Everything We Know About Princess Diana’s Brother, Charles Spencer

There’s no denying that Princess Diana's main priority was always her family. While we know a great deal about King Charles, Prince William and Prince Harry, we know little about the rest of her family members, including her younger brother, Charles Spencer.

The 59-year-old author and journalist keeps a relatively low profile, but he's made quite the life for himself. To date, he has published eight books and he currently hosts the podcast, The Rabbit Hole Detectives. Plus, the 9th Earl Spencer continues to offer glimpses of his home Althorp Estate and share throwbacks of his late sister on social media. He even hosted The Diana Award ceremony in the princess's honor in 2021.

He said in a statement, "I've always been delighted that my sister's name has been the catalyst behind the brilliant Diana Award, and to have the Legacy Award Ceremony at our family home seems not only very fitting, but also rather wonderful. I chaired the selection of the winners, so am aware how truly admirable their achievements are. This will be a celebration of these exceptional young people, but also, of course, of Diana herself."

Given how much he's accomplished over the years, we imagine his big sis would be proud. Keep reading for everything we know about Princess Diana's brother.

His parents, John and Frances, welcomed their first son and third child, John, on January 12, 1960. Unfortunately, John died a few hours after he was born.

In May 2022, Charles shared a pic of his late brother's tombstone on Instagram, after getting it restored. He wrote in the caption, "Looking as it should, now…I never knew my older brother, John, and live 100 miles from his grave—but, seeing it last summer, realised serious action was required. Thank you, BB, for making it look as it should."

Charles is formally the 9th Earl of Spencer, a title he inherited when his father passed away in 1992. His other titles include 9th Viscount Althorp, 9th Viscount Spencer of Althorp, 9th Baron Spencer of Althorp and 4th Viscount Althorp.

That's right—he was educated at Eton College and he earned his degree in modern history at Magdalen College, Oxford. This pretty much explains why the author's Instagram page is filled with historic photos and portraits.

In addition to his royal duties, Charles has quite the resume. He started his career as a journalist and television reporter with NBC News where he worked between 1986 and 1995 for Today and NBC Nightly News.

He's an experienced author and has published a number of titles that analyze British history, including Sunday Times bestsellers Blenheim: Battle for Europe and Prince Rupert: The Last Cavalier. His 2021 book, The White Ship, became a #1 bestseller on Amazon.

Yup, he married Canadian native Karen Anne Spencer (formerly Karen Villeneuve) in 2011 and has been happily married ever since. However, this isn’t his first marriage. He divorced his first wife, Victoria Aitken, in 1997 and his second wife, Caroline Freud, in 2007.