Earl Spencer Wiki and Biography
| Full Name | Charles Edward Maurice Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer |
| Popular Name | Earl Spencer |
| Date of Birth | 20 May 1964 |
| Age | 62 years (as of October 2026) |
| Birthplace | Marylebone, London, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Zodiac Sign | Taurus |
| Profession | British Peer, Historian, Author, Broadcaster, Former Journalist |
| Years Active | 1986–present |
| Current Wife | Cat Jarman (married 15 May 2026) |
| Children | 7 (five daughters, two sons) |
| Known For | Brother of Diana, Princess of Wales; her 1997 funeral eulogy; owner of Althorp |
Charles Edward Maurice Spencer, the 9th Earl Spencer, is one of Britain’s most recognisable aristocrats — though fame arrived for him as much through family as through his own considerable output as a historian and writer. Born into one of England’s oldest noble families in 1964, he grew up as the younger brother of Diana Spencer, the woman who would become Princess of Wales and, after her death in 1997, one of the most mourned figures of the twentieth century.
Spencer’s public identity has always balanced two roles. On the one hand he is the custodian of Althorp, the 500-year-old Northamptonshire estate that has belonged to the Spencer family since 1508 and where his sister is buried. On the other, he built a genuine second career as a working journalist, broadcaster and author, spending nearly a decade as an NBC News correspondent before turning to history writing with a string of well-reviewed books. His funeral eulogy for Diana, watched by billions, remains one of the defining orations of modern British life — a rebuke of both the royal family and the tabloid press that few members of the aristocracy would ever dare to deliver.
In 2026 Spencer made headlines again: he married for the fourth time, to Norwegian archaeologist Cat Jarman, and published a deeply personal memoir, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, just ahead of the thirtieth anniversary of Diana’s death. At 62, the man once known mainly as “Diana’s brother” has become a public figure firmly in his own right.
Earl Spencer Height, Weight and Physical Stats
| Height | Not publicly confirmed (some secondary sources suggest ~6 ft 3 in / 191 cm) |
| Weight | Not publicly reported |
| Eye Color | Blue |
| Hair Color | Blonde (greying) |
| Distinctive Features | Strong Spencer family resemblance; often photographed at Althorp |
Spencer has never been a celebrity of the red-carpet variety, and — unlike actors or athletes — his height and weight are not part of his public record. A handful of secondary biography sites estimate his height at around 6 feet 3 inches, but Wikipedia and major profiles do not list it, so we treat it as unconfirmed. What is not in doubt is the physical setting that defines him: Althorp House, the 90-room estate he has spent three decades restoring.
Earl Spencer Career
| Profession | Peer of the Realm, Historian, Author, Broadcaster |
| Journalism Career | NBC News on-air correspondent (1986–1995); Granada Television reporter (1991–1993) |
| Broadcasting | Presented the 12-part series Great Houses of the World (1994–95) |
| Peerage | Succeeded as 9th Earl Spencer on 29 March 1992; sat in the House of Lords 1992–1999 |
| Published Books | Althorp: The Story of an English House, The Spencer Family, Killers of the King, Blenheim: Battle for Europe, The White Ship, Swan Song: Diana, My Sister (2026) |
| Podcast | The Rabbit Hole Detectives (co-hosted with Cat Jarman and Richard Coles) |
| Estate | Custodian of Althorp House, Northamptonshire (13,000 acres) |
Charles Spencer began his working life far from the estate he would inherit. After Eton and Magdalen College, Oxford, where he read Modern History, he joined NBC News and spent nine years as an on-air correspondent, reporting for programmes including Today and NBC Nightly News. A stint with Granada Television followed, and in the mid-1990s he wrote and presented a twelve-part documentary series on the great houses of the world — an early signal of where his real passion lay.
The death of his father, John Spencer, in March 1992 made Charles the 9th Earl Spencer at just 27. He inherited not only the title but Althorp, the family seat, and took his seat in the House of Lords, sitting there until the House of Lords Act 1999 removed most hereditary peers. Rather than settling into aristocratic idleness, he channelled his history degree into authorship. His books — including Killers of the King, about the executioners of Charles I, and The White Ship, about the 1120 maritime disaster — have earned genuine scholarly respect. Since 2009 he has overseen a major restoration of Althorp’s exterior, and he shares his love of history with listeners on the podcast The Rabbit Hole Detectives.
Earl Spencer Net Worth
| Net Worth (estimated) | Over $100 million (estimates range roughly $100–170 million) |
| Main Assets | Althorp estate (13,000 acres), art collection, property |
| Income Sources | Book royalties, broadcasting, Althorp tourism and events, investments |
| Notes | No official figure is published; third-party estimates vary widely |
Earl Spencer’s wealth is of the old-fashioned landed variety: the overwhelming bulk of it is tied up in the Althorp estate itself, with its thirteen thousand acres, the great house, and one of the finest private art collections in Britain. Third-party estimates of his net worth range from roughly $100 million to $170 million, but no audited figure exists and the true number depends heavily on how the estate is valued. Alongside the land, book royalties from nine published works, broadcasting fees, and the income from opening Althorp to the public each summer all contribute. He is wealthy, certainly — but in the Spencer style, the wealth is bricks, land and portraits rather than liquid cash.
10 Interesting Facts About Earl Spencer
- Queen Elizabeth II was one of his godmothers, and he was baptised at Westminster Abbey.
- Within the family he was nicknamed “Carlos” and “Buzz.”
- He had an elder brother, John, born four years before him, who died just ten hours after birth — making Charles the heir to the earldom.
- His parents divorced when he was only three, after his mother Frances left for Peter Shand Kydd.
- He became the 9th Earl Spencer at just 27, on the death of his father in March 1992.
- Diana is buried on a small island in the lake at Althorp, the Spencer family’s ancestral estate of 500 years.
- His 1997 funeral eulogy for Diana publicly rebuked both the royal family and the British press — a speech watched by billions around the world.
- He sat as a hereditary peer in the House of Lords from 1992 until the 1999 reforms removed most hereditary peers.
- He met his fourth wife, archaeologist Cat Jarman, when he was asked to review her book River Kings.
- His 2026 memoir claims that King Charles told him, days after Diana’s death, that “we’ll forget Diana soon enough.”
Conclusion
Earl Spencer is that rare thing: an aristocrat who built a career to go with his title. From NBC correspondent to respected historian, from Diana’s fierce younger brother to the husband of Cat Jarman and author of a memoir that reopens one of Britain’s deepest wounds, he has spent six decades refusing to be merely ornamental. Whether history remembers him as the custodian of Althorp, the writer of Swan Song, or simply as the brother who stood up for Diana when it mattered most, Charles Spencer has earned his place in the story.
FAQs About Earl Spencer
1. What is Earl Spencer’s full name?
Charles Edward Maurice Spencer, the 9th Earl Spencer.
2. When was Earl Spencer born?
He was born on 20 May 1964 in Marylebone, London, and is 62 years old as of October 2026.
3. How is Earl Spencer related to Princess Diana?
He is Diana’s younger brother — the only boy among the Spencer siblings.
4. Who is Earl Spencer married to now?
Norwegian archaeologist Cat Jarman. They married on 15 May 2026 in Sedona, Arizona — his fourth marriage.
5. How many children does Earl Spencer have?
Seven: five daughters and two sons, from his first three marriages.
6. Who is Earl Spencer’s heir?
His son Louis Frederick John Spencer, Viscount Althorp (born 1994).
7. What is Earl Spencer’s net worth?
Estimated at over $100 million, though no official figure exists; most of his wealth is tied to the Althorp estate.
8. Where does Earl Spencer live?
Althorp House in Northamptonshire, the Spencer family seat since 1508.
9. What did Earl Spencer do for a living?
He worked as a journalist (NBC News, 1986–1995), then became a broadcaster and historian with nine published books.
10. What is Earl Spencer’s new book about Diana?
Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, published 22 September 2026 — his personal memoir of his sister, released ahead of the thirtieth anniversary of her death.
Last Updated: October 2026 | Fact-checked by the Xposed editorial team