Charles Spencer opens up about ‘baggage’ he carried in marriages

Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer, has opened up about bringing “baggage” into the relationships that follow a divorce.

Appearing on Loose Women‘s special episode, Loose Men, on Thursday, the younger brother of Princess Diana spoke about the difficulties that come with marrying multiple times, both financially and emotionally.

He said: “Apparently there’s a 50 percent divorce rate for a first marriage, two thirds likelihood of divorce for a second, and three quarters for a third.”

Charles continued: “I think what that’s about is that, first of all, you’re bringing a lot of baggage into later marriages in the form of children, exes, all sorts of things. Maybe financial hardship, too, because you’re dealing with paying for other people’s allowances.”

The 60-year-old concluded: “I also think there comes a point where you think, I can survive this.”

The Earl Spencer, current head of the Spencer household, announced last year that he and his wife Karen Gordon would be separating.

In a statement that was shared with the Mail on Sunday, he said: “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 back in 2011 and share one daughter, Charlotte Diana, 12.

Charles Spencer’s relationships

Princess Diana’s younger brother first married in 1989, tying the knot with model Victoria Lockwood, to whom he proposed just six weeks after meeting. At the wedding, Diana’s youngest son Harry served as the pageboy.

Charles and Victoria, who had been dubbed as “the most beautiful woman in the world” by Ralph Lauren, welcomed four children: Lady Kitty, twins Lady Amelia and Lady Eliza, and son Viscount Louis Althorp.

© WireImage

Though the pair moved to South Africa, they eventually separated in 1997 and the Earl Spencer returned to the UK.

In 2001, he married Caroline Freud, and the pair welcomed two children: Edmund Spencer in 2003 and Lady Lara in 2006. Unfortunately, the couple separated just months after the birth of their daughter. 

© Getty Images

Four years later, Charles found love once more with Karen Gordon, née Villeneuve, whom he met on a blind date in Los Angeles, and, less than a year later, the pair tied the knot at Althorp in June 2011.

Close friends and family were invited to the wedding, with Lady Lara and Karen’s children Emma and Kate from her first marriage serving as bridesmaids.

© Max Mumby/Indigo

It is reported that 60 guests stayed overnight in the 31-bedroom mansion that sits on approximately 13,000 acres of grounds.

The pair welcomed one daughter, Charlotte Diana, whose middle name is a reference to her late aunt.

Eventually, they separated in June 2024 after 13 years of marriage.