Did Earl Spencer's Ex-Wife Karen Lose Her Royal Title After He Wed Cat Jarman?

We're used to celebrity divorces being notoriously messy, but when you're dealing with British nobility, there's more than just money and assets to quibble over when two people decide to permanently part ways. Enter the titles bestowed on a spouse when marrying into an aristocratic family. As it turns out, those can be argued over as well. Princess Diana, for example, lost her HRH title when she divorced then-Prince Charles. However, Diana's brother, Charles Spencer, let his ex-wife, Karen Spencer, retain her countess title after their divorce, though his new wife, Cat Jarman, got the same one, just the better version. 

After Charles and Karen's divorce was finalized in December 2025, the 9th Earl Spencer remarried rather quickly. Charles and Jarman tied the knot in May 2026, and she officially became known as the Countess Spencer as a result. Notably, this used to be Karen's title, but now, she's simply referred to as Karen, Countess Spencer. The only difference is a lack of the definite article "the." Hello! magazine reported, per Tatler, that Karen got to keep her title, in part, because of all the work she had put into improving Althorp Estate. 

Indeed, she did put massive effort into restoring the Spencers' home to its former glory, even documenting the whole process on video. In 2022, Karen took to Instagram to announce that she was making some renovations to the house, acknowledging that she initially had no plans to get involved with the work but that Althorp captivated her. "Every day holds a new adventure," the countess shared, clearly excited about the prospect of getting to discover all of the ancient secrets the property held. Considering Jarman and Charles continue to enjoy the fruits of her labor, it's only fair Karen got to keep her title.

There were plenty of signs that Karen and Charles Spencer's marriage was never going to last. And, sure enough, in High Court documents, she claimed that her husband had been unfaithful to her and carried on a relationship with Cat Jarman behind her back as early as 2021. Apparently, Karen made this discovery after swapping notes with Cat's now ex-husband, Tom Jarman, alleging that "the affair became clear" during their conversation, per People. Court documents noted that Karen was "shocked and devastated," and that the "news was hideous for Lady Spencer." She confronted Cat, who notably didn't deny that she'd been having a clandestine relationship with Charles, but rejected the charge that she was the reason Karen's marriage was on the rocks. Confusing.

Legal drama between Charles' girlfriend and his ex-wife also ensued after Cat accused Karen of telling anyone who would listen about her multiple sclerosis diagnosis (including the earl himself, who wasn't aware of it at the time). Long story short, they settled the matter outside of court, and the earl had to dig deep into his pockets to pay both women's legal bills. While Charles has endured his fair share of complicated relationships, which seems to have included his marriage to Karen, the 9th Earl Spencer confessed that his split from the Canadian philanthropist was a painful one. "It is immensely sad," he told the Daily Mail in June 2024. "I just want to devote myself to all my children, and to my grandchildren, and I wish Karen every happiness in the future."