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Charles Edward Maurice Spencer, the 9th Earl Spencer, is a British peer, author, journalist, and broadcaster. He is the younger brother of Diana, Princess of Wales, and the maternal uncle of William, Prince of Wales, and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex. Charles Spencer was born in London on 20 May 1964. He is the son of John Spencer, the 8th Earl of Spencer, and Frances Roche (later Shand Kydd). While I cannot confirm if Charles Spencer is Catholic, his ancestor George Spencer (1799-1864), son of the 2nd Earl Spencer, was first an Anglican priest before converting to Catholicism to become a Roman Catholic priest.
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What You'll Learn
The current Earl Spencer, Charles Spencer, is not Catholic
Charles Spencer was born on 20 May 1964 in London. He is the younger brother of Diana, Princess of Wales, and the maternal uncle of William, Prince of Wales, and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex. Spencer is a British peer, author, journalist, and broadcaster. He has published several books and currently hosts the podcast, The Rabbit Hole Detectives.
Spencer was educated at Eton College and read Modern History at Magdalen College, Oxford. He began his career as a journalist and television reporter with NBC News, working for them from 1986 to 1995. He has also worked as a reporter for Granada Television and has written for various publications, including The Guardian and The Independent on Sunday.
Spencer has been married three times and has seven children. He currently resides at Althorp House, the family's ancestral seat in Northamptonshire, which he inherited at the age of 27.
While the current Earl Spencer is not Catholic, there have been members of the Spencer family who were Catholic. George Spencer, the son of the 2nd Earl Spencer, converted from Anglicanism to Catholicism and became a Roman Catholic priest, taking the name Father Ignatius. He worked as a missionary and is now a candidate for beatification.
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Charles Spencer is the 9th Earl Spencer
Charles Spencer, the 9th Earl Spencer, is the younger brother of the late Princess Diana and currently holds the title of Earl Spencer. He was born on May 20, 1964, at Buckingham Palace, London, and is the second son of Edward John Spencer, the 8th Earl Spencer, and Frances Shand Kydd. The Spencer family has a long and complex religious history, with connections to both the Church of England and the Catholic Church.
The Spencers have been prominent landowners in Northamptonshire since the 15th century and have a long association with the Church of England. Althorp, the family's ancestral home, has been in the family since 1508 and has a rich religious history. The estate includes the Church of St. Mary the Virgin, which has been the final resting place for several generations of the Spencer family.
However, the family's religious affiliation has not always been clear-cut. Some members of the Spencer family have converted to Catholicism over the years. For example, Charles Spencer's great-aunt, Lady Cynthia Hamilton, became a Catholic and was known for her work with Catholic charities. She was also the mother of the current Duke of Hamilton, who is a Catholic.
So, what about the 9th Earl Spencer? Charles Spencer was raised in the Church of England and served as a pupil at the Anglican school of Eton College. However, there have been speculations about his religious leanings, especially given his interest in Catholic culture and history. He has written and spoken extensively about Catholic saints and has a particular devotion to Saint Francis of Assisi, whose life and teachings he finds inspiring. He has also expressed admiration for Catholic art and architecture and has collected Catholic artifacts and relics.
While Charles Spencer's appreciation for Catholic culture is well-documented, he has not publicly confirmed any conversion to Catholicism. As of now, he is still formally associated with the Church of England, but his deep interest in Catholic traditions suggests a spiritual connection to Catholicism as well. Thus, while the 9th Earl Spencer may not be Catholic by official denomination, his appreciation for and engagement with Catholic faith and heritage run deep.
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Charles Spencer is the younger brother of Diana, Princess of Wales
Charles Edward Maurice Spencer, the 9th Earl Spencer, is the younger brother of Diana, Princess of Wales. He was born in London on 20 May 1964, the youngest of five children of John Spencer (1924–1992) and Frances Roche (1936–2004; later Shand Kydd). He grew up with his three elder sisters, Sarah, Jane, and Diana, and was particularly close with the latter. His infant brother, John, was born four years before him but died a few hours after his birth, making Charles the eventual heir to the earldom.
Charles was three years old when his parents' marriage ended in divorce due to his mother's affair. He began his formal education at Silfield Private School in King's Lynn, Norfolk, and from the age of eight, he attended the elite boys' private boarding school Maidwell Hall in Northamptonshire. He later studied at Eton College before reading Modern History at Magdalen College, Oxford.
Upon his father's death on 29 March 1992, 27-year-old Charles succeeded as 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 ancestral seat in Northamptonshire. He has since restored Althorp, re-roofing it and restoring its entire exterior for the first time since the 1780s. Additionally, he has helped establish Althorp Living History, a handmade fine-furniture line reproducing pieces from the collection at Althorp.
Charles has worked as an author, journalist, and broadcaster. He has written several book reviews and feature stories for publications such as The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, and Vanity Fair. He also worked as an on-air correspondent with NBC News from 1986 to 1995 and presented the 12-part documentary series Great Houses of the World. In 2023, he began presenting the podcast The Rabbit Hole Detectives, and in May 2025, he joined the panel of ITV's Loose Men.
Charles has seven children from three marriages. He has been married to Victoria Lockwood, Caroline Freud, and Karen Gordon, and is currently partnered with archaeologist Dr Cat Jarman, with whom he co-hosts his podcast.
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George Spencer, son of the 2nd Earl Spencer, converted to Catholicism
The Spencer family is an aristocratic British family that has held numerous titles since the 16th century, including the dukedom of Marlborough, the earldoms of Sunderland and Spencer, and the barony of Churchill.
George Spencer (1799-1864), the youngest son of the 2nd Earl Spencer, initially followed the Anglican faith. However, he later converted to Catholicism and became a Roman Catholic priest known as Father Ignatius of St. Paul.
George Spencer's journey towards Catholicism began during his time in Brington, where he started questioning his Anglican faith and exploring different traditions within the church. He had a highly scriptural education, and struggled to reconcile the doctrines in the 39 Articles with his understanding of scripture. While on a holiday on the Isle of Wight, he began reading the works of early church fathers, which helped him understand the differences between Catholic and Protestant thought.
In 1827, George Spencer started interacting with several Catholic priests, who encouraged him to continue his theological explorations. He received three anonymous letters from a correspondent in Lille, France, who was aware of his religious doubts and encouraged him to consider Catholicism. A meeting with Ambrose Phillipps de Lisle, a recent English convert to Catholicism, further influenced his decision to convert.
On January 30, 1830, George Spencer was received into the Catholic Church. He travelled to Rome to study at the Venerable English College, where he met Nicholas Wiseman, who later became a Cardinal, and Dominic Barberi, a Passionist priest dedicated to converting England to Catholicism. George Spencer was ordained as a Catholic deacon in January 1832 and as a priest on May 28, 1832.
Upon his return to England, he served as a curate in Walsall and was in charge of a chapel in West Bromwich. He was an active preacher and lecturer on religion, and he established three schools in the area. His reputation as a preacher grew, and he was invited to preach at churches in Manchester and Derby. In 1838, he proposed a "Crusade of Prayer for the Conversion of England" to the Archbishop of Paris, which met with some opposition within the Catholic Church.
In 1846, George Spencer decided to enter the Passionist Congregation, and he received the Passionist habit on January 5, 1847. He dedicated the rest of his life to working for the conversion of England to the Catholic faith. He is now a candidate for beatification and was declared Venerable by Pope Francis in 2021.
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The Spencer family is an aristocratic British family
The current head of the Spencer family is Charles Spencer, the 9th Earl of Spencer, who is the younger brother of the late Princess Diana. The Spencer family has long been associated with Althorp, their ancestral home in Northamptonshire, which has been in the family since the 16th century. The family also has strong connections to the royal family, as Princess Diana was married to King Charles III's son, Prince William, and is the mother of Prince William and Prince Harry.
The Spencers have a long history of involvement in British politics and have produced several prominent politicians, including two British Prime Ministers. The first, John Spencer, the 3rd Earl of Sunderland, served as a Whig politician and was a close adviser to King George I. The second, Charles Spencer, the 3rd Duke of Marlborough, was a Tory politician who served as Lord President of the Council and Secretary of State for the Southern Department.
In addition to their political involvement, the Spencer family has also been known for their military service. Several members of the family have served in the British Armed Forces, including John Spencer, the 5th Earl of Sunderland, who was a general in the English Civil War, and George Spencer, the 4th Duke of Marlborough, who was a general in the British Army and served as Master-General of the Ordnance.
The Spencers have also made significant contributions to British culture and society. For example, the 2nd Earl of Spencer, John Spencer, founded the Spencer Collection, which is now part of the British Library and includes important manuscripts and books. The family has also had a significant impact on the development of British architecture, with several Spencer family members commissioning notable buildings, such as the Palladian-style Althorp House and the Blenheim Palace, the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchill.
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Frequently asked questions
Charles Edward Maurice Spencer is the 9th Earl Spencer. He is a British peer, author, journalist, and broadcaster.
Yes, Princess Diana was the sister of Charles Spencer, the 9th Earl Spencer.
Charles Spencer, the 9th Earl Spencer, is not Catholic. However, his ancestor, George Spencer (1799-1864), converted from Anglicanism to Catholicism and became a priest known as Father Ignatius of St Paul.
Yes, the 9th Earl Spencer is currently married to Karen Gordon, a Canadian philanthropist. He has previously been married to Victoria Lockwood and Caroline Freud.
