.

Early life

Elizabeth Sarah Lavinia Spencer was born with the honorific "The Honourable"; she acquired the

courtesy title A courtesy title is a title that does not have legal significance but rather is used through custom or courtesy, particularly, in the context of nobility, the titles used by children of members of the nobility (cf. substantive title). In some con ...

"Lady" in 1975, when her grandfather died and her father became the 8th Earl Spencer. She suffered from the eating disorder

anorexia nervosa Anorexia nervosa, often referred to simply as anorexia, is an eating disorder characterized by low weight, food restriction, body image disturbance, fear of gaining weight, and an overpowering desire to be thin. ''Anorexia'' is a term of Gre ...

in her early twenties. She was educated firstly at

Riddlesworth Hall School Riddlesworth Hall School is a former country house. It now serves as a boarding school. It is located in Riddlesworth, Norfolk, England. History It was acquired by Silvanus Bevan III (1743–1830) in 1792. It later became the seat of the Com ...

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the Nor ...

and secondly at West Heath boarding school near Sevenoaks in

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

. After passing O Level exams, she left West Heath to work in London.

Family

Sarah married Neil Edmund

McCorquodale McCorquodale is a surname of Scottish origin. The name originates from Argyll in the West Highlands. People with the surname ''McCorquodale'' British family: * George McCorquodale (1817–1895), founder of McCorquodale printers. ** George Fred ...

(born 4 October 1951), son of

Alastair McCorquodale Alastair McCorquodale (5 December 1925 – 27 February 2009) was a British athlete and cricketer. McCorquodale was educated at Harrow where he opened the bowling for the 1st XI in the 1948 Eton v Harrow match at Lord's. He represented Brita ...

and Rosemary Sybil Turnor, on 17 May 1980 in

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

. Neil is a 2nd cousin once removed of Lady Sarah's stepmother, Raine Spencer. Neil and Lady Sarah McCorquodale have three children: *Emily Jane McCorquodale (2 July 1983); she married James T. R. Hutt on 9 June 2012. They have two children: **Isabella Rosemary Hutt (18 June 2014) **Henry George Thomas Hutt (25 March 2016) *George Edmund McCorquodale (17 November 1984); he married Bianca Moore, daughter of Gavin Moore, on 6 August 2016 in South Africa. **Sybil McCorquodale (12 May 2017) **Molly McCorquodale (31 January 2020) **Joseph McCorquodale (30 March 2022) *Celia Rose McCorquodale (1989); she married George Woodhouse on 16 June 2018 at St Andrew and St Mary's Church,

Stoke Rochford Stoke Rochford is a small English village and civil parish south of Grantham in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire. The population at the time of the 2011 census was 230 (including Easton). It has two notable Grade I listed buildings ...

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-we ...

, England. For her wedding, Celia wore the Spencer Tiara, which her mother and aunts Jane and Diana wore on their wedding days. **Walter George Spencer Woodhouse (27 November 2020) Lady Sarah is the aunt to

William, Prince of Wales William, Prince of Wales, (William Arthur Philip Louis; born 21 June 1982) is the heir apparent to the British throne. He is the elder son of King Charles III and his first wife Diana, Princess of Wales. Born in London, William was edu ...

, and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex.

Career

She and her family reside near

Grantham Grantham () is a market and industrial town in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, situated on the banks of the River Witham and bounded to the west by the A1 road. It lies some 23 miles (37 km) south of the Lincoln a ...

, where she served a one-year term as High Sheriff of Lincolnshire in 2009. She became a master of the

Belvoir Hunt The following is a list of foxhound packs in the United Kingdom, which are recognised by the Masters of Foxhounds Association. Fox hunting is prohibited in Great Britain by the Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act 2002 and the Hunting Ac ...

in May 2010. Lady Sarah was also president of the

Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund was an independent grant-giving foundation established in September 1997 after the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, to continue her humanitarian work in the United Kingdom and overseas. It was a regi ...

, which raised £100 million for various charities. The Fund unsuccessfully took legal action in 1998 against the Franklin Mint over the unlicensed use of Diana's image. The Fund closed at the end of 2012.

Relationships

Charles, Prince of Wales

In 1977, Lady Sarah's relationship with

Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to a ...

led to the first meeting between Diana and her future husband. Lady Sarah later commented on her sister's marriage, saying: "I introduced them. I'm

Cupid In classical mythology, Cupid (Latin Cupīdō , meaning "passionate desire") is the god of desire, lust, erotic love, attraction and affection. He is often portrayed as the son of the love goddess Venus (mythology), Venus and the god of war Mar ...

." During the period in which Lady Sarah dated the Prince, she allegedly met two reporters,

James Whittaker James Whittaker (February 28, 1751 – July 20, 1787) was the second leader of the Shakers. Whittaker was born in Oldham, England and became a weaver and a member of the artisan and merchant class. He came to colonial America with Mother Ann ...

and Nigel Nelson, at a restaurant, and gave them an exclusive report on her royal connection. Lady Sarah is said to have admitted to having been diagnosed with anorexia, having "thousands of boyfriends," a past problem involving alcohol, and having started keeping a scrapbook of all the press clippings about her royal romance that she intended to "show" future grandchildren. "Her head seemed to be turned by the publicity," the two reporters later said. Lady Sarah also declared that she would not marry Charles "if he were the dustman or the King of England." When the article was released, Lady Sarah showed it to the prince, who was infuriated by it. The relationship dissolved soon after that. Some have stated the relationship between her and Diana was strained, because of her long resentment of the Prince marrying Diana and not her, though others (including Diana's biographer Andrew Morton) have said Lady Sarah was one of the few people Diana trusted. Later in their lives, Lady Sarah often accompanied Diana on official visits as one of her ladies-in-waiting. Upon the death of Diana on 31 August 1997, Lady Sarah flew to Paris with her younger sister,

Jane Jane may refer to: * Jane (given name), a feminine given name * Jane (surname), related to the given name Film and television * Jane (1915 film), ''Jane'' (1915 film), a silent comedy film directed by Frank Lloyd * Jane (2016 film), ''Jane'' (20 ...

, and Prince Charles to accompany Diana's body back to England. She contributed to the readings at Diana's funeral. Lady Sarah was also co-executor of Diana's will and president of the

. Lady Sarah attended the wedding of her nephew Prince William to Catherine Middleton on 29 April 2011. It is said that William and Catherine are close to Lady Sarah, with whom they spent a weekend on the 16th anniversary of Diana's death. Lady Sarah also attended the wedding of her other nephew, Prince Harry, to Meghan Markle on 19 May 2018.

Friends

In 2018, Lady Sarah spoke publicly in support of George Grant, an employee of Belvoir Hunt whom she had known for 27 years, after he assaulted foxhunt saboteurs. Grant, along with his son and other men, assaulted the hunt saboteurs who were affiliated with the League Against Cruel Sports. Lady Sarah, who served as joint master of the Belvoir Hunt, claimed that Grant's actions were out of character.

References

Bibliography

* *

External links

*
Lady Sarah McCorquodale picture
' Lady Sarah McCorquodale leaving the high court at her sisters (Diana, Princess of Wales) inquest. *
Lady Sarah McCorquodale photo
' The Princess Royal and Lady Sarah McCorquodale during the prize giving ceremony at Burghley Horse Trials. {{DEFAULTSORT:McCorquodale, Sarah 1955 births Living people Sarah McCorquodale British ladies-in-waiting Daughters of British earls Place of birth missing (living people) High Sheriffs of Lincolnshire People from Stoke Rochford