Earl Spencer took ‘long-term mistress’ before marriage ended, says countess
The allegations from Countess Spencer form part of her legal defence against the privacy case brought by Jarman.
The defence papers claim that Earl Spencer, 60, informed his wife via text message on March 19 “that their marriage was over”.
Earl Spencer and his wife, Countess Spencer, announced plans to divorce in June this year.Credit: AP
“Having given up her life in the United States, in order to live in the middle of rural Northamptonshire and dedicate herself to sorting out the Althorp Estate business, as well having a child, the news was hideous for Lady Spencer,” they read.
Countess Spencer has argued her disclosures were “entirely justified and legitimate” on account of the way in which she was allegedly treated.
Earl Spencer told the Daily Mail that his estranged wife’s claims that he ended the marriage via text were an “absurd attempt to blacken my name”.
He said: “Karen ended the marriage, after endless threats to do so over the years, in early March.
“She asked me to confirm the end of the marriage in a text of 18 March and my reply that day was a simple acceptance of her decision. I have those texts still, and will share them in court when I clear my name.”
Althorp Estate, the Spencers’ ancestral home in the Midlands.Credit:
Jarman similarly said that she was “shocked and utterly dismayed” and accused the countess of mounting a “hideous and defamatory attack” on her.
She added: “I can understand that she finds it difficult because he moved on before she did, but the narrative that Charles or I did something wrong here is simply not true.
“I do have sympathy for her. I understand what she has lost because it is more than her marriage and her home. But this still doesn’t justify what she did.”
The Telegraph
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