John Spencer, 8th Earl Spencer
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| The Earl Spencer | |
|---|---|
| Born | Edward John Spencer 24 January 1924 London, England |
| Died | 29 March 1992 (aged 68) Humana Hospital, Wellington, London, England |
| Title | 8th Earl Spencer |
| Tenure | 9 June 1975 – 29 March 1992 |
| Known for | Father of Diana, Princess of Wales |
| Predecessor | 7th Earl Spencer |
| Successor | 9th Earl Spencer |
| Spouse(s) | Frances Spencer, Viscountess Althorp Raine Spencer, Countess Spencer |
| Issue | Lady Sarah McCorquodale Jane Fellowes, Baroness Fellowes The Hon. John Spencer Diana, Princess of Wales Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer |
| Parents | Albert Spencer, 7th Earl Spencer Cynthia Spencer, Countess Spencer |
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.
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[edit] Education and military career
Lord Spencer was educated at Eton, 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.[1]
[edit] Politics and Royal service
Lord Spencer held the offices of County Councillor for Northamptonshire (1952), High Sheriff of Northamptonshire (1959) and Justice of the Peace for Norfolk (1970).[1] He served as Equerry to King George VI (1950–52) and to Queen Elizabeth II (1952–54),[2] and was invested as a Member of the Royal Victorian Order (M.V.O.) in 1954.[1]
[edit] Marriages
On 1 June 1954 Lord Spencer and the Hon. Frances Ruth Roche, the younger daughter of the 4th Baron Fermoy, were married in Westminster Abbey by Percy Herbert, Bishop of Norwich. They had five children:
- Lady Sarah McCorquodale (born 19 March 1955), married Neil Edmund McCorquodale on 17 May 1980 and had issue.
- Jane Fellowes, Baroness Fellowes (born 11 February 1957), married Robert Fellowes, Baron Fellowes in March 1978 and had issue.
- The Hon. John Spencer (12 January 1960 – 12 January 1960), died within ten hours of his birth.
- Diana, Princess of Wales (1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997), married Charles, Prince of Wales on 29 July 1981 and had issue.
- Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer (born 20 May 1964), married firstly Victoria Lockwood from 1989 to 1997 and had issue, married secondly Caroline Hutton from 2001 to 2007 and had issue, and married thirdly Karen Villeneuve on 18 June 2011.
Lord Spencer and Frances were separated in April 1969. Frances later married Peter Shand Kydd and Lord Spencer 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.
[edit] Death
Lord Spencer died on 29 March 1992 at The Wellington Hospital, 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, Charles and Diana were in Austria along with their two sons, William and Harry. Diana and William had visited Lord Spencer in the hospital one day before departing for Austria.[3]
[edit] Titles and styles
- 24 January 1924 – 9 June 1975 – The Viscount Althorp
- 9 June 1975 – 29 March 1992 – The Right Honourable The Earl Spencer
[edit] Ancestry
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[edit] References
- ^ a b c Staff. "Person Page 100 earl daniel spencer was his great great grand father 89: Edward John Spencer, 8th Earl Spencer". thePeerage.com. http://www.thepeerage.com/p10089.htm.
- ^ Royal Household of Buckingham Palace. "Diana, Princess of Wales biography". Royal.gov.uk, the official website of the British Monarchy. http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/page155.asp. "Earl Spencer was Equerry to George VI from 1950 to 1952, and to The Queen from 1952 to 1954."
- ^ "The 8th Earl Spencer, 68, Dies; Father of the Princess of Wales". The New York Times. 30 March 1992. http://www.nytimes.com/1992/03/30/world/the-8th-earl-spencer-68-dies-father-of-the-princess-of-wales.html.
[edit] External links
- John Spencer, 8th Earl Spencer at Find a Grave
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by John Spencer, 8th Earl Spencer
| Honorary titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sir Gyles Isham, Bt |
High Sheriff of Northamptonshire 1959 |
Succeeded by Evelyn Fanshawe |
| Peerage of Great Britain | ||
| Preceded by Albert Spencer |
Earl Spencer 9 June 1975 – 29 March 1992 |
Succeeded by Charles Spencer |
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- 1924 births
- 1992 deaths
- Earls in the Peerage of Great Britain
- Spencer-Churchill family
- Earls Spencer
- Old Etonians
- Royal Scots Greys officers
- British Army personnel of World War II
- Graduates of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
- Alumni of the Royal Agricultural College
- High Sheriffs of Northamptonshire
- Members of the Royal Victorian Order
- Equerries
