Other British Royals and Relations

[boxofrocks]

Apr 17, 2024 0:36:10 GMT -4 seat6 said:

It’s really sad to think of all the lost potential those children represent. What would their lives had been like if they had been in a nurturing environment? How much more could they have accomplished? How much happier would they have been?

Charles Spencer is estranged from multiple children. Genetic pain, indeed.

[Mouse]

May 21, 2024 18:58:24 GMT -4 boxofrocks said:

Apr 17, 2024 0:36:10 GMT -4 seat6 said:

It’s really sad to think of all the lost potential those children represent. What would their lives had been like if they had been in a nurturing environment? How much more could they have accomplished? How much happier would they have been?

Charles Spencer is estranged from multiple children. Genetic pain, indeed.

Oh? What is the story there?

[seat6]

I'm not an expert, but he has seven children (five daughters, two sons) from three marriages, ranging in age from 33 to almost 12.The estrangement seems to be with his older children (or at least two of his daughters) with his first wife.

Charles and his first family lived in Cape Town, South Africa, to avoid media attention. After his first divorce, he returned to the UK, and his four children and first wife Victoria remained in South Africa.

I listen to a podcast he co-hosts (and honestly, he is DELIGHTFUL!), and he frequently mentions his children in loving terms. (But kind of generically, like "my older children" or "my younger son"). It's very interesting how he COULD BE impossibly snobby, yet somehow restrains himself. His co-hosts are always referred to by their honorifics--Dr. Cat Jarman and Rev. Richard Coles--but he is just plain Charles Spencer. The podcast is about various topics in history, and there are many times when one of the other hosts is discussing a topic, like Winston Churchill, and I think, "He could legitimately insert some insider knowledge here," and he doesn't. Sometimes he'll throw out something about meeting the Sultan of Brunei at his "sister's wedding" and I'll think, "How weird! I saw that on TV!"

He comes across as very genial, erudite, curious, and knowledgeable. I think these are traits that he has had to work to develop with extensive therapy. I can imagine that he is a very different father to his youngest child that he was to his older children.

I read his memoir about being abused from the ages of 8 to 11 at a boarding school, and he describes his own father very warmly. I think he is more than fair to his mother, who basically ran off to a sheep farm in Australia and a remote island in Scotland. He is not disparaging about his step-mother, but it's obvious she was a horrible person. He wrote positively about his step-father. He seems to have made peace with his family of origin.

Now that I have this parasocial fondness for him I hope he is able to reconcile with his children.

If you are interested in the podcast it is the Rabbit Hole Detectives. I started to listen to it because I had listened to Cat Jarman's earlier podcast Gone Medieval but I ended up enjoying all three hosts.

[lea1977]

Estrangement is a family trait , he and Diana were hot and cold with their relationship.

[tabby]

Nov 28, 2017 17:17:02 GMT -4 seat6 said:

He comes across as very genial, erudite, curious, and knowledgeable.

Scott Simon interviewed him on NPR when the boarding-school memoir came out, and I was kind of surprised at how personable he was.

[tiggertoo]

He’s always been well spoken (referring to his steer’s funeral,of course). I follow him on Twitter. He’s also written several history books. I’ll have to check out the podcast.

[boxofrocks]

Charles Spencer has a YouTube channel focused on the family estate, Althorp, called Spencer 1508. I'm not sure he's in all of them, but he is at least in some.

[Auroranorth]

Jun 4, 2024 14:51:44 GMT -4 seat6 said:

I read his memoir about being abused from the ages of 8 to 11 at a boarding school, and he describes his own father very warmly. I think he is more than fair to his mother, who basically ran off to a sheep farm in Australia and a remote island in Scotland. He is not disparaging about his step-mother, but it's obvious she was a horrible person. He wrote positively about his step-father. He seems to have made peace with his family of origin.

Now that I have this parasocial fondness for him I hope he is able to reconcile with his children.

Eh, this leaves out that when his mother filed for divorce she did try to get custody of her children, but her own mother didn't forgive her for leaving and causing a scandal. Lady Fermoy testified on her SIL's behalf in part because she was furious that her daughter left her marriage, and that helped him get custody. Frances didn't just run off, the marriage had been miserable for a long time. She was only 18 when she married 30-year-old Johnny Spencer, and he was known to be physically violent to her.

[seat6]

That's true. I think there's plenty of blame to go around. I had always had a vaguely negative view of Johnny as well, but in his memoir Charles presents only his good qualities (except for marrying Raine). I guess Charles needs to hang on to those good memories, and as the youngest I think he did not witness the acrimony between his parents.

I would hope the days of marrying off 18-year-old teenagers to the "right" man are gone (even though Diana had just turned 20 when she married Prince Charles).

[boxofrocks]

Speaking of Earl Spencer...

Charles Spencer reveals 'immensely sad' divorce from third wife