Charles Spencer Biography
Charles Spencer is a peer, author, journalist, and broadcaster from the United Kingdom. He is Diana’s younger brother and the maternal uncle of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex.
Charles Spencer Age
Spencer is 57 years old as of 2021. He was born Charles Edward Maurice Spencer on 20 May 1964 in London, United Kingdom.
Charles Spencer Height
Spencer stands at a height of 6 feet 3 inches.
Charles Spencer Family
Spencer’s godmother is Queen Elizabeth II. As his paternal grandfather, Albert Spencer, 7th Earl Spencer, was still alive at the time of his birth, his parents were titled, Viscount and Viscountess Althorp. Spencer was raised by three older sisters: Sarah, Jane, and Diana. Charles’ infant brother, John, was born five years before him but died shortly after birth. In their childhood, Charles and Diana were very close. When he was three years old, his parents’ troubled marriage ended in divorce. Spencer was given the title Viscount Althorp when his father was made Earl Spencer in 1975. He attended Eton College and went on to study Modern History at Magdalen College, Oxford.
Charles Spencer Wife
Spencer married Victoria Lockwood on September 16, 1989. Spencer and Lockwood divorced on December 3, 1997, after moving to Cape Town, South Africa. Diana died while Spencer’s divorce was pending; shortly after his divorce, Spencer returned to the United Kingdom. He married Caroline Freud, the ex-wife of Matthew Freud, on December 15, 2001. They divorced in 2007 after splitting up in 2007. Spencer married Karen Gordon, a Canadian philanthropist and the founder and CEO of Whole Child International, a Los Angeles-based charity that works to improve the lives of orphaned, abandoned, or abused children, on June 18, 2011, in Althorp.
Charles Spencer Children
Spencer has four children by Victoria Lockwood, three daughters, and one son: Lady Kitty Eleanor Spencer, born 28 December 1990, married Michael Lewis in 2021; Lady Eliza Victoria Spencer, born 10 July 1992, engaged to Greg Mallett, nephew of former South African national rugby coach, Nick Mallett; and Louis Spencer, Viscount Althorp, born 14 March 1994, heir apparent to the earldom. Caroline had two children, The Honourable Edmund Spencer, born on October 6, 2003, and Lady Lara Spencer, born on March 16, 2006, and Karen had one child, Lady Charlotte Diana Spencer, born on July 30, 2012, named after her aunt, Diana, Princess of Wales.
Charles Spencer Net Worth
Spencer has an estimated net worth of $150 Million.
Charles Spencer Books
Spencer’s book reviews are for The Guardian and The Independent on Sunday, as well as feature stories for The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, The Sunday Telegraph, and American magazines such as Vanity Fair, Verandah, and Nest. Spencer began writing a series of books about the estate and his family history, beginning with an account of his ancestral home, Althorp: the Story of an English House, which was published in 1998.
Charles Spencer Sister
Spencer delivered the eulogy at his elder sister Diana’s funeral service at Westminster Abbey six days later after she died in a car accident in Paris on August 31, 1997. In his eulogy, he chastised both the British royal family and the press for how they treated his sister. Spencer dismissed conspiracy theories about his sister’s death, calling 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 linked to reality.”
Spencer received an apology from the BBC’s director-general, Tim Davie, in late 2020 for the unethical practices used by BBC staff to obtain his sister’s consent to be interviewed for the corporation’s Panorama television program in November 1995. The Earl stated that a full investigation should be conducted, which Davie has stated will take place.
Charles Spencer Family History
At this point, Spencer began writing a series of books about the estate and his family history, beginning with Althorp: the Story of an English House, which was published in 1998.
Charles Spencer Career
From 1986 to 1995, Spencer worked as an on-air correspondent for NBC News, primarily for the network’s morning show, Today, and NBC Nightly News. For NBC Super Channel, he wrote and hosted the 12-part documentary series Great Houses of the World (1994–1995). From 1991 to 1993, he also worked as a reporter for Granada Television.
The Earl was a member of the House of Lords from 29 March 1992 until 11 November 1999, when the House of Lords Act 1999 expelled most hereditary peers. Spencer has been accused on multiple occasions 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 been repeatedly proven false, most recently in a Times apology admitting that “having considered his sister’s safety, and in line with policy advice, the Earl offered the Princess of Wales a number of properties, including Wormleighton Manor, the Spencer family’s original ancestral home.”
Diana was laid to rest on Spencer’s ancestral estate, Althorp, where he erected a garden temple memorial and a museum in her honor, which displayed her wedding gown and other personal effects. The museum opened to the public in 1998, with all proceeds benefiting Diana’s Memorial Fund, which Spencer also established. Spencer founded the Althorp Literary Festival in 2003. Authors Bill Bryson, Helen Fielding, Antonia Fraser, and Boris Johnson have all spoken at the annual event. In 2004, he presented two documentaries on Blenheim: Battle for Europe for the History Channel.
Spencer was appointed as a Deputy Lieutenant of Northamptonshire in November 2005; the Spencer family has a long association with the county, which is home to the Spencer family seat. Spencer also serves as a patron of Northamptonshire County Cricket Club.
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