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    Charles Spencer (born May 20, 1964), known as Viscount Althorp from 1975 until 1992, is a British nobleman, author, journalist, and broadcaster.

    He is Late Princess Diana’s younger brother and the maternal uncle to William, Prince of Wales, and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex.

    Charles Spencer got married to an archaeologist and podcast co-host Professor Cat Jarman, 43, in a private ceremony in Arizona on Friday, May 15, 2026.

    Who is Charles Spencer?

    who-is-charles-spencer
    Photo by David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for Charles Sabine

    Charles Edward Maurice Spencer was born on May 20, 1964, in Marylebone, London, the youngest of five children to John Spencer (1924-1992) and Frances Roche (1936-2004; subsequently Shand Kydd).

    He started his official education at Silfield Private School in King’s Lynn, Norfolk. He was sent to Maidwell Hall, an elite boys’ private boarding school in Northamptonshire, when he was eight. He continued his education at Eton College before studying Modern History at Magdalen College in Oxford.

    Career

    Spencer worked as an on-air correspondent for NBC News from 1986 to 1995, particularly for the network’s morning show Today and NBC Nightly News. He created and hosted the 12-part documentary series Great Houses of the World (1994-1995) for the NBC Super Channel.

    He also worked as a correspondent for Granada Television between 1991 and 1993. Spencer has written book reviews for The Guardian and The Independent on Sunday, as well as feature articles for The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, The Sunday Telegraph, and American publications like Vanity Fair, Verandah, and Nest.

    After his father died on March 29, 1992, Spencer, then 27, became the 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 historic home in Northamptonshire. Since 2009, he has repaired Althorp, re-roofing it and rebuilding its complete façade for the first time since the 1780s.

    He has also contributed to the establishment of Althorp Living History, a handmade fine-furniture company that reproduces pieces from Althorp’s collection. The Spencer family’s fortune sprang from their successful sheep farming during the Tudor era.

    Spencer launched the Althorpe Literary Festival in 2003. The yearly event has featured authors such as Bill Bryson, Helen Fielding, Antonia Fraser, and Boris Johnson.

    who-is-charles-spencer
    Photo by David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for Charles Sabine

    In 2004, he hosted two documentaries for the History Channel titled Blenheim: Battle for Europe. Spencer was appointed Deputy Lieutenant of Northamptonshire in November 2005, and the Spencer family has a long history with the county, which is home to the family seat.

    Spencer is also a supporter of Northamptonshire County Cricket Club. Spencer created an audiovisual walking tour for St. James’s Park about Charles I’s execution called Death of a King: The Path to Execution, which will be available on the BARDEUM mobile app.

    In 2023, he started delivering the podcast The Rabbit Hole Detectives with Richard Coles and Cat Jarman, in which each of them is assigned an odd topic and then discusses their findings. In May 2025, Spencer joined the panel of ITV’s Loose Men, a male equivalent of the channel’s Loose Women.

    Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer Spouse

    The Earl Spencer has seven children from his three marriages. Spencer married Victoria Lockwood (born 20 April 1965) on September 16, 1989, using the courtesy title of Viscount Althorp. Spencer and Lockwood divorced on December 3, 1997, and Diana died while the case was still in progress.

    Spencer returned to the United Kingdom following the divorce from Cape Town, South Africa, where he and Lockwood relocated their family in 1995 to avoid media scrutiny.

    It was believed that the earl had an extramarital affair with a journalist early in their marriage. They have four children.

    On December 15, 2001, he married Caroline Freud (born October 16, 1966), the former wife of businessman Matthew Freud. They separated in 2007 and eventually divorced. Justice Munby was the presiding judge.

    The Earl’s barrister, Nicholas Mostyn, informed his client that the case may be heard in private, which Munby declined. The Earl was dissatisfied with the final settlement and unsuccessfully sued Mostyn. Spencer and Freud have two children.

    Spencer married Karen Gordon (née Villeneuve; born 6 June 1972), a Canadian philanthropist and the founder and CEO of Whole Child International, a Los Angeles-based charity that strives to improve the lives of orphaned, abandoned, or neglected children, on June 18, 2011, in Althorp. They’ve got a daughter.

    In June 2024, it was revealed that the Earl and Countess had split in April 2024 and intended to divorce. Their divorce was formalized in December 2025.

    Spencer and Cat Jarman married on May 15, 2026, in Sedona, Arizona, USA.

    Charles Spencer Net Worth

    Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer’s net worth is expected to be $154 million.

    Social Media

    Instagram: @charles.earl.spencer

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