John Spencer, 8th Earl Spencer

Lord Spencer was born Edward John Spencer, Viscount Althorp, the only son and younger child of Albert Spencer, 7th Earl Spencer, on 24 January 1924 in their family home at 24 Sussex Square Bayswater, London.[1] He was educated at Eton, the Royal Military College at Sandhurst, and the Royal Agricultural College. Popularly known to his family and friends as Johnnie Althorp, he served as a Captain in the Royal Scots Greys from 1944 to 1945,[2] and was Mentioned in Despatches. He landed in France the day after D-Day. He led a British Army unit in an operation to liberate two French towns, La Neuve-Lyre and La Vieille-Lyre.[3][4][5] From 1947 to 1950, he served as Aide-de-Camp to His Excellency Lieutenant-General Sir Willoughby Norrie, then Governor of South Australia.[2]

Spencer held the offices of County Councillor for Northamptonshire (1952), High Sheriff of Northamptonshire (1959) and Justice of the Peace for Norfolk (1970).[2] He served as equerry to King George VI (1950–52) and to Queen Elizabeth II (1952–54),[6] and was invested as a Member (fourth class) of the Royal Victorian Order (MVO) in 1954.[7] Prior to 1984, the grades of Lieutenant and Member were classified as Members (fourth class) and Members (fifth class), respectively, but both with the post-nominals MVO. He was known by the courtesy title Viscount Althorp until 1975 when he became the 8th Earl Spencer upon his father's death.[8] He was Member of the House of Lords from 9 June 1975 (the day his father died and he inherited the peerage) until his own death.

On 1 June 1954 Spencer and Frances Ruth Roche, the younger daughter of the 4th Baron Fermoy, were married in Westminster Abbey by Percy Herbert, Bishop of Norwich. Queen Elizabeth II and other members of the royal family attended the wedding ceremony.[9] They had five children:

• Lady Sarah McCorquodale (born 19 March 1955), married Neil Edmund McCorquodale on 17 May 1980 and had issue.
• Jane Fellowes, Baroness Fellowes (born 11 February 1957), married Robert Fellowes, Baron Fellowes on 20 April 1978 and had issue.
• The Honourable John Spencer, died within ten hours of his birth on 12 January 1960.
• Diana, Princess of Wales (1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997), married Charles, Prince of Wales, on 29 July 1981 and had issue.
• Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer (born 20 May 1964), married first Victoria Lockwood from 1989 to 1997 and had issue, married second Caroline Hutton from 2001 to 2007 and had issue, and married third Karen Villeneuve on 18 June 2011 and had issue.

John and Frances Spencer were divorced in 1969. Immediately thereafter, Frances married Peter Shand Kydd, while John was granted custody of their children by the courts. In 1976, Lord Spencer married Raine McCorquodale, the former wife of the 9th Earl of Dartmouth and daughter of Capt. Alexander McCorquodale, a British Army officer, and the romantic novelist Barbara Cartland.

In 1978, Spencer suffered a severe stroke,[1] from which, at one stage, he was not expected to recover, and which kept him in hospital for eight months. Shortly before his death he was hospitalized for pneumonia.[10] He died of a heart attack in 1992, and was succeeded by his son Charles.[11]

• John Spencer, 8th Earl Spencer at Find a Grave
• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by John Spencer, 8th Earl Spencer