Diana’s older sister, Lady Sarah Spencer, could have been princess and then queen instead of sister, but she chose a love marriage.
Everyone knows that Prince Charles married Diana Spencer, a descendant of the old and respected Earl Spencers. Sir Winston Churchill was of the same family, but of a different branch. But initially, another Spencer daughter, Diana’s older sister, Lady Sarah, was prophesied as the wife of the heir to the English throne. But she chose marriage for love. The Daily Mail writes about it.
This love story in the sensational TV series “The Crown” is mentioned in passing, and Diana’s sisters are not very well-known figures. But for a long time there were rumors that Lady Sarah was angry with Diana for allegedly beating her fiancee. But Andrew Morton, who wrote Diana’s biographer, assured that this was not true. The sisters were close, and Sarah often accompanied Diana on trips abroad.
But if Diana’s wedding day had played her cards differently, it could well have been Lady Sarah’s royal wedding. For a time, it was at the center of rumors about Charles’ engagement plans in the late 1970s.
Diana’s father, Edward John “Johnny”, married 8th Earl Spencer and Viscount Althorp, Frances Ruth Roche, the youngest daughter of 4th Baron Fermoy. The wedding took place in Westminster Abbey. The couple had five children: Sarah, Jane, John, Diana, and Charles, the current Earl Spencer.
Their son John died ten hours after birth, and the marriage was said to be unhappy. Frances later divorced her husband. And the children did not like the stepmother. Princess Diana later repented of this.
Prince Charles first met Lady Sarah. And they were pretty close. They went hunting together in 1977, and Sarah even collected newspaper clippings mentioning herself and the prince to “show her grandchildren” later on. In 1978, he and Charles went to the Klosters ski resort in Switzerland. And after 22-year-old Lady Sarah told reporters the engagement was out of the question even though it was a great vacation.
“I have no chance of marrying him. I’m not in love with him. And I won’t marry anyone I don’t love, whether he’s a scavenger or the king of England. If he asks me, I’ll refuse.” I’ll just marry for love,” by then Charles was already familiar with Diana. And Sarah later joked that she was “cupid” by getting them together before their wedding.
When Charles and Diana’s marriage fell apart, Lady Sarah would often accompany her sister on official visits as one of her bridesmaids. After Diana’s death, Lady Sarah became president of the Princess of Wales Memorial Fund Diana before it closed in 2012.
She and her sister Jane Fellowes supported Prince Harry and William after their mother’s death. He also accompanied his sister’s body from Paris to England.
Lady Sarah Spencer married Neil McCorquodale, the son of a famous Scottish athlete, for love, as promised. The enchanting ceremony was held at St Mary’s Church near the Spencer family estate in Great Brington on May 17, 1980. And Lady Sarah wore the famous Spencer tiara that Diana would later wear at her wedding.
The couple is married to date and they have three children: Emily, Celia and George. Sarah and Neil live in Lincolnshire.
Lady Sarah attended the wedding of her niece Prince William and Kate Middleton. And also at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
Princess Diana’s aunt, Mary Roche, had previously died. Journalists thought Prince William and Harry would meet at a close relative’s funeral, but that didn’t happen.
Source: Focus
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