Prince Harry and Prince William’s aunt, Lady Sarah McCorquodale, has been injured after suffering from a fall. Lady Sarah, 70, who is the older sister of Princess Diana, is said to be recovering from a “really bad fall” she sustained in September. The news was revealed by her brother, Earl Charles Spencer, who recently appeared on Gyles Brandreth’s Rosebud podcast.
Speaking about his older sister, who once dated the then-Prince Charles, he said: “Sarah, who is nearly a decade older than me, who was always in trouble, she’s quite punchy. She’s still riding, and she’s had a really bad fall in the last month and has been in hospital for a long time.”
Despite her fall, Charles joked that his older sister has been a “handful” for her doctors to deal with. “I think, [she] was quite a handful as a patient, because the said doctor said to my brother-in-law, ‘She’s quite a character, isn’t she?’ which I think is code for, ‘Could you take her home?'”, he joked, referring to Lady Sarah’s husband of 45 years, Neil McCorquodale.
Who is Diana’s sister, Lady Sarah?
Lady Sarah McCorquodale is known for being the older sister of the late Princess Diana and for her brief dating history with the then-Prince Charles. She’s the oldest of the four Spencer children, followed by Lady Jane Fellowes, the late Princess Diana and Earl Charles Spencer. While Lady Sarah doesn’t spend much time in the royal spotlight, over the years, she has shown her support for both of her royal nephews, Prince Harry and Prince William, and attended both of their weddings.
© Getty ImagesThen-Prince Charles and then-Lady Sarah Spencer were once romantically linked
Before Princess Diana met the then-Prince Charles, her older sister briefly dated her future husband. Sarah and Charles were introduced at the annual Royal Ascot party in 1977 when Sarah was 22 and he was 28. Sarah Bradford wrote in Diana: Finally, the Complete Story about the pair’s initial attraction: “Prince Charles enjoyed Sarah’s sparkiness and irreverent wit and they made each other laugh.”
Lady Sarah McCorquodale: 5 surprising facts
© Mirrorpix via Getty Images
1. Aristocratic upbringing
As the daughter of an earl, she was entitled to the courtesy title ”Lady” which was given to her in 1975 when her father inherited the Earldom.
2. Althorp estate
Sarah’s family moved to the huge Althorp estate in 1975, which has 90 rooms and 550 private acres of land.
3. London girl
She spent her late teens and early twenties working in London, and she lived in a flat that was purchased by her mother, Frances Shand Kydd.
4. Sisterly bond
The sisters often shared clothes, and several times, Sarah was spotted recycling one of Diana’s outfits.
5. Diana’s documents
Sarah was the executor of Diana’s will, and according to Reuters, she had to shred Diana’s confidential documents at Kensington Palace. At the 2008 inquest into Diana’s death, she said: “Nothing historical was ever shredded.”
However, the relationship would only be short-lived after she gave an interview to her two journalist friends: Nigel Nelson and James Whittaker. In the interview given to The Sunday People in 2013, Sarah reportedly said to James: “She declared she would not marry Charles if he were the dustman or the King of England. That was good news from where I was sitting, and Sarah seemed delighted I was so keen to share it with the nation.”
© Tim Graham Photo Library via GetLady Sarah McCorquodale is the aunt of Prince Harry and Prince William
Sarah went on to set up her younger sister, the late Princess Diana, with Charles. Lady Sarah married writer Neil Edmund McCorquodale on 17 May 1980 – the same year Charles started dating Diana. They had three children together called Emily, George, and Ceila.