Elizabeth Sarah Lavinia Spencer (March 19, 1955) is one of the two older sisters of Princess Diana, and the aunt to William, Prince of Wales, and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex.
Born with the honorific "The Honourable"; Sarah is the first child and daughter of John Spencer, 8th Earl Spencer, and the Hon. Frances Ruth Burke Roche. She acquired the courtesy title "Lady" in 1975, when her grandfather died and her father became the 8th Earl Spencer. She was educated firstly at Riddlesworth Hall School in Norfolk and secondly at West Heath boarding school near Sevenoaks in Kent. After passing O Level exams, she left West Heath to work in London.
Sarah suffered from the eating disorder anorexia nervosa in her early twenties. She 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.
In 1977, Sarah's relationship with Prince Charles led to the first meeting between Diana and her future husband. She later commented on her sister's marriage, saying: “I introduced them. I'm Cupid.” Sarah declared that she would not marry Charles "if he were the dustman or the King of England." When the article was released, Sarah showed it to the prince, who was infuriated by it. The relationship dissolved soon after that.
Sarah married Neil Edmund McCorquodale in May 1980 in Northamptonshire, England. They have three children: Emily Jane, George Edmund, and Celia Rose.
Sarah and her family reside near Grantham, Lincolnshire, where she served a one-year term as High Sheriff of Lincolnshire in 2009. She became a master of the Belvoir Hunt in May 2010, and was also president of the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund, which raised £100 million for various charities.
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 biographer Andrew Morton) have said Sarah was one of the few people Diana trusted. Later in their lives, Sarah often accompanied Diana on official visits as one of her ladies-in-waiting.
Upon the death of her sister Diana on August 31, 1997, 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 at Diana's funeral.
Sarah attended the wedding of her nephew Prince William to Catherine Middleton on April 29, 2011. It is said that William and Catherine are close to Sarah, with whom they spent a weekend on the 16th anniversary of Diana's death. Lady Sarah also attended the wedding of her other nephew, Prince Harry, to Meghan Markle on May 19, 2018.
16 июн 2023
