Speculation Blows Up After Princess Diana's Brother Appears To Be No-Show At Daughter Amelia's Wedding
Princess Diana became a beloved staple of the United Kingdom's royal family after she tied the knot with King Charles III. Though Diana was married to the ruling line, she was no stranger to royal life before she began her romance with the future king. Find My Past traced the People's Princess's lineage and found that not only did Diana have royal blood under the Spencer name but she was also distantly related to Winston Churchill, one of Britain's most famous rulers.
Following her heartbreaking passing, Diana's remaining family members have found themselves in and out of the media spotlight. Over the years, her brother Charles Spencer has made headlines as he has attempted to keep her memory alive. Now, Charles finds himself at the center of another controversy as his daughter, Lady Amelia Spencer, has tied the knot with her father nowhere to be found at the ceremony.
While Charles was absent, other members of the family were notably in attendance, leaving many wondering if there is a rift between the pair.
This is the second wedding Charles has missed
Charles Spencer's daughter, Lady Amelia Spencer, got engaged in 2020 to her longtime partner, Greg Mallett. She dished to Hello! magazine that their 2023 nuptials took place in South Africa. "It means so much to get married here," Amelia gushed. "Growing up here together for the last 14 years, all of mine and Greg's happiest times as a couple are here. It's even more special now."
While the occasion was a happy one for the bride and groom, Charles was notably missing from the festivities. Royal expert Richard Eden pointed out on Twitter that it appeared the wedding was funded by Hello!, not Charles. Neither Charles nor Amelia has made any public comments regarding his absence at the time of writing.
Charles has a grand total of seven children, and it seems his relationships with some of them are strained. His eldest daughter, Lady Kitty Spencer, also tied the knot without Charles in 2021, having been walked down the aisle by her brother instead.
Charles himself remarried in 2011
In 1989, Charles Spencer tied the knot with his first wife, the British model Victoria Aitken. Atiken, then known by her maiden name, Lockwood, was beloved by designer Ralph Lauren and posed for big-name brands including Dior and Levi's throughout her impressive career, per Hello! magazine. Between 1990 and 1994, the couple welcomed four children — twins Amelia and Eliza were born in 1992. By 1997, the same year that Princess Diana passed away in Paris, Charles and Victoria had called it quits.
Since their divorce, Diana's brother has remarried twice, first in 2001 to Caroline Freud, with whom he shares two children, and next in 2011 to his current wife, Karen Spencer. Charles' seventh and youngest child was born in 2012. With regards to his eldest kids, a source told the Daily Mail: "[They] are all close to their mother Victoria and get on well with their step-siblings, and their Spencer aunts and have forged their own relationships with one another without needing Charles to bind them together."
Although Victoria was confirmed to have attended her eldest daughter Lady Kitty Spencer's wedding, in 2021, she was not pictured at Amelia's. Charles and Kitty have reportedly not had much contact since he remarried, although according to the Daily Mail's anonymous source at the time, Charles had been injured at the time of Kitty's wedding.
Charles Spencer shared an Instagram post after his daughter's wedding
The 9th Earl Spencer maintains an active presence on social media, giving his followers regular lessons in British history and sharing pictures from the grounds at Althorp House, a property that's been owned by the Spencers for the past five centuries. The day following his daughter's wedding, Charles shared an unrelated post on Instagram, captioning a photograph of spring flowers: "Daffodil season, at @althorphouse — harnessing some of Spring's beauty for the benefit of the House."
Given his location in West Northamptonshire, England, it's clear Charles did not attend his daughter's wedding in South Africa (unless he caught a red-eye, that is). Indeed, royal expert Richard Eden claimed that Amelia's friends had revealed to him that her father Charles wasn't invited to the wedding at all.
Whether the earl's absence speaks to strained familial ties or another reason is unknown. However, in the meantime, you can always read about the generations of royal drama that came before the current line of Windsors and Spencers from the man himself. Charles has written several best-selling works of historical nonfiction, according to his official website.