Princess Diana's Family: The Spencers, the Siblings and the Story Behind the Crown

Lady Jane Fellowes, who married the Queen's private secretary and spent years navigating the impossible position of being simultaneously inside the institution and Diana's closest confidante. And the youngest brother Charles Spencer — whose funeral speech at Westminster Abbey in 1997 remains one of the most extraordinary acts of public courage in modern British history. This is the family before the fairThe world knew Princess Diana. But almost nobody knew the family that made her. In this video, we tell the full story of the Spencer family — the ancient aristocratic name whose roots reach back to the fifteenth century, whose connection to the Royal Family predated Diana's marriage by generations. The father, John Spencer, who served as equerry to King George VI and fought for custody of his children after Diana's mother left. The mother, Frances Shand Kydd, whose departure when Diana was just six years old left a wound that shaped every relationship that followed. The eldest sister Lady Sarah McCorquodale — who briefly dated Prince Charles herself before introducing him to Diana, and who later said, with characteristic wit, "I introduced them — I am the matchmaker." The middle sister by tale. This is where Diana actually came from. 📌 She was a Spencer before she was a princess. She was a Spencer when she died. 👇 Which member of the Spencer family surprised you most? Tell us in the comments. Lady Jane Fellowes, who married the Queen's private secretary and spent years navigating the impossible position of being simultaneously inside the institution and Diana's closest confidante. And the youngest brother Charles Spencer — whose funeral speech at Westminster Abbey in 1997 remains one of the most extraordinary acts of public courage in modern British history. This is the family before the fairThe world knew Princess Diana. But almost nobody knew the family that made her. In this video, we tell the full story of the Spencer family — the ancient aristocratic name whose roots reach back to the fifteenth century, whose connection to the Royal Family predated Diana's marriage by generations. The father, John Spencer, who served as equerry to King George VI and fought for custody of his children after Diana's mother left. The mother, Frances Shand Kydd, whose departure when Diana was just six years old left a wound that shaped every relationship that followed. The eldest sister Lady Sarah McCorquodale — who briefly dated Prince Charles herself before introducing him to Diana, and who later said, with characteristic wit, "I introduced them — I am the matchmaker." The middle sister by tale. This is where Diana actually came from. 📌 She was a Spencer before she was a princess. She was a Spencer when she died. 👇 Which member of the Spencer family surprised you most? Tell us in the comments. Lady Jane Fellowes, who married the Queen's private secretary and spent years navigating the impossible position of being simultaneously inside the institution and Diana's closest confidante. And the youngest brother Charles Spencer — whose funeral speech at Westminster Abbey in 1997 remains one of the most extraordinary acts of public courage in modern British history. This is the family before the fairThe world knew Princess Diana. But almost nobody knew the family that made her. In this video, we tell the full story of the Spencer family — the ancient aristocratic name whose roots reach back to the fifteenth century, whose connection to the Royal Family predated Diana's marriage by generations. The father, John Spencer, who served as equerry to King George VI and fought for custody of his children after Diana's mother left. The mother, Frances Shand Kydd, whose departure when Diana was just six years old left a wound that shaped every relationship that followed. The eldest sister Lady Sarah McCorquodale — who briefly dated Prince Charles herself before introducing him to Diana, and who later said, with characteristic wit, "I introduced them — I am the matchmaker." The middle sister by tale. This is where Diana actually came from. 📌 She was a Spencer before she was a princess. She was a Spencer when she died. 👇 Which member of the Spencer family surprised you most? Tell us in the comments.