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.
Celebrating a milestone, Lady Sarah turned 70 on March 19. While the celebration details remained private, she likely spent it with family and friends at her family home in Lincolnshire.
But where is the Spencer sister nowadays?
As of 2025, she resides at her family home in Lincolnshire with her writer husband, Neil Edmund McCorquodale.
While she isn’t massively 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 royal weddings.
© Tim Graham Photo Library via GetIn September 2024, she even sweetly supported Prince William at a Royal Air Force engagement in Lincolnshire.
She also played a part in orchestrating one of the most famous royal marriages between Charles and her sister Diana, referring to herself as 'Cupid.'
Spencer girls
Lady Sarah McCorquodale was born on 19 March 1955, at Park House, Norfolk and was the first child of John Spencer and Frances Roche. Her parents went on to have three other children: Lady Jane Fellows, Princess Diana, and Charles Spencer.
© Getty ImagesThe Spencers were raised in the aristocracy at Park House, a beautiful rented home on the Sandringham estate where the siblings grew up. In 1975, the family moved to Althorp Estate, the sprawling 90-room mansion Charles Spencer still calls home.
© Alamy Stock PhotoIn 1967, their mother Frances left John to be with Peter Shand Kydd, whom she had met a year before. Their father, John, was given sole custody.
London lifestyle
While the girls grew up with an affluent lifestyle, Sarah moved to London when she was nineteen to work and had an independent lifestyle.
Lady Sarah McCorquodale: 5 surprising facts
© Mirrorpix via Getty Images1. 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.''
In the book Diana: The Portrait, Sarah recalled her London days: ''By the time I was nineteen I was living in London, holding down a very good job. My father owned a house which I ran and I had tenants. I took money from them.'
Meeting Prince Charles
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.
© Getty ImagesSarah 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.''
© Corbis via Getty ImagesThe pair had a short-lived series of fun dates, including polo matches, a series of country house parties, and even a ski holiday.
Tina Brown wrote in The Diana Chronicles that Sarah enjoyed Prince Charles' ''squiring her around'' and receiving ''flattering invitations to Windsor and Balmoral.''
© Getty ImagesAt the time, young Princess Diana was merely known to Charles as Sarah's ''jolly'' and ''bouncy'' younger sister.
Royal cupid
Lady Sarah and Prince Charles' romance didn’t last long after she gave an interview to her two journalist friends. In early 1978, Sarah had lunch with Nigel Nelson and James Whittaker, where she made a remark about her romance with Charles, which was publicly leaked.
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.''
Charles was reportedly furious at the interview and allegedly told his girlfriend: ''You’ve just done something extremely stupid.’''
So after a year of dating, this drama led to their breakup. However, Charles moved on to date her younger sister, Diana, in 1980. Despite the family connection, there was no awkward tension between the sisters. Sarah gave her blessing to the match and reportedly introduced the pair to one another.
© Tim Graham, GettyShe even said to The Guardian she was ''cupid'' in the matchmaking of the lovers.
Who did Lady Sarah Spencer marry?
Instead of marrying a future King, Lady Sarah opted for a more humble husband, away from the royal spotlight.
© GettyShe 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.
Sisterly bond
Throughout Princess Diana's final years, she remained close to her sister, and it's clear that Sarah was one of her trustworthy confidantes. Sarah would often accompany her younger sister on official visits as one of her ladies-in-waiting.
© Tim Graham Photo Library via GetWhen Diana passed away in 1997, after her tragic death in a car crash in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel on 31 August, Sarah flew to Paris with her siblings to accompany the body back to England.
Her fondness for her sister continued when she became president of the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund until it closed in 2012.
© Getty ImagesSince the tragedy, Sarah has not spoken much about her sister's death. However, in the BBC documentary, Diana 7 Days, she reflected on the global grief that Diana provoked: ''My sister’s death has provoked this national, international reaction.''
She even went on to say she never knew why her sister didn’t supposedly wear her seatbelt, the night of the crash: "She was religious about putting on her seatbelt. Why didn’t she put it on that night? I’ll never know.''
Lady Sarah Spencer may lead a more private life, but she left her royal mark as one of the Spencer sisters at a pivotal point in history.
