# John Spencer, 8th Earl Spencer
**Edward John Spencer, 8th Earl Spencer** (24 January 1924 – 29 March 1992) was a British peer and courtier, known to friends as Johnnie Althorp, who served as an equerry to King George VI and to Queen Elizabeth II and sat as a member of the [House of Lords](https://www.edgepedia.org/house-of-lords) from 1975 until his death. He is most widely remembered as the father of [Diana, Princess of Wales](https://www.edgepedia.org/diana-princess-of-wales).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 24 January 1924, London, son of Albert Spencer, 7th Earl Spencer, and Lady Cynthia Hamilton[1](https://royal.myorigins.org/p/John_Spencer/) |
| Court and military career | Commissioned in the Royal Scots Greys; aide to the governor of South Australia in 1947; equerry to George VI from 1950 and then to Queen Elizabeth II until 1954[2](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-03-30-mn-33-story.html) |
| Marriages | Married Frances Roche on 1 June 1954 at Westminster Abbey (divorced April 1969); married Raine McCorquodale, Countess of Dartmouth, on 14 July 1976[1](https://royal.myorigins.org/p/John_Spencer/) • [3](https://www.allabouthistory.co.uk/History/d5/Earl-Spencer) |
| Succession | Succeeded his father as 8th Earl Spencer in 1975, inheriting Althorp with a £2.25 million death-duties bill and about £80,000 a year in running costs[4](https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2021/06/a-brief-history-of-princess-dianas-fiery-family) |
| Parliamentary service | Member of the House of Lords from 9 June 1975 to 29 March 1992; listed as non-affiliated from 26 October 1977[5](https://members.parliament.uk/member/3040/career) |
| Death | 29 March 1992, Wellington Hospital, London, of a heart attack while being treated for heart problems, at age 68[6](https://www.upi.com/Archives/1992/03/30/Earl-John-Spencer-father-of-Lady-Diana-dies/4895701931600/) |
| Children | Lady Sarah McCorquodale, Lady Jane Fellowes, John Spencer (died at birth in 1960), Diana, Princess of Wales, and Charles Spencer, later 9th Earl Spencer[1](https://royal.myorigins.org/p/John_Spencer/) |
## Early life and royal service
Spencer was born in London in January 1924, the son of [Albert Spencer, 7th Earl Spencer](https://www.edgepedia.org/albert-spencer-7th-earl-spencer), and Lady Cynthia Hamilton[1](https://royal.myorigins.org/p/John_Spencer/). He was educated at Eton and at the Sandhurst military college, and was commissioned in the Royal Scots Greys regiment[2](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-03-30-mn-33-story.html).
His court career began abroad: in 1947 he served as aide to the governor of [South Australia](https://www.edgepedia.org/south-australia)[2](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-03-30-mn-33-story.html). From 1950 he was an equerry, a personal attendant, to King George VI, and then served Queen Elizabeth II in the same role until 1954[2](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-03-30-mn-33-story.html). A history of the royal household lists his appointment as equerry to [George VI](https://www.edgepedia.org/george-vi) in the period 1950 to 1952[7](https://www.thepeerage.com/index_royal.htm).
## Marriage and children
On 1 June 1954 Spencer married Frances Roche at [Westminster Abbey](https://www.edgepedia.org/westminster-abbey)[1](https://royal.myorigins.org/p/John_Spencer/). The couple had five children: Lady Sarah, Lady Jane, a son John who died shortly after birth in 1960, Diana, born 1961, and Charles[1](https://royal.myorigins.org/p/John_Spencer/) • [8](https://www.thedailybeast.com/rare-photo-shows-princess-dianas-mother-looked-just-like-her/). The marriage was dissolved in April 1969[1](https://royal.myorigins.org/p/John_Spencer/). After the divorce Spencer raised Diana and Charles[4](https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2021/06/a-brief-history-of-princess-dianas-fiery-family).
On 14 July 1976 he married [Raine McCorquodale](https://www.edgepedia.org/raine-spencer-countess-spencer), Countess of Dartmouth, a daughter of the romance novelist Dame Barbara Cartland[3](https://www.allabouthistory.co.uk/History/d5/Earl-Spencer) • [2](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-03-30-mn-33-story.html).
## The earldom and Althorp
Spencer succeeded his father on the 7th Earl's death in 1975, becoming the eighth holder of the earldom and inheriting the Althorp estate in [Northamptonshire](https://www.edgepedia.org/northamptonshire), the family seat bought by Sir John Spencer in 1508[2](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-03-30-mn-33-story.html) • [9](https://www.spencerhouse.co.uk/history/the-spencers). The inheritance carried a large debt and heavy inheritance taxes; one account puts the death-duties bill at £2.25 million, with annual running costs for Althorp of about £80,000[4](https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2021/06/a-brief-history-of-princess-dianas-fiery-family) • [10](https://www.deseret.com/1992/10/21/19011612/diana-s-father-leaves-most-of-fortune-in-trust/). Spencer considered selling replicas of Diana's wedding dress to raise money for the property but dropped the idea after sharp criticism[10](https://www.deseret.com/1992/10/21/19011612/diana-s-father-leaves-most-of-fortune-in-trust/).
As Earl of Spencer he held a seat in the House of Lords from 9 June 1975, and his parliamentary record lists his affiliation as non-affiliated from 26 October 1977 until the end of his membership[5](https://members.parliament.uk/member/3040/career).
He suffered a severe stroke in 1978, which left him unsteady when he walked Diana down the aisle at [St Paul's Cathedral](https://www.edgepedia.org/st-pauls-cathedral) at her wedding to Prince Charles on 29 July 1981[2](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-03-30-mn-33-story.html) • [11](https://www.royal.uk/the-king?ftag=MSF0951a18). One account describes him as frail and more distant from his children after the stroke[4](https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2021/06/a-brief-history-of-princess-dianas-fiery-family).
## Death and estate
Spencer died of a heart attack on 29 March 1992 at the Wellington Hospital in London, where he was being treated for heart problems; he was 68[6](https://www.upi.com/Archives/1992/03/30/Earl-John-Spencer-father-of-Lady-Diana-dies/4895701931600/) • [12](https://www.express-gazette.com/world/missing-millions-scandal-still-shadows-spencer-family-as-questions-about-raine-spencers-legacy-persist). His son Charles, then 27, succeeded him as 9th Earl Spencer and inherited the roughly 13,000-acre estate[13](https://www.marieclaire.com/celebrity/royals/althorp-house-tour-princess-diana-childhood-home/).
When his will was unsealed in October 1992, it showed that the bulk of his fortune, reported at $143.5 million in total, was left in a trust fund for his children and grandchildren; most of the fortune took the form of Althorp itself and its furnishings. Diana's two children, Prince William and Prince Harry, each received $1,600[10](https://www.deseret.com/1992/10/21/19011612/diana-s-father-leaves-most-of-fortune-in-trust/). Later reporting values the estate at about £88 million in 1992, with most of that wealth in Althorp, its furnishings and other family assets rather than in cash[14](https://www.dontdiewondering.com/earl-spencer-net-worth-2026-althorp-sourced-figures/).
## References
1. [John Spencer 8th Earl Spencer, genealogical profile](https://royal.myorigins.org/p/John_Spencer/)
2. [Edward John Spencer; Earl Was Princess Diana's Father, Los Angeles Times, 30 March 1992](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-03-30-mn-33-story.html)
3. [Earl Spencer, family history timeline](https://www.allabouthistory.co.uk/History/d5/Earl-Spencer)
4. [A Brief History of Princess Diana's Fiery Family, Vanity Fair](https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2021/06/a-brief-history-of-princess-dianas-fiery-family)
5. [Parliamentary career for Earl of Spencer, UK Parliament](https://members.parliament.uk/member/3040/career)
6. [Earl John Spencer, father of Lady Diana, dies, UPI Archives, 30 March 1992](https://www.upi.com/Archives/1992/03/30/Earl-John-Spencer-father-of-Lady-Diana-dies/4895701931600/)
7. [thePeerage.com, Index to the Royal Household](https://www.thepeerage.com/index_royal.htm)
8. [Princess Diana's Mother Looks Just Like Her in Never-Before-Seen Photo, The Daily Beast](https://www.thedailybeast.com/rare-photo-shows-princess-dianas-mother-looked-just-like-her/)
9. [The Spencers, Spencer House history](https://www.spencerhouse.co.uk/history/the-spencers)
10. [Diana's Father Leaves Most of Fortune in Trust, Deseret News, 21 October 1992](https://www.deseret.com/1992/10/21/19011612/diana-s-father-leaves-most-of-fortune-in-trust/)
11. [The King, The Royal Family](https://www.royal.uk/the-king?ftag=MSF0951a18)
12. [Missing millions scandal still shadows Spencer family, The Express Gazette](https://www.express-gazette.com/world/missing-millions-scandal-still-shadows-spencer-family-as-questions-about-raine-spencers-legacy-persist)
13. [Take a Look Inside Princess Diana's Stunning Childhood Home, Althorp House, Marie Claire](https://www.marieclaire.com/celebrity/royals/althorp-house-tour-princess-diana-childhood-home/)
14. [8 Sourced Answers to the Earl Spencer Net Worth Question](https://www.dontdiewondering.com/earl-spencer-net-worth-2026-althorp-sourced-figures/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › History and archaeology › Historical methods and broad narratives › Modern and contemporary history by region › Titles 1 to La*
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