Earl Spencer Shares Why He Felt "Sad" When Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet Stayed at Althorp This Summer
Princess Diana's brother opened up about Harry and Meghan's visit to his family's ancestral home.
Now that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are living in England again, they have more opportunities to spend time with family and friends, including Princess Diana’s brother, Charles Spencer. The 9th Earl Spencer recently appeared on the Lorraine show in the U.K. to promote his book Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, and he spoke about his nephew’s recent visit with him for the first time.
"Harry came to stay in the summer with his family, and that was lovely,” Earl Spencer said. The Duchess of Sussex shared some glimpses of their trip on Instagram, including a snapshot of kids Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, walking through the grounds of the earl’s estate, Althorp.
However, Spencer admitted that he did feel a sense of “sadness” during their visit because of one family member who wasn’t there.
Prince Archie, Prince Harry and Princess Lilibet are pictured on the grounds of the Althorp estate this summer.
Althorp has been home to the Spencer family for hundreds of years.
"Although when I look, you know, it’s so sad,” he shared. “I saw the two little kids running around, and the sadness of not having…Can you imagine what a great grandmother Diana would’ve been?”
He added that his older sister would have been “spoiling them rotten."
Princess Diana is buried on an island at Althorp, and in one of the photos Meghan shared, Prince Harry and Archie are carrying bouquets of flowers, with many speculating that they were bringing them to her gravesite.
In his book, the earl wrote about how he admired watching Diana in action with Prince William and Prince Harry. “She set thoughtfulness and good manners as the goal, with sensitivity to others also at a premium, he wrote, adding, “I have never, in my life, come across a better mother.”
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Kristin Contino is Marie Claire's Senior Royal and Celebrity editor. She's been covering royalty since 2018—including major moments such as the Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II’s death and King Charles III's coronation—and places a particular focus on the British Royal Family's style and what it means.
Prior to working at Marie Claire, she wrote about celebrity and royal fashion at Page Six Style and covered royalty from around the world as chief reporter at Royal Central. Kristin has provided expert commentary for outlets including the BBC, Sky News, US Weekly, the Today Show and many others.
Kristin is also the published author of two novels, “The Legacy of Us” and “A House Full of Windsor.” She's passionate about travel, history, horses, and learning everything she can about her favorite city in the world, London.