Edward Spencer, 8th Earl Spencer
Encyclopedia
Edward John Spencer, 8th Earl Spencer MVO
(24 January 1924 – 29 March 1992), styled Viscount Althorp until 1975, was a British peer and the father of Diana, Princess of Wales
.
, the Royal Military College
at Sandhurst, and the Royal Agricultural College
. A Captain
in the Royal Scots Greys, Lord Spencer fought in the Second World War from 1944 to 1945, and was Mentioned In Despatches. From 1947 to 1950, Lord Spencer served as Aide-de-Camp
to then-Governor of South Australia
, Willoughby Norrie.
(1952), High Sheriff of Northamptonshire
(1959) and Justice of the Peace
for Norfolk
(1970). He served as Equerry
to King George VI
(1950–52) and to Queen Elizabeth II
(1952–54), and was invested as a Member of the Royal Victorian Order
(M.V.O.) in 1954.
, the younger daughter of the 4th Baron Fermoy, were married in Westminster Abbey
by Percy Herbert, Bishop of Norwich
. They had five children:
Lord Spencer and Frances were divorced in April 1969. Frances later married Peter Shand Kydd
, while Lord Spencer later won a bitter custody battle for Diana and married Raine, Countess of Dartmouth on 14 July 1976, the former wife of the 9th Earl of Dartmouth
and the daughter and only child of the romantic novelist Barbara Cartland
and Alexander McCorquodale.
, London. He had been admitted to the hospital with pneumonia
a week earlier, but had reportedly been making a good recovery. He was succeeded as Earl by his son, Charles
. By the time of his death, Diana and Charles
were in Austria
along with their sons, William and Harry
. Diana and William had visited Lord Spencer in the hospital one day before departing for Austria.
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
(24 January 1924 – 29 March 1992), styled Viscount Althorp until 1975, was a British peer and the father of Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, whom she married on 29 July 1981, and an international charity and fundraising figure, as well as a preeminent celebrity of the late 20th century...
.
Education and military career
Lord Spencer was educated at EtonEton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
, the Royal Military College
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
at Sandhurst, and the Royal Agricultural College
Royal Agricultural College
The Royal Agricultural College is a higher education institution located in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, UK. Established in 1845, it was the first agricultural college in the English speaking world...
. A Captain
Captain (British Army and Royal Marines)
Captain is a junior officer rank of the British Army and Royal Marines. It ranks above Lieutenant and below Major and has a NATO ranking code of OF-2. The rank is equivalent to a Lieutenant in the Royal Navy and to a Flight Lieutenant in the Royal Air Force...
in the Royal Scots Greys, Lord Spencer fought in the Second World War from 1944 to 1945, and was Mentioned In Despatches. From 1947 to 1950, Lord Spencer served as Aide-de-Camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
to then-Governor of South Australia
Governors of South Australia
The Governor of South Australia is the representative in the Australian state of South Australia of Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia. The Governor performs the same constitutional and ceremonial functions at the state level as does the Governor-General of Australia at the national level.In...
, Willoughby Norrie.
Politics and Royal service
Lord Spencer held the offices of County Councillor for NorthamptonshireNorthamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
(1952), High Sheriff of Northamptonshire
High Sheriff of Northamptonshire
This is a list of the High Sheriffs of Northamptonshire.The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been...
(1959) and Justice of the Peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
for Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
(1970). He served as Equerry
Equerry
An equerry , and related to the French word "écuyer" ) is an officer of honour. Historically, it was a senior attendant with responsibilities for the horses of a person of rank. In contemporary use, it is a personal attendant, usually upon a Sovereign, a member of a Royal Family, or a national...
to King George VI
George VI of the United Kingdom
George VI was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death...
(1950–52) and to Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
(1952–54), and was invested as a Member of the Royal Victorian Order
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
(M.V.O.) in 1954.
Marriages
On 1 June 1954, Lord Spencer and the Hon. Frances Ruth RocheFrances Shand Kydd
Frances Ruth Shand Kydd was the first wife of John Spencer, 8th Earl Spencer and the mother of Diana, Princess of Wales...
, the younger daughter of the 4th Baron Fermoy, were married in Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
by Percy Herbert, Bishop of Norwich
Bishop of Norwich
The Bishop of Norwich is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Norwich in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers most of the County of Norfolk and part of Suffolk. The see is in the City of Norwich where the seat is located at the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided...
. They had five children:
- Lady Elizabeth Sarah Lavinia SpencerLady Sarah McCorquodaleThe Lady Elizabeth Sarah Lavinia McCorquodale is the older sister of Diana, Princess of Wales.-Early life:Sarah was born The Honourable Elizabeth Sarah Lavinia Spencer; she acquired the courtesy title The Lady Elizabeth Sarah Lavinia Spencer in 1975, when her grandfather died and her father became...
(born 19 March 1955), married 17 May 1980 Neil Edmund McCorquodale and had issue - Lady Cynthia Jane SpencerJane Fellowes, Baroness FellowesCynthia Jane Fellowes, Baroness Fellowes is the older sister of Diana, Princess of Wales.-Early life:Lady Fellowes was born The Honourable Cynthia Jane Spencer. Her title changed to The Lady Cynthia Jane Spencer in 1975, when her grandfather died and her father became the 8th Earl Spencer...
(born 11 February 1957), married 1978 Robert Fellowes, Baron FellowesRobert Fellowes, Baron FellowesRobert Fellowes, Baron Fellowes, GCB, GCVO, QSO, PC is a former Private Secretary to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 1990–1999, and is also known as a brother-in-law of Diana, Princess of Wales.-Family background:...
and had issue - The Hon. John Spencer (12 January 1960 – 12 January 1960), died within ten hours of his birth
- Lady Diana Frances SpencerDiana, Princess of WalesDiana, Princess of Wales was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, whom she married on 29 July 1981, and an international charity and fundraising figure, as well as a preeminent celebrity of the late 20th century...
(1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997), married 29 July 1981 Charles, Prince of WalesCharles, Prince of WalesPrince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...
and had issue - Charles Spencer, 9th Earl SpencerCharles Spencer, 9th Earl SpencerCharles Edward Maurice Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer, DL , styled Viscount Althorp between 1975 and 1992, is a British peer and brother of Diana, Princess of Wales...
(born 20 May 1964), married firstly 16 September 1989 Victoria LockwoodVictoria AitkenVictoria Aitken, née Lockwood is a British former fashion model and the first wife of Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer, the younger brother of Diana, Princess of Wales.-Biography:...
and had issue, divorced 3 December 1997; married secondly 15 December 2001 Caroline Hutton and had issue, separated 2007 and subsequently divorced; married thirdly 18 June 2011 Karen VilleneuveKaren GordonKaren Spencer, Countess Spencer , also known as Karen Gordon, is a Canadian social entrepreneur and former model...
Lord Spencer and Frances were divorced in April 1969. Frances later married Peter Shand Kydd
Peter Shand Kydd
Peter Shand Kydd was the former stepfather of Diana, Princess of Wales and an heir to the wallpaper fortune built by his father Norman Shand Kydd. He was half-brother to the former champion amateur jockey William Shand Kydd....
, while Lord Spencer later won a bitter custody battle for Diana and married Raine, Countess of Dartmouth on 14 July 1976, the former wife of the 9th Earl of Dartmouth
Gerald Legge, 9th Earl of Dartmouth
Gerald Humphry Legge, 9th Earl of Dartmouth FCA was a British peer and businessman.Legge was the only son of the 8th Earl of Dartmouth...
and the daughter and only child of the romantic novelist Barbara Cartland
Barbara Cartland
Dame Barbara Hamilton Cartland, DBE, CStJ , was an English author, one of the most prolific authors of the 20th century...
and Alexander McCorquodale.
Death
Lord Spencer died on 29 March 1992 at The Wellington HospitalWellington Hospital, United Kingdom
The Wellington Hospital in London is the largest independent hospital in the United Kingdom, located in St John's Wood, North London.It has an international reputation for outstanding care in areas of medicine including cardiac services, neurosurgery, liver and HPB medicine, rehabilitation,...
, London. He had been admitted to the hospital with pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
a week earlier, but had reportedly been making a good recovery. He was succeeded as Earl by his son, Charles
Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer
Charles Edward Maurice Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer, DL , styled Viscount Althorp between 1975 and 1992, is a British peer and brother of Diana, Princess of Wales...
. By the time of his death, Diana and Charles
Charles, Prince of Wales
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...
were in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
along with their sons, William and Harry
Prince Harry of Wales
Prince Henry of Wales , commonly known as Prince Harry, is the younger son of Charles, Prince of Wales and the late Diana, Princess of Wales, and fourth grandchild of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh...
. Diana and William had visited Lord Spencer in the hospital one day before departing for Austria.
Titles and styles
- 24 January 1924-9 June 1975- Viscount Althorp
- 9 June 1975-29 March 1992 The Right Honourable The Earl Spencer