Charles, the Earl Spencer, is headed for his third divorce. The Earl Spencer has not had a lot of luck in love, nor does he sound like he’s an engaged father to his brood of six kids. While I also love that the Earl Spencer has shown a lot of support for Prince Harry and Meghan, make no mistake, his personal life is MESSY. Some background: he was married to his first wife Victoria Lockwood from 1989 through 1997. His second marriage was to Caroline Freud, from 2001-2009. He met his third wife Karen Gordon in 2010 and they were married in 2011. So this was his longest marriage. According to the Mail, the marriage fell apart as he wrote his memoir, in which he wrote about being savagely abused at boarding school and how that abuse has larger repercussions for him to this day.
Charles Spencer and his third wife are divorcing, The Mail on Sunday can reveal. The Earl’s relationship with the Countess of Spencer broke down amid the strain of writing his harrowing memoir detailing the physical and sexual abuse he suffered at boarding school, it is understood.
The couple announced their pending divorce to staff at Althorp, the Spencer family estate in Northamptonshire, in March.
‘It is immensely sad,’ Earl Spencer told the MoS last night. ‘I just want to devote myself to all my children, and to my grandchildren, and I wish Karen every happiness in the future.’
Earl Spencer and Karen Gordon, a Canadian philanthropist, married in June 2011 within the grounds of Althorp, where the Earl’s older sister Princess Diana is buried. The couple had met the previous year on a blind date at a restaurant in Los Angeles.
Speaking to The Sunday Times in 2020, the Earl said: ‘Karen and I both appreciate what the other does and look after what we have. Neither of us has found happiness like this before.’
His wife was notable by her absence at events held at Althorp and Spencer House in London in mid-March to launch the Earl’s book, A Very Private School. Charles Spencer told the MoS that the five years of work on his memoir has deeply affected him and led to him undergoing residential treatment for trauma late last year. He is understood to have been particularly traumatised by his discovery of his 1976 schoolboy diary, in which the assistant matron, who he alleges sexually abused him, had written a long-forgotten message. The diary was discovered on the high shelf of a room at Althorp that was being refurbished after he completed the main body of his book.
I buy that writing the memoir changed him and I’m glad he’s in therapy now. I also buy that it changed his marriage and there’s work he needs to do on himself, separate from his now-estranged wife. It doesn’t sound like there’s some affair or marriage scandal happening here, although we are talking about the British aristocracy, so who knows. Anyway, I hope the Earl is okay and I hope Karen is too.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.
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- WINDSOR, ENGLAND – MAY 19: Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer and Karen Spencer arrive at the wedding of Prince Harry to Ms Meghan Markle at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle on May 19, 2018 in Windsor, England.,Image: 515240626, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR SEVEN DAYS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251 Madrid: +34 91 533 4289, Model Release: no, Credit line: – / Avalon
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- Charles Spencer (centre) arrives at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle for the wedding of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry.,Image: 515240701, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR SEVEN DAYS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251 Madrid: +34 91 533 4289, *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: – / Avalon
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- WINDSOR, ENGLAND – MAY 19: Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer and Karen Spencer, Countess Spencer arrive at the wedding of Prince Harry to Ms Meghan Markle at St George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle on May 19, 2018 in Windsor, England.,Image: 515240962, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR SEVEN DAYS – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Berlin: +49 (0) 30 76 212 251 Madrid: +34 91 533 4289, *** NO UK USE FOR 48 HRS ***, Model Release: no, Credit line: – / Avalon
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- Earl Spencer at the unveiling of a statue of his sister, Diana, Princess of Wales, in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace, London, on what would have been her 60th birthday. Picture date: Thursday July 1, 2021. .,Image: 619024591, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon sales@Avalon.red London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533 42 89, Model Release: no, Credit line: Avalon.red / Avalon
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- The Duke of Sussex with his uncle Earl Spencer, at the unveiling of a statue of his mother Diana, Princess of Wales, in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace, London, on what would have been her 60th birthday.,Image: 619146847, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO UK USE FOR 48 HOURS- Fee Payable Upon reproduction – For queries contact Avalon sales@Avalon.red London +44 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles +1 310 822 0419 Berlin +49 30 76 212 251 Madrid +34 91 533 42 89, Model Release: no, Credit line: Dominic Lipinski / Avalon
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- Guests arrive to attend a ceremony marking the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games, at Saint Paul’s Cathedral, London Featuring: Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer Where: London, United Kingdom When: 08 May 2024 Credit: Cover Images
The article makes it sound like she dumped him.
The article goes on to say that he has a new Swedish girlfriend, so I think it was the other way around.
Also, he has 7 children, rather than 6.
Sucks for her, she was absolutely madly in love with Althorp, her Instagram was pure fangirl. He seems too traumatized to want to be with anybody.
They have a youtube channel (Spencer1508) and she definitely was an amazing custodian of the family’s resources.
Didn’t she write some books about the place? Or am I thinking of another married in countess?
In any case, I do remember seeing them in a documentary about the home. It’s really beautiful.
Do you know if Karen is going to remain on Althorp to raise their daughter? Cos she was still posting from there it seems on Instagram. Her father recently died as well. A lot of trauma going on for both of them and their daughter too who is probably old enough to see the reports on the internet both about the divorce but also about the horrendous abuse her father survived.
While I appreciate he has experienced a lot of trauma in his past, my suspicious mind wonders if he has met someone new.
Apparently, yes.
“Earl Spencer, meanwhile, has recently become close to Norwegian archaeologist Cat Jarman. The pair, along with the Rev Richard Coles, host The Rabbit Hole Detectives, a history podcast.”
Earl Spencer has seven kids: four from his first marriage, two from his second marriage, and a Charlotte Diana with his third wife, who he is now divorcing. There are rumors about him and his co-host on the podcast that he does.
Cat Jarman is pretty, smart, and equally obsessed with history. Hmmm.
Sounds like a sad and challenging time for both. I wish them both peace and healing.
Sounds like a sad and challenging time for both. I wish them both peace and healing.
Um, *hand up* – can I ask question? Why does Kaiser always refer to Earl Spencer as ‘The’ Earl Spencer? This is not something I’ve ever come across. As far as I am aware it’s either Earl Whatever or ‘the Earl of Whatever’ or sometimes, if referring to their number ‘ the 6th Earl Whatever’ but not ‘the Earl Whatever’. Like, we wouldn’t call Harry ‘the Duke Sussex’. The options would be:
Earl X
The 6th Earl or the 6th Earl of X
or
The Earl of X
Am I missing something?
Maybe you’re missing the fact that most of us are American here and don’t GAF about how to use titles?
So I’m hallucinating all the people who (quite rightly) threw a fit when Jill Biden was called Mrs. Biden not Dr. Biden? Americans definitely care about some titles – just not those of people in other countries.
@Agnes – lol. I buy that most Americans don’t GAF about titles and their correct usage! I don’t however buy that the writers here are unprofessional enough to randomly insert a ‘the’ for no reason and consistently do it in every story about Charles Spencer. So, I’m pretty sure I’m missing something…probably the point @Afken makes below.
@Talia I would personally care more about the “Dr.” title. It is EARNED, not just passed down by coming out of a birth canal in the correct order and of the correct gender. Has nothing to do with country.
The same could be said for using the title ‘Duke and Duchess of Sussex’ (or not). Why does it matter? It’s not like they earned the titles. H was born to the right father and M married the right man.
I absolutely think the correct titles should be used as a matter of respect and I’d be surprised if most people on this site disagreed.
I think the only time it bothers people here about use of H&M’s titles is when the BM make it a point to use Meghan’s name but put titles for everyone else in an article.
@TALIA When Joe Biden won the 2020 Presidential Election, people who were sh1tty & sexist didn’t want a First Lady to be called Doctor; even though she has always been called Dr. Biden after she achieved her Doctor degree. They also didn’t want to remind people she is also a Professor. That’s why people fought to call Jill, Dr. Biden.
Unless I’m doing business with these British Lords & Ladies, I really don’t care to use the proper corrected way to address them; that’s just me. CB is not an academic or historical blog site.
@Talia, uhmmm, I don’t recall people here throwing ‘a fit’, just a course correction. Dr. Jill Biden earned her doctorate degree. We’ve also corrected people on Michelle Obama’s accomplishments, which are many. Both, amazing accomplished women. I’ll be honest, I don’t believe H&M’s titles make them who they are.
It’s because Spencer is the family name and simultaneously the name of this specific earldom. Sussex is a geographic designation earldom, but becomes a name *through* Harry (hence why Archie and Lili are now Archie and Lili Sussex as well as Prince and Princess *of* Sussex ). Take a peer whose family name is not the earldom like The Earl of Sandwich. The earldom is Sandwich, the family name is Montagu. So he’s The Earl of Sandwich, but addressed Lord Montagu. (Charles could also be referred to as Lord Spencer but no one does). But it also depends on the level of peerage. Barons for example are pretty much always called The Baron (barony) and sometimes it’s their family name and sometimes it’s the name of the place. But very rarely baron *of* or viscount *of*. Think bridgerton if you watch. Anthony’s family name is bridgerton. The peerage is also Bridgerton so he is Viscount Bridgerton instead of Viscount *of* Bridgerton.
Thank you! Much as a decry hereditary titles and the monarchy (and all the hoarded wealth that they hang onto) I also find it fascinating.
Afken, thank you for that explanation. I always caught the difference as well and I understand that it’s a more prestigious title in the earldom rank than to use the “of.” Probably because the family name is incorporated in the title.
@Afken – thank you so much for chiming in. I did wonder about the fact that ‘Spencer’ is the family name and not a place but two things that still have me confused.
First – he isn’t ever referred to as ‘the Earl Spencer’ anywhere else that I can find. It’s just ‘Earl Spencer’. I’ve only ever seen that here.
Second – according to Debretts (and they should know) there aren’t different levels of Earldom. Yes – different levels of history/land etc but an Earl is an Earl. Just like a Duke is a Duke.
Third – there is no ‘the’ used in the same way with any hereditary title – we don’t go ‘the King Charles’ when it’s his name etc. The King, Charles maybe – but that’s different.
@The Hench,
I think that’s just a sort of grammatical error on kaiser’s part (no shade I promise!). He is called The Earl a Spencer elsewhere for example if you wrote him a letter, the envelope would say The Earl Spencer, and then inside you would address him Dear Lord Spencer. The “the” just indicates he’s the substantive holder of the title. So his son, Louis, is called Viscount Althorp, but you wouldn’t address a letter to him The Viscount Althorp because his title is a subsidiary of the earldom, he’s not the substantive holder of it. He wasn’t made a separate viscount. Same with Harry and Archie. Archie could use Earl of Dumbarton and his name would be Archie, Earl of Dumbarton but not THE Earl of Dumbarton, who is still Harry.
There aren’t differently levels per se but there are different types. For example there are royal dukes and non-royal dukes. Harry is a royal duke, the Duke of Norfolk is not. Harry is a duke with an hereditary peerage. When Philip was made Duke of Edinburgh, it was also a hereditary peerage and when Philip died Charles became The Duke of Edinburgh but he had a higher title (PoW) so didn’t use it. When Charles became king, the title reverted to the crown and then Charles created it again for his brother but with Edward it is NOT a hereditary peerage. It will revert to the crown when he dies, James will not become Duke of Edinburgh. So yeah there’s a difference. James used to be viscount Severn, a subsidiary from his dad but he wasn’t The viscount. He’s now James, Earl of Wessex but he’s not The Earl of Wessex. I’m not even sure what will happen to that when Edward dies. If he remains James, Earl of Wessex how can his children inherit a title that isn’t substantive? Maybe it’ll become substantive on Edward’s death and he’ll be The Earl of Wessex.
As for the “the” with Charlie, it comes into play when he is HM THE King. Which is how he is described in official communication, he’s not King Charles, he’s HM The King or The King. King Charles is a sort of casual way to refer to him. It’s like with William. He is The Prince of Wales. Harry is The Duke of Sussex. In traditional communication you wouldn’t see William and Harry’s Christian names at all. Just their substantive titles now that they are married. But I think the media changed a lot of that.
@Afken – thank you – really appreciate you taking the time to lay all that out!
It gives the effect of speaking of Charles Spencer only as his role, not as an actual person. For me, this matches the kind of attitude prevalent in the US that if he’s known, it’s only as Diana’s brother. It’s a position, a relation, not a real person, so “the” makes sense psychologically.
But not the correct usage, as you point out. “We fought a war not to respect your titles,” etc etc 😉 It’s flaunting a bit not to follow the rules.
@thehench, not an expert by any means but I think it is correct to include “The” in this instance. When someone is the current holder of the title they are referred to as “The (title).”. For example, when Diana was married to Charles she was, correctly, The Princess of Wales. After her marriage ended she was then Diana, Princess of Wales, denoting that she was divorced and no longer THE current duchess. So technically, Kate is The Princess of Wales. She is not Princess Kate or Kate, Princess of Wales. Likewise I don’t think when referring to The Earl Spencer you would use his first name Charles.
It’s not just writing about the abuse which is traumatic. The abuse itself is probably a bigger factor in his relationship issues throughout his life. Childhood abuse of any kind, but especially sexual abuse, causes dysfunctional adult relationships, including a greater propensity to cheat on spouses. Don’t know if that’s the case here but Charles Spencer very much fits the pattern of an adult who suffered significant abuse as a child.
He mentioned that his first two marriages failed because he had trouble with intimacy and that Karen encouraged him to go into therapy.
I don’t know if any of you are friends with someone who’s been raped, but the rape can (and often does) cause issues down the line. The trauma factor can wax and wane, but it’s hard to shake it. I can totally understand that his marriage was derailed by reliving and dealing with child abuse again. I wish him much healing.
I didn’t realize that he was on his third marriage.. I’m sure the media is going to punish him for being at the Invictus anniversary church service and we will get flooded with stories about this divorce.
He has a boy and a girl with his second wife.
People should go to Richard Eden’s twitter page. He’s already hinting at another reason for the divorce. In a few months, Eden will admonish people for spreading rumours.
Let’s not go to Richard Edens page and give that toad the attention he craves.
I concur. Don’t give Richard Eden clicks. His paycheck depends on it (like the other rats). In the end, the reasons for the divorce don’t actually matter. Not a fan of Charles Spencer. If he was abused at school that’s horrible and all sorts of other words.
@Carrie Agree.
She’s chic! I’m not used to seeing chic British women. I love it!
She’s Canadian…..
She’s Canadian-American hence the lack of frump.
Pretty sure I read a blind item somewhere that he was having an affair with a physical therapist, so yeah, that checks out
Someone briefly changed his Wiki page to say that he was having an affair with his osteopath or something like that, so yeah, it tracks.
I looked today and it mentions ‘he has become close to Cat Jarman’. No idea if that‘s true or will stay up for long.
I dont know what causes the split, but here is my tf theory:
When u start dealing with your childhood traumas, you’ll realise what’s real in your life, what u used as a covering blanket to cover pain & loss, and own mistakes and miss behaviours. Maybe that’s what happened when he was writing his last book.
And maybe he’ll get along better with his daughter who’s wedding he didn’t attend when she married a wealthy man his age abt 2 yrs ago. He seems to getting along well with his heir son anyway.
This would explain the sudden lack of videos on their YouTube channel as well.
This boiled potato of a man sure gave a rousing eulogy for his sister.
Very powerful emoting and articulation.
I always wonder about people of multiple marriages. When do they think it may be their fault and they shouldn’t remarry?
That’s just very sad, that’s all I have to say. I’m sorry the trauma caused him to divorce again but at the same time, he’s maybe glad he faced it instead of burying it deep down? I can’t imagine the wounds that must have reopened when he found the diary again. It must have been excruciating for both of them.
Still a shame that we never got to see the Countess of Spencer wearing the family’s famous tiara.
I believe she had recently lost her father to Alzheimers and had talked about how her family in Canada had done the lion’s share of caregiving. So maybe the need to go back to Canada at a time when her husband was re-living his trauma drove a wedge between them.
Trauma is such a heavy weight to bear. My heart goes out to the Countess and the Earl Spencer and their loved ones during this difficult time.