Earl Charles Spencer

Short Biography

Spencer was born in London on 20 May 1964 and named Charles Edward Maurice, with Queen Elizabeth II as his godmother. His parents were then called Viscount and Viscountess Althorp, as his grandfather Albert Spencer, 7th Earl Spencer, was still alive.He had three elder sisters: Sarah; Jane; and Diana, who later became the Princess of Wales. He also had an elder brother, John, who died within hours of his birth.He was educated at Eton and Magdalen College, Oxford, where he read Modern History.Spencer worked as an on-air correspondent with NBC News from 1986 to 1995, primarily for the network's signature morning programme, Today, and NBC Nightly News. 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. On the print-media side, Spencer has written several book reviews for The Guardian and The Independent on Sunday as well as feature stories for The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, The Sunday Telegraph 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, the family's ancestral seat in Northamptonshire. 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, Diana died after a car crash in Paris and Spencer delivered the eulogy at her funeral service held at Westminster Abbey six days later. In his eulogy he rebuked both Britain's royal family and the press for their treatment of his sister.Diana was buried on Spencer's ancestral estate, Althorp, where he built a mausoleum 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, being: Althorp: the Story of an English House (1998) London: Viking. The Spencers: a Personal History of an English Family (2000). Blenheim, Battle for Europe (2004). Paperback edition by Phoenix, 2005. ISBN 0-304-36704-4. This book was a 'Sunday Times' bestseller, and was shortlisted for "History Book of the Year" at the 2005 National Book Awards. Prince Rupert — The Last Cavalier (2007). London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson ISBN 978-0-297-84610-9. Killers of the King: The Men Who Dared to Execute Charles I (2014). Bloomsbury ISBN 978-1-408-85170-8. This book was a 'Sunday Times' bestseller.In 2003, Spencer founded the Althorp Literary Festival. Speakers at the annual event have included the authors Bill Bryson, Helen Fielding, Antonia Fraser, and Boris Johnson.In 2004, he presented two documentaries for the History Channel on Blenheim: Battle for Europe. He contributed a chapter to British Military Greats, published by Cassell in 2005. He also contributed two of the 100 chapters of The Art of War: Great Commanders of the Modern World, published by Quercus in 2009.Spencer was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of Northamptonshire in November 2005; the Spencer family have had a long association with the county, the home of the family seat, Althorp. Spencer is also a patron of the Northamptonshire County Cricket Club.Spencer has also involved himself in charitable and humanitarian causes. He has been a patron of the Friends of Cynthia Spencer Hospice in Northampton, England since 1989. He was a patron of the Lifeline and Childline charities in Western Cape, South Africa from 1997 to 2000. He has served as a trustee of Nelson Mandela Children's Fund since 1998. He is a patron of Thomas's Fund, which provides music for severely ill children. In July 2011 he became one of the patrons of Northampton Hope Centre, a local homeless charity in Northampton.On 16 September 1989, Spencer, then known by the courtesy title of Lord Althorp, married (Catherine) Victoria Lockwood (born 1965). The wedding was held at the Church of St Mary, Great Brington, and Darius Guppy was the best man. Two nieces, Emily McCorquodale and The Hon. Eleanor Fellowes, were bridesmaids. Two of his nephews, Prince Harry and The Hon. Alexander Fellowes (son of Lord and Lady Fellowes), were pages. Spencer and Lockwood, who had moved to Cape Town, South Africa, were divorced on 3 December 1997. Diana's death occurred while the divorce case was in progress; short