Charles Spencer Hires Divorce Lawyer Who Aided King Charles' Separation From Sister Princess Diana
By Favour Adegoke on June 10, 2024 at 1:45 PM EDT
Charles Spencer and his wife, Karen Spencer, have officially confirmed their divorce, and the Earl has reportedly hired the same lawyer who represented King Charles III when he and Princess Diana divorced in 1996.
Spencer announced his divorce over the weekend, saying he wants to devote himself to his kids and grandkids. Their relationship reportedly ended amid the writing of Spencer's new memoir, in which he detailed traumatic school experiences and extensive therapy.
Charles Spencer revealed his estranged wife, Karen Spencer, was extremely "supportive" during the writing process of his memoir.
Charles Spencer Has Hired The King's Divorce Lawyer
Charles Spencer and his wife, Karen, are ending their marriage. According to a recent report from The Times, the Earl has now hired Fiona Shackleton as his legal representation in the divorce case.
Shackleton is the same lawyer who represented King Charles against the Earl's older sister, Princess Diana when the couple divorced in 1996.
At the time, the then-prince Charles and Diana were undergoing a rough and public separation after 11 years of marriage and multiple cheating allegations.
A report by the Daily Mail confirmed that the 9th Earl Spencer's relationship with Karen, the Countess of Spencer, ended amid the writing of his new memoir "A Very Private School."
In April, the duo announced their decision to end their marriage to the staff at Althorp House, their residence and the Spencer family's ancestral home.
The Divorce Lawyer Has Represented Multiple Royals And Celebrities
According to People magazine, Shackleton has made a name for herself in the legal world for being a star divorce lawyer. She also represented Prince Andrew when he and ex-wife Sarah Ferguson divorced in 1996 and musician Paul McCartney when he and ex-Heather Mills divorced in 2008.
Another famous royal Shackleton has represented is Princess Haya bint al-Hussein of Jordan when she divorced Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum of Dubai. She also handled the divorce case for music royalty Madonna when she split from Guy Ritchie in 2008.
In 2010, Shackleton was made a life peer by Queen Elizabeth and awarded the title of Baroness Shackleton of Belgravia. The lawyer is currently a member of the House of Lords in Parliament and a close associate of the Royal Family.
Charles Spencer Is 'Immensely Sad' About His Divorce
The news that Charles had hired Shackleton came the day after he confirmed to the Daily Mail that he and Karen were getting a divorce.
His statement read, "It is immensely sad. I just want to devote myself to all my children and to my grandchildren, and I wish Karen every happiness in the future."
Charles and Karen married in June 2011 and will soon celebrate their 13th wedding anniversary. The couple has one daughter, 12-year-old Charlotte Diana, whom they gave "Diana" as a middle name to honor her late aunt.
The Earl And Countess Were Previously Married With Kids
Both Charles and Karen were previously married and had children with their former partners.
The Earl has four kids with their first wife, Victoria Lockwood, and two kids with their second wife, Caroline Freud.
On the other hand, Karen has two daughters from her previous marriage to Hollywood producer Mark Gordon.
According to the Daily Mail, Charles is "becoming close to" Dr. Cat Jarman, a Norwegian archaeologist.
The duo co-hosts a history podcast, "The Rabbit Hole Detectives," alongside Rev. Richard Coles.
Karen Spencer Supported Charles Spencer As He Wrote His Memoir
In the new memoir, Charles wrote extensively about his life, sharing traumatic childhood experiences from boarding school and his therapy journey as an adult.
During a subsequent interview with People Magazine, the Earl spoke about how supportive Karen was during the writing process for the memoir.
He said, "Karen has been supportive. I think it was very challenging for her to have a husband going through what was essentially four and a half years of the most profound therapy with very difficult undertones to it. And she supported the idea of me doing it."
Charles further said that Karen hoped he would come out of the process "happier and healthier."
"And that seems to be the case very much. So I'm grateful to have her standing by me while I went through this, what I now realize was an essential process," the Earl noted at the time.
