Royalty Posts

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Family Heirloom, The Spencer tiara: Part IV

The Spencer headpiece, was made by Garrads, it has an elaborate design of stylised flowers decorated with diamonds in silver settings. Said to date back to the 18th century, it was given to Diana's grandmother, Cynthia, Viscountess Althorp, by a distant relative called Lady Sarah Spencer as a wedding gift in 1919.

It wasn't until the 1930s that the family enlisted the help of fine jeweler Garrard to remount the tiara with new elements, making it the iconic tiara it's become today. It features large gold scrolling foliage adorned with tulips, stars and a central heart, each decorated with diamonds and set in silver. Its curved shape and whimsical design make it different to the more formal style of royal headpieces.

Lady Sarah McCorquodale, 1980

Diana's eldest sister, Lady Sarah, wore the Spencer tiara on her wedding day to Neil McCorquodale in 1980 in Northamptonshire.

Lady Jane Fellowes, 1978

Diana's second oldest sister, Lady Jane, also sported the tiara on her wedding day to Robert Fellowes, Baron Fellowes in 1978, who was then the assistant private secretary to the Queen.

Lady Diana Spencer, 1981

Lady Diana Spencer for her 1981 wedding to Prince Charles, she chose a Spencer family heirloom, the Spencer tiara, over a precious royal family diadem and gift from her mother-in-law (the Queen), the Queen Mary's Cambridge Lover's Knot tiara.

Victoria Aitken, 1989

Charles Spencer's first wife, Victoria Lockwood, wore the Spencer tiara for their nuptials in 1989.

Lady Celia McCorquodale, 2018

Princess Diana's niece was the last family member to have worn the Spencer tiara for her wedding to George Woodhouse in June 2018.

Fun facts -

While all three of the Spencer sisters donned the jewels for their nuptials, their mother, Frances Shand Kydd, did not wear it when she married into the Spencer family in 1954.

Surprisingly, Charles Spencer's second wife, Caroline and third wife Karen did not wear the Spencer tiara at their wedding.

Meghan Markle was offered the Spencer tiara, but chose the Queen Mary's tiara for her big day.

Lady Kitty chose not to wear the Spencer tiara for her wedding when she was in fact fully entitled and expected to wear this tiara as the next Spencer woman to marry after her mother and aunts all got wed in the 20th century.

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Savannah Phillips 💕

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House of Spencer, the Royal connect:

Part III

Princess Diana’s family, the house of Spencer, is a long-lasting British dynasty, reaching back to the 16th century. The Windsors, on the other hand, are of German descent, having adopted their current name only in 1917.

The marriage of Lady Diana Spencer to Prince Charles had a significant impact on the Spencer family. It brought them into the spotlight, increased their social status, and brought both positive and negative attention to their family dynamics.

Diana, Princess of Wales, succeeded where another Lady Diana Spencer failed. Her namesake, the second daughter of Charles Spencer, the third Earl of Sunderland, is remembered for a failed arranged marriage to Frederick, Prince of Wales in the 1730s.

This Lady Diana Spencer was born in 1710 to Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl of Sutherland and Lady Anne Churchill, ancestors of Diana, Princess of Wales. Orphaned by the age of 6, Lady Diana, known by her family as "dear little Di", joined the household of her rich and ambitious maternal grandmother, Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough. She was her grandmother's favourite grandchild and closest confidante.

Lady Diana spent a lot of time in her grandmother's household who like most grandmothers had great plans for her granddaughter. The highly influential Duchess of Marlborough tried to arrange a secret marriage between Lady Diana and Prince Frederick, King George II's eldest son and heir apparent to the throne. However, the marriage plans were not met favourably by either King George II or Prime Minister Robert Walpole.

Lady Diana married John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford and the Prince of Wales married Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg.

Diana, Princess of Wales, succeeded where another Lady Diana Spencer failed, but she wasn’t the only Spencer that might have been Princess of Wales – Diana’s older sister Lady Sarah McCorquodale dated Prince Charles first (a fact that is today well known thanks to the fourth season of The Crown).

Even before Diana married into the royal family, she knew them intimately. Diana’s family had multiple connections to the Crown. Her brother, Charles, is Queen Elizabeth II’s godson. Her father, the eighth Earl Spencer, was Queen Mary’s godson. And her grandmother, Lady Fermoy, was a lady-in-waiting to the Queen Mother

Queen Elizabeth attended their wedding in 1954.

The marriage of Princess Diana to Prince Charles had a significant impact on the Spencer family and the British monarchy.

One of the Spencer sisters, Lady Sarah McCorquodale, has played a significant role in the British royal family. As a member of the famous Spencer family tree, she is the elder sister of the late Princess Diana.

Lady Sarah’s connection to the royal family can be traced back to her marriage to Neil McCorquodale, who is the son of a baron. Her involvement with the royal family has also been through her children, as her daughter Emily McCorquodale married Viscount Althorp, making Lady Sarah the mother-in-law of the current Earl Spencer. Lady Sarah’s remarkable influence and connection to the royal family have made her an important figure in the Spencer family lineage and the British monarchy as a whole.

Marriage to Robert Fellowes: Lady Jane Fellowes married Robert Fellowes, the Queen’s Private Secretary, in 1978. Their marriage further connected the Fellowes family to the Spencer family.

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Meet the Spencers:

Part II

The Spencers had five children, including Diana. Their third child (and long-awaited son), John, died as an infant, devastating Diana's mother. Diana grew up with her two sisters, Lady Sarah and Lady Jane, and her brother Charles.

Diana's father, John Spencer, was the 8th Earl Spencer. Her mother, Frances Ruth Roche, was the daughter of Maurice Roche, 4th Baron Fermoy and Ruth Roche, Baroness Fermoy. John’s daughter, Lady Diana Spencer, went on to marry Prince Charles, becoming the beloved Princess Diana and capturing the world’s attention.

Lady Sarah & Lady Jane

Born Elizabeth Sarah Lavinia Spencer, Sarah is John Spencer and Frances Shand Kydd’s eldest child and Diana's eldest sister.

She dated Prince Charles before her sister Diana, but later went on to marry Neil Edmund McCorquodale.

Lady Jane Fellowes, born Cynthia Jane Spencer on 11 February 1957. As well as being Diana's older sister, she is also godmother to Princess Charlotte.

Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer

A godson of the late Queen, Princess Diana’s younger brother, Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer, is head of the Spencer family and custodian of the family seat. Born on January 29, 1965, Charles Edward Maurice Spencer, known as Viscount Althorp, is the younger brother of the late Princess Diana.

Viscount Althorp holds various noble titles, including Earl Spencer, Viscount Althorp, and Baron Spencer of Althorp. These titles have been passed down through generations, representing the family’s standing in British society.

Lady Kitty Spencer

Diana’s niece Lady Kitty Spencer is a socialite and model. She is the daughter of Diana’s brother Charles, 9th Earl Spencer, and former model Victoria Lockwood.

Model Kitty grew up in South Africa, where her mother had moved following her divorce from Earl Spencer in 1997.

Louis Spencer, Viscount Althorp

Charles' eldest son is Louis, Viscount Althorp, who was born in March 1994.

As it stands, Louis is the heir apparent to the earldom and so will one day inherit his father's title and the Althorp estate in Northamptonshire.

Twins Lady Eliza & Lady Amelia Spencer

The twin nieces of Princess Diana are hailed by society as among the hottest and most elegant socialite siblings from across the world who are used to moving in the same circles as supermodels, aristocrats and royals.

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In March 2020, Meghan said that she was watching the 1989 version of The Little Mermaid at Kensington Palace home:

"Oh, my god! She falls in love with the prince and because of that, she has to lose her voice.' But by the end, she gets her voice back."

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House of Spencer

The Spencers are a British aristocratic family with more than 500 years of nobility. The Spencer house was commissioned in 1756 by John Spencer (who later became the first Earl Spencer), as he required a large townhouse in London to augment his position and status. Spencer House is one of the last of the many aristocratic townhouses which once adorned central London.

Diana is often remembered for everything that happened after her meeting with Prince Charles: The whirlwind courtship, the show-stopping wedding, the dramatic divorce, and her death. Diana, before becoming the Princess of Wales comes from a long line of aristocracy. Back in 1765, Diana’s ancestor John Spencer was made the first Earl Spencer.

John Spencer, an esteemed figure in the family tree, was a prominent statesman and member of the British Parliament. His dedication to public service and political acumen set a precedent for future generations of the Spencer family.

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The oil painting, which is a head study, by the late American artist Nelson Shanks was done in 1994, three years before her death.

Diana is shown in a green halter dress by designer Catherine Walker. Diana sat for more than 35 hours for a commissioned full-length portrait, which originally hung in Kensington Palace and now resides in her ancestral home in Althorp in Northamptonshire.

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