Princess Diana’s brother is divorced… again! Earl Spencer finalises third separation

Earl Spencer’s divorce settlement was finalized after two years of intense negotiations.

Princess Diana’s younger brother Charles Edward Maurice Spencer signed the agreement with 53-year-old Karen Spencer.

The details emerged during the legal battle over the end of the Spencers’ 13-year marriage following an application by Countess Spencer to the High Court.

She claimed her ex-husband was having an affair and suggested she end their marriage via text message; Earl Spencer denied these allegations.

The two now decided that Countess Spencer could retain her royal title; so it became clear that she felt she deserved it as she had worked hard to improve the estate at Althorp where the late Princess Diana is buried.

If Earl Spencer remarries, his new wife will be Countess Spencer and Karen will be known simply as Countess Spencer, without the prefix.

The divorce was finalized in December, but financial matters still need to be resolved.

Delivering his decision to the family court, Mr Justice Peel said: ‘But there are some aspects of this that are hotly contested.’

A decision has not yet been made on how much Earl Spencer will pay his ex-wife in relation to her case with his girlfriend, Professor Cat Jarman, 43.

The ‘much-discussed’ case was resolved in December after Ms Jarman, a Norwegian archaeologist who co-hosted a podcast with the count, sued Karen for ‘misuse of private information’.

As part of the lawsuit, Ms Jarman claimed Countess Spencer told people she had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) without her consent.

Karen’s lawyer left the court without admitting any liability, as the court ruled that the costs would be partially covered by the count through the divorce settlement.

The Countess’ lawyer, David Sherborne, said she was ‘shocked and devastated’ when Earl Spencer allegedly sent her a text message with the ‘ugly’ news that he wanted a divorce.

It’s only been ‘four weeks’ since he sent her a ‘romantic message’ on Valentine’s Day.

Karen confronted Jarman after suspecting he was having an ‘affair’ with her husband.

An email sent to Jarman and shared with the court said: ‘Good luck Cat, you’re going to have a great journey.

‘I think you’ll find that taking care of him full-time would be much trickier than a five-day getaway to Norfolk and a night or two here and there in London.’

Jarman described the allegations as ‘false and defamatory’, while Spend denied the allegations were true.

He previously told the Daily Mail: ‘The idea that I would end my marriage by text is a ridiculous attempt to tarnish my name.

‘Karen ended her marriage at the beginning of March after years of endless threats. ‘He asked me to confirm the end of the marriage in a message dated 18 March and my response was a simple acceptance of his decision.’

Spencer is understood to have employed divorce lawyer Fiona Shackleton, known as ‘steel magnolia’, who previously represented Prince Charles in his 1996 divorce from the earl’s sister Princess Diana.

Last year Karen revealed she was moving out of Althorp following the couple’s split in 2024.

It is said that he is now thinking about his future with new business plans.

Shortly before the marriage broke down, he had helped launch a new initiative that would bring visitors closer to the Althorp estate: the Spencer 1508 series, which features videos of work on the house and grounds being posted on YouTube.

And in 2020 Karen, alongside agronomist Nicole Masters, devised plans to switch the Althorp estate to regenerative organic farming and helped secure a £3.6 million grant from Natural England to restore parkland and create new wetland ecosystems.

Earl Spencer’s previous marriages were to Victoria Aitken and Caroline Freud, which lasted eight years and six years respectively.

Just five years into his marriage to Victoria (then Lockwood), cracks began to appear as reports emerged of Earl Spencer’s alleged infidelities.

Victoria also struggled with anorexia and alcohol addiction.

Victoria and Charles moved to South Africa in 1995 in an attempt to save their marriage and escape the spotlight.

But just two years later, the couple announced their separation. During the divorce hearing, Victoria accused Charles of sleeping with other women while she was in rehab.

After reminding him of his promise to remain faithful to his wife through thick and thin, Charles told the judge that his wife was ‘through thick and thick’.