Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer and Family 2: Aug.2023 -

[iceflower]

Yesterday, May 23, : Lady Kitty Spencer attended the DKMS London Gala 2024 at The Natural History Museum:


** Pic 1 ** Pic 2 **

 

[Snowangel]

I do love Kitty's style!

 

[Mirabel]

She looks beautiful in that black dress.

 

[An Ard Ri]

Earl Spencer released some new photos from the Althorp Estate including some from the Oval Lake where his late sister Diana is buried.
Charles Spencer shares 'beautiful' glimpse of Princess Diana's final resting place

 

[Chimene]

I find this guy so icky.

 

[caethi]

I find this guy so icky.

His privilege didn't protect him from experiencing abuse at school. His mother left the home when he was very young. He was raised in a broken home. Like Diana, it would be no surprise if he has mental health issues (he has been married three times, so no doubt he has relationship issues). I have watched him in a few interviews related to his his recent memoir and he appears sincere. I have no idea what he is like as a husband or a father. My guess is that he has developed more and more self-awareness as he has aged, and he is better at both than he was as a young man, although only his wife and children truly know. I appreciate his openness about the boarding school abuse.

 

[Chimene]

I didn’t know about the abuse at school. That’s awful. I don’t have a very strong disapproval of him necessarily, but I think he’s using his sister’s memory a bit much.

 

[Snowangel]

I read his book, it's so sad but beautifully written.

 

[GondorHasNoPants]

Earl Spencer and his third wife are apparently divorcing.

Charles Spencer reveals divorce from third wife

The couple announced their pending divorce to staff at Althorp, the Spencer family estate in Northamptonshire, in March.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Their relationship apparently broke down 'amid the strain of writing his harrowing memoir detailing the physical and sexual abuse he suffered at boarding school'.

Very sad, for them and their daughter. I hope they manage to have a peaceful and amicable divorce.

 

[Sister Morphine]

You know, if this is your third failed marriage, perhaps it's time to look at what the common denominator is in all those marriages and just, you know, stay single.

 

[Alisa]

I agree wholeheartedly. He should just live his life as a bachelor.

 

[muriel]

Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer and his third wife, Karen, have announced they are divorcing.

The couple married in 2011, and have apparently been separated since March.

Charles Spencer reveals divorce from third wife

The couple announced their pending divorce to staff at Althorp, the Spencer family estate in Northamptonshire, in March.

www.dailymail.co.uk

Oh Charles, really! As they say, once may be unfortunate, twice perhaps careless, thrice.....

 

[GondorHasNoPants]

The version I favour is a quote from Ian Fleming - once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, three times is enemy action...

 

[Alison H]

Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer and his third wife, Karen, have announced they are divorcing.

The couple married in 2011, and have apparently been separated since March.

Charles Spencer reveals divorce from third wife

The couple announced their pending divorce to staff at Althorp, the Spencer family estate in Northamptonshire, in March.

www.dailymail.co.uk

They seemed happy together, but I suppose you never know what goes on behind closed doors. Some of the papers are reporting that he's been undergoing mental health treatment after writing his book about what happened to him at school, and that put pressure on the marriage. On the other hand, there are some reports that he's become "close" to another woman, so who knows?

 

[FigTree]

I think he has had years worth of therapy. What I really think is that both he, and Diana, were damaged by an appalling childhood. I think it’s inevitable that he finds sustaining a relationship hard. I think she would have too. And I blame their childhood. Having said that loads of people of that class have numerous marriages and blended families. He has seven children. Most now of university age or older. His relationship with a few at least seems tenuous. He’s a grandfather. Time to spend his time there maybe.

 

[crm2317]

How sad for them, and for their daughter.
He plans to devote himself to his children and grandchildren. It would be lovely to see him heal his relationship with his children from his first marriage, I don’t think he attended either of his daughters weddings.
I was aware Lady Kitty had a little girl now but any idea who the other grandchildren would be?

 

[CyrilVladisla]

Earl Spencer did not attend either of his daughters' weddings.
If Charles had not written his latest book, would such an action have prevented the third divorce?

 

[Biri]

I think he has had years worth of therapy. What I really think is that both he, and Diana, were damaged by an appalling childhood. I think it’s inevitable that he finds sustaining a relationship hard. I think she would have too. And I blame their childhood. Having said that loads of people of that class have numerous marriages and blended families. He has seven children. Most now of university age or older. His relationship with a few at least seems tenuous. He’s a grandfather. Time to spend his time there maybe.

And what about their elder sisters, Sarah and Jane? After all, their parents' divorce must have had some impact also on them, and they managed to create successful and lasting marriages.

 

[FigTree]

Divorce in and of itself isn't going to damage anyone.

They were older and at boarding school and weren't part of the frankly disgusting shenanigans that occurred in terms of custody and all that.
The age of those two children at the time had a massive impact.

 

[shady lady]

And what about their elder sisters, Sarah and Jane? After all, their parents' divorce must have had some impact also on them, and they managed to create successful and lasting marriages.

That's a fair point, but people deal with trauma in very different ways. It's like bereavement; every person's experience of it is unique. There's no method - or time line - set in stone.

Edited to add if I were Charles Spencer I'd stick to girlfriends and mend fences with his family where needed.

 

[Biri]

If Charles had not written his latest book, would such an action have prevented the third divorce?

Was it not for him a form of therapy?

IMHO, a loving wife should support a man in such a situation (and the other way round too, of course).

 

[Prinsara]

That's a pity, for a whole bunch of reasons. I enjoyed seeing Karen in the ‘family history’/Althorp’ videos. There was a sense of solidity and as though she really belonged; sad to find out it wasn’t so.

Charles will still be far from the historically most-divorced peer of the realm title… right?

 

[Snowangel]

Was it not for him a form of therapy?

IMHO, a loving wife should support a man in such a situation (and the other way round too, of course).

Unfortunately is not always that easy.

 

[Duke of Marmalade]

The Earl seems pretty messed up, 3rd divorce, I hope he manages to move on from the demons he has described in his book. But I would not be surprised if wife Nr. 4 is already in the making, plus more children.

 

[Snowangel]

This is such sad news, I hope he will be ok.

 

[GondorHasNoPants]

That's a pity, for a whole bunch of reasons. I enjoyed seeing Karen in the ‘family history’/Althorp’ videos. There was a sense of solidity and as though she really belonged; sad to find out it wasn’t so.

Charles will still be far from the historically most-divorced peer of the realm title… right?

Google tells me the 'most divorced' British peer is John Wodehouse, 4th Earl of Kimberley (1924-2002), who was married six times in total, and divorced five times.

John Wodehouse, 4th Earl of Kimberley - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Lord Wodehouse's final marriage took place when he was 58, and lasted twenty years until he died, so perhaps there is hope for Lord Spencer yet...

 

[Stefan]

And what about their elder sisters, Sarah and Jane? After all, their parents' divorce must have had some impact also on them, and they managed to create successful and lasting marriages.

But then they where a bit older then Charles and Diana when their parents separation took place

 

[Hans-Rickard]

No doubt that Lord Spencer has had a difficult life and has suffered enormously wich no doubt has complicated his ability to form lasting relationships…

If i was him, i would have taken time now to try to heal my heart and my soul now, and also tried to work on the broken relation to the older children….

Before i would have thrown myself into a new relationship…

But i rather suspect that we will pretty soon learn more about who the 4:th Countess Spencer will be….

 

[Moonmaiden23]

And what about their elder sisters, Sarah and Jane? After all, their parents' divorce must have had some impact also on them, and they managed to create successful and lasting marriages.

I don't know about Jane. She seemed to cope by marrying very young and moving away from home.

But Sarah was expelled from school for drinking and she developed an eating disorder.

The Spencer children seem to have had a childhood rich in prestige and status. They wanted for absolutely nothing materially.

But it sounds like they came out of it pretty damaged psychologically.

 

[classyjackie]

But i rather suspect that we will pretty soon learn more about who the 4:th Countess Spencer will be….

If the reports are true then its Cat Jarman. She, Charles and Richard Coles have a podcast that comes out very Wednesday called The Rabbit Hole Detectives, each gets 15 mins to explain the history of a topic they were assigned the previous week, everything from toothpaste to boarding schools. They all have been longtime friends.

Here she is in the middle.