Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer
   HOME

TheInfoList



Click Here for Items Related To - Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer
OR:
Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer on:   [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Amazon]

Charles Edward Maurice Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer, (born 20 May 1964), styled Viscount Althorp between 1975 and 1992, is a British peer, author, journalist, and broadcaster. He is the younger brother of Diana, Princess of Wales, and is the maternal uncle of
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 Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, (Henry Charles Albert David; born 15 September 1984) is a member of the British royal family. He is the younger son of Charles III and his first wife Diana, Princess of Wales. He is fifth in the line of succ ...
.


Early life and education

Charles Edward Maurice Spencer was born in London on 20 May 1964. Queen Elizabeth II was his godmother. His parents were titled
Viscount A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judicia ...
and Viscountess Althorp, as his paternal grandfather,
Albert Spencer, 7th Earl Spencer Albert Edward John Spencer, 7th Earl Spencer, (23 May 1892 – 9 June 1975), styled The Honourable Albert Spencer until 1910 and Viscount Althorp from 1910 to 1922, and known less formally as Jack Spencer, was a British peer. He was the pate ...
, was still alive at the time of his birth. Spencer grew up with three older sisters, Sarah, Jane, and Diana. His infant brother, John, was born four years before him, but died within hours after his birth. Charles and Diana were very close to each other in their childhood. His parents' troubled marriage ended in divorce when he was three years old. Spencer became styled as Viscount Althorp when his father became Earl Spencer in 1975. He was educated at
Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, ...
and read Modern History at Magdalen College, Oxford.


Career

Spencer worked as an on-air correspondent with
NBC News NBC News is the news division of the American broadcast television network NBC. The division operates under NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, a division of NBCUniversal, which is, in turn, a subsidiary of Comcast. The news division's var ...
from 1986 to 1995, primarily for the network's morning programme, ''
Today Today (archaically to-day) may refer to: * Day of the present, the time that is perceived directly, often called ''now'' * Current era, present * The current calendar date Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Today'' (1930 film), a 1930 ...
'', and ''
NBC Nightly News ''NBC Nightly News'' (titled as ''NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt'' for its weeknight broadcasts since June 22, 2015) is the flagship daily evening News broadcasting#Television, television news program for NBC News, the news division of the NB ...
.'' 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 ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' and ''
The Independent on Sunday ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was published ...
'' as well as feature stories for ''The Guardian'', ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was f ...
'', ''
The Sunday Telegraph ''The Sunday Telegraph'' is a British broadsheet newspaper, founded in February 1961 and published by the Telegraph Media Group, a division of Press Holdings. It is the sister paper of ''The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', kn ...
'' 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 Althorp (popularly pronounced ) is a Grade I listed stately home and estate in the civil parish of Althorp, in West Northamptonshire, England of about . By road it is about northwest of the county town of Northampton and about northwest of ...
, the family's ancestral seat 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 is ...
. 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 elder sister Diana
died Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...
after a car crash in Paris and Spencer delivered the eulogy at her funeral service held at
Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the Unite ...
six days later. In his eulogy he rebuked both Britain's royal family and the press for their treatment of his sister. Spencer ruled out conspiracy theories concerning his sister's death, and called the alleged letter she wrote 10 months before her death in which she discussed her fears of a planned accident "just a bizarre coincidence rather than tied in with reality." Spencer received an apology from
Tim Davie Timothy Douglas Davie (born 25 April 1967 in Croydon, London) is the current and seventeenth Director-General of the BBC. He succeeded Tony Hall in the role on 1 September 2020. Davie was formerly the chief executive officer of BBC Studios. ...
, the BBC's director general, in late 2020 for the unethical practices used by
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
staff to gain his sister's consent to be interviewed in November 1995 for the corporation's '' Panorama'' television programme. The Earl said a full inquiry should be conducted which Davie has said will happen. The Earl was a member of the
House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...
from 29 March 1992 (the day his father died and he inherited the peerage) until the
House of Lords Act 1999 The House of Lords Act 1999 (c. 34) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed the House of Lords, one of the chambers of Parliament. The Act was given Royal Assent on 11 November 1999. For centuries, the House of Lords ...
excluded most
hereditary peers The hereditary peers form part of the peerage in the United Kingdom. As of September 2022, there are 807 hereditary peers: 29 dukes (including five royal dukes), 34 marquesses, 190 earls, 111 viscounts, and 443 barons (disregarding subsidi ...
on 11 November 1999. On several occasions, Spencer has been accused of refusing to allow his sister Diana to live in a cottage on the Althorp estate, despite her request at the height of her emotional difficulties. These allegations have repeatedly been proven to be untrue, as seen in an apology published by ''The Times'' in 2021, admitting that “having considered his sister’s safety, and in line with police advice, the Earl offered the Princess of Wales a number of properties included Wormleighton Manor, the Spencer family’s original ancestral home”. Diana was buried on Spencer's ancestral estate, Althorp, where he built a garden temple memorial 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, beginning with an account of his ancestral home, ''Althorp: the Story of an English House'', published in 1998. In 2003, Spencer founded the Althorp Literary Festival. Speakers at the annual event have included the authors
Bill Bryson William McGuire Bryson (; born 8 December 1951) is an American–British journalist and author. Bryson has written a number of nonfiction books on topics including travel, the English language, and science. Born in the United States, he has b ...
,
Helen Fielding Helen Fielding (born 19 February 1958) is an English novelist and screenwriter, best known as the creator of the fictional character Bridget Jones, and a sequence of novels and films beginning with the life of a thirty something singleton in Lo ...
,
Antonia Fraser Lady Antonia Margaret Caroline Fraser, (' Pakenham; born 27 August 1932) is a British author of history, novels, biographies and detective fiction. She is the widow of the 2005 Nobel Laureate in Literature, Harold Pinter (1930–2008), and p ...
, and
Boris Johnson Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (; born 19 June 1964) is a British politician, writer and journalist who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He previously served as F ...
. In 2004, he presented two documentaries for the
History Channel History (formerly The History Channel from January 1, 1995 to February 15, 2008, stylized as HISTORY) is an American pay television network and flagship channel owned by A&E Networks, a joint venture between Hearst Communications and the Disney ...
on ''Blenheim: Battle for Europe''. Spencer was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of
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 is ...
in November 2005; the Spencer family have had a long association with the county, the home of the family seat. Spencer is also a patron of the Northamptonshire County Cricket Club.


Personal life

The Earl Spencer has seven children from three marriages. On 16 September 1989, Spencer, then known by the courtesy title of Viscount Althorp, married Victoria Lockwood (born 20 November 1965). Spencer and Lockwood were divorced on 3 December 1997, with Diana’s death occurring while the case was in progress. After the divorce, Spencer returned to the United Kingdom from
Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...
, South Africa, where Spencer and Lockwood had relocated their family in 1995 to avoid media attention. The Earl has four children by Victoria Lockwood, three daughters and one son: * Lady Kitty Eleanor Spencer (born 28 December 1990), married
Michael Lewis Michael Monroe Lewis (born October 15, 1960) Gale Biography In Context. is an American author and financial journalist. He has also been a contributing editor to ''Vanity Fair'' since 2009, writing mostly on business, finance, and economics. He ...
in 2021. * Lady Eliza Victoria Spencer (born 10 July 1992) * Lady Katya Amelia Spencer (born 10 July 1992) engaged to Greg Mallett, nephew of the former South African national rugby coach, Nick Mallett. *
Louis Spencer, Viscount Althorp Louis Frederick John Spencer, Viscount Althorp (born 14 March 1994), is a British aristocrat and eldest son and heir of Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer. He is the nephew of Diana, Princess of Wales, the first wife of King Charles III. Early ...
(born 14 March 1994);
heir apparent An heir apparent, often shortened to heir, is a person who is first in an order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person; a person who is first in the order of succession but can be displaced by the b ...
to the earldom. On 15 December 2001, he married Caroline Freud (''née'' Hutton; born 16 October 1966), former wife of businessman
Matthew Freud Matthew Freud (born 2 November 1963) is head of Freud Communications, an international public relations firm in the United Kingdom. Early life Freud is the son of the actress June Flewett and the writer and German-born British politician Sir Cl ...
. They separated in 2007 and later divorced. They have two children: * The Honourable Edmund Spencer (born 6 October 2003) * Lady Lara Spencer (born 16 March 2006) On 18 June 2011 at Althorp, Spencer married
Karen Gordon Karen Anne Spencer, Countess Spencer (formerly Gordon, ''née'' Villeneuve; born June 6, 1972) is a Canadian social entrepreneur. She is the founder and CEO of Whole Child International, a U.S.-based non-governmental organization (NGO) that work ...
(''née'' Villeneuve; born 30 November 1972), a Canadian philanthropist, the founder and chief executive of
Whole Child International Whole Child International is a U.S.-based non-governmental organization (NGO) founded in 2004. Whole Child focuses on improving the quality of care for vulnerable children worldwide by working within childcare institutions (orphanages) and in limite ...
, a charity based in Los Angeles that works to improve the lot of orphaned, abandoned, or abused children. They have one child together: * Lady Charlotte Diana Spencer (born 30 July 2012) named in honour of her aunt, Diana, Princess of Wales. The Earl resides at
Althorp House Althorp (popularly pronounced ) is a Grade I listed stately home and estate in the civil parish of Althorp, in West Northamptonshire, England of about . By road it is about northwest of the county town of Northampton and about northwest of ...
, Northamptonshire. He inherited the estate at the age of 27, according to the letters patent, because he was the eldest male in the Spencer family.


Books

* ''Althorp: the Story of an English House'' (1998). London: Viking. * ''The Spencer Family'' (1999). London: Viking. US edition: ''The Spencers: a Personal History of an English Family'' (2000). * ''Blenheim: Battle for Europe'' (2004). London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson; paperback edition by Phoenix, 2005. . This book was a '' Sunday Times'' best-seller, and was shortlisted for "History Book of the Year" at the 2005 National Book Awards. * ''Prince Rupert: The Last Cavalier'' (2007). London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson . * ''Killers of the King: The Men Who Dared to Execute Charles I'' (2014). London: Bloomsbury . This book was a ''Sunday Times'' best-seller. * ''To Catch A King: Charles II's Great Escape'' (2017). London: William Collins * ''The White Ship: Conquest, Anarchy and the Wrecking of Henry I's Dream'' (2020). London: William Collins


Coat of arms


References


Sources

* ''Diana: Her True Story,'' written by Andrew Morton * Two works by
Lady Colin Campbell Georgia Arianna, Lady Colin Campbell (''née'' Ziadie, born 17 August 1949), also known as Lady C, is a British Jamaican author, socialite, and television personality who has published seven books about the British royal family. They include ...
: ''Diana in Private'' and ''Royal Marriages'' * The obituaries for the 8th Earl Spencer, Diana, Princess of Wales, and
Frances Shand Kydd Frances Ruth Shand Kydd (previously Spencer, ''née'' Roche; 20 January 1936 – 3 June 2004) was the mother of Diana, Princess of Wales. She was the maternal grandmother of William, Prince of Wales and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, respectivel ...
in ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...
''. * *


External links


Spencer of Althorp: Charles Spencer
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Spencer, Charles Spencer, 9th Earl 1964 births Living people
Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer Charles Edward Maurice Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer, (born 20 May 1964), styled Viscount Althorp between 1975 and 1992, is a British peer, author, journalist, and broadcaster. He is the younger brother of Diana, Princess of Wales, and is the mate ...
09 Deputy Lieutenants of Northamptonshire Pages of Honour People educated at Eton College Alumni of Magdalen College, Oxford British expatriates in South Africa British historians British landowners