Charles Spencer makes a brief appearance in the royal historical drama The Crown, but his real-life role in the aftermath of Princess Diana’s death is much more significant than the show suggests. Charles Spencer, sometimes referred to as Earl Spencer or Viscount Althorp, was born in 1964, and was the eldest son of the Spencer family, after their first son, John (born c.1960), died at birth. His sister, Diana, later the Princess of Wales, was born three years prior.

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Charles and Diana Spencer were raised on the Althorp estate, a 13,000 square feet stately home in West Northamptonshire. The Spencer family are one of the best-known aristocratic families in Britain, boasting powerful members such as Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and would later acquire a royal title through Diana’s marriage to Prince Charles, making her the Princess of Wales.

The royal ties of the Spencer family have lasted for generations, with the two families enjoying a close friendship. Queen Elizabeth II was even christened as Charles Spencer’s godmother, making for some posh matchmaking that resulted in Prince Charles and then-Lady Diana’s meeting in 1977, when Charles dated then-16-year-old Diana’s sister, Sarah Spencer.

As an adult, Charles Spencer worked as a journalist, enjoying success as a reporter for NBC news in the U.S. in the 1980s, before working for Granada Television in the U.K. in the early 1990s. Spencer has also written various book reviews for several British newspapers. When his father, John Spencer, died in 1992, Charles was automatically granted the title of 9th Earl Spencer.

Spencer has always described his relationship with his older sister as a close one, as they were much closer in age compared with their other siblings. He would later state that their shared childhood traumas over their parents’ divorce and their mother’s sudden departure bonded them for life.

Charles Spencer’s role after Diana’s death

After Diana was killed in an automobile accident in Paris in 1997, Charles Spencer walked alongside Diana’s two sons, Princes Harry and William, along with Prince Charles, as part of the funeral procession before the service at Westminster Abbey, watched by two billion people across the world. Spencer also gave a highly controversial eulogy during the service, which is said to have permanently altered the relationship between the royals and the Spencers.

Spencer referred to his late sister as a “genuine goodness is threatening to those at the opposite end of the moral spectrum,” in his eulogy, thought by many viewers to take aim at the royal family’s treatment of her, as well as that of the media.

“It is a point to remember that of all the ironies about Diana, perhaps the greatest was this — a girl given the name of the ancient goddess of hunting was, in the end, the most hunted person of the modern age.”

Spencer’s speech did not make it into The Crown, despite its significance at the time. Executive Producer Suzanne Mackie stated they did not want to recreate much of the funeral service, describing doing so as “intrusive.”

“To be honest, it sort of feels like there’s too much story. You have to choose what themes you’re exploring,” Mackie explained to Variety about the decision to make the cut, butt added that “I was always fascinated by that speech. It’s a beautiful speech, and it was very rousing and it was very, very moving. I remember watching it and being very moved by it, and its impact was very visceral.”

Charles Spencer was featured more heavily in the season five episode “No Woman’s Land,” chronicling journalist Martin Bashir’s deceitful methods of securing a BBC Panorama interview with Diana. In the episode, Bashir showed Spencer forged checks that alleged Diana’s staff were being paid to spy on her, which subsequently gave him access to Diana.

Spencer, along with Princes William and Harry, have condemned the interview, highlighting that the controversial TV episode resulted in Diana’s royal security privileges being revoked. The three men all hold the belief that this lack of security provisions resulted in Diana’s death in 1997, in which her drunken driver crashed in a tunnel during a high-speed chase with photographers.

In 2022, after an investigation into Martin Bashir found that he used “deceitful methods” to secure the interview with Diana, Spencer said he felt “groomed” by Bashir. The Earl said he was “shown forged bank statements; I was told of underhand payments, of spying, and of appalling deception. But, all along I was the one being deceived in order for Mr Bashir to get to my late sister.”

Charles Spencer still resides at Althorp estate, where his late sister was laid to rest on a private island at their childhood home. Spencer has seven children, the youngest of which, Lady Charlotte Diana Spencer, was named in honor of her.