Lady Sarah McCorquodale | |
|---|---|
| Born | Elizabeth Sarah Lavinia Spencer (1955-03-19)19 March 1955 (age 70) |
| Education | Riddlesworth Hall West Heath |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Parent(s) | John Spencer, 8th Earl Spencer Frances Shand Kydd |
| Relatives | Lady Jane Fellowes (sister) Diana, Princess of Wales (sister) Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer (brother) |
| Family | Spencer |
Lady Elizabeth Sarah Lavinia McCorquodale (néeSpencer; born 19 March 1955) is one of the two older sisters ofDiana, Princess of Wales, the other beingLady Jane Fellowes. For a short period of time, she datedPrince Charles before introducing him to her sister Diana.
Elizabeth Sarah Lavinia Spencer[1] was born with the honorific "The Honourable" atPark House, Sandringham; she acquired thecourtesy title "Lady" in 1975, whenher grandfather died and her father became the 8th Earl Spencer. She suffered from the eating disorderanorexia nervosa in her early twenties.[2] She was educated first atRiddlesworth Hall School inNorfolk and, secondly, atWest Heath boarding school nearSevenoaks inKent. After finishing school, she went to work in London.
Sarah married Neil EdmundMcCorquodale (born 4 October 1951), son ofAlastair McCorquodale and Rosemary Sybil Turnor, on 17 May 1980 inNorthamptonshire,England. Neil is a second cousin once removed of Lady Sarah's stepmother,Raine Spencer. Neil is also half fourth cousin to Lady Sarah through the Pagets and theCurzons.
Neil and Lady Sarah have three children:
Lady Sarah is the aunt ofWilliam, Prince of Wales, andPrince Harry, Duke of Sussex.
She and her family reside nearGrantham,Lincolnshire, where she served a one-year term asHigh Sheriff of Lincolnshire in 2009.[6][7] She became a master of theBelvoir Hunt in May 2010.[7] Lady Sarah was also president of theDiana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund, which raised over £112 million for various charities, before closing in 2012.[8][9] The Fund unsuccessfully took legal action in 1998 againstthe Franklin Mint over the unlicensed use of Diana's image.[citation needed]
In 1977, Lady Sarah's relationship withPrince Charles led to the first meeting between Diana and her future husband.[10] Lady Sarah later commented on her sister's marriage, saying: "I introduced them. I'mCupid."[11] During the period in which Lady Sarah dated the Prince, she allegedly met two reporters,James Whittaker and Nigel Nelson, at a restaurant, and gave them an exclusive report on her royal connection.[12]
Lady Sarah is said to have admitted to having been diagnosed with anorexia, having "thousands of boyfriends," a past problem involving alcohol, and having started keeping a scrapbook of all the press clippings about her royal romance that she intended to show future grandchildren. "Her head seemed to be turned by the publicity," the two reporters later said. Lady Sarah also declared that she would not marry Charles "if he were the dustman or the King of England."[12] When the article was released, Lady Sarah showed it to the prince, who was infuriated by it.[12] The relationship dissolved soon after that. Some have stated the relationship between her and Diana was strained, because of her long resentment of the Prince marrying Diana and not her, though others (including Diana's biographerAndrew Morton) have said Lady Sarah was one of the few people Diana trusted. Later in their lives, Lady Sarah often accompanied Diana on official visits as one of herladies-in-waiting.[citation needed]
After thedeath of Diana on 31 August 1997, Lady Sarah flew to Paris with her younger sister,Jane, and Prince Charles to accompany Diana's body back to England. She contributed to the readings atDiana's funeral. Lady Sarah was also co-executor of Diana's will and president of theDiana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund. Lady Sarah attended thewedding of her nephew Prince William to Catherine Middleton on 29 April 2011. It is said that William andCatherine are close to Lady Sarah, with whom they spent a weekend on the 16th anniversary of Diana's death.[13] Lady Sarah also attended thewedding of her other nephew, Prince Harry, to Meghan Markle on 19 May 2018.
In 2018, Lady Sarah spoke publicly in support of George Grant, an employee of the Belvoir Hunt whom she had known for 27 years, after he assaulted twohunt monitors. Grant, along with his son and other men, assaulted the hunt monitors who were affiliated with theLeague Against Cruel Sports. Lady Sarah, who served as joint master of the Belvoir Hunt, claimed that Grant's actions were out of character.[14][15]
In September 2025, McCorquodale was hospitalised after a fall while horse riding.[16]
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