Chapter 7 7. Changes at home

The family moved to Althorp following the death of her grandfather, the 7th Earl Spencer, on 9 June 1975.Although he was 83 years old before his death, he was still flexible and energetic, but because of pneumonia, he died not long after being admitted to the hospital, which surprised people.But this event also meant a considerable change. Their father became the "8th Earl" and succeeded Althorp.Althorp covers 13,000 acres and has a rare collection of famous paintings, including several works by Sir Joshua Reynolds, as well as rare books, 17th century porcelain, furniture, silverware, including Marl A large collection in Balena.So Althorp was not just a house of grandeur, but a nobler way of life.

The 11-year-old younger brother Charlie turned into Viscount Althorp. Diana and her sisters were also called "Miss" in front of their names. The children reluctantly bid farewell to the former residence of Parker Manor and their bittersweet childhood Years, moved to Althorp House. The new earl is expected to pay £2.35m in inheritance tax and £80,000 a year in management fees, but that hasn't stopped him from spending money on a swimming pool to keep his kids entertained during the holidays.Every day Diana swam, walked around the grounds, went for a drive in Charlie's little blue old car and, of course, danced.The servants liked Diana very much and found her very friendly and approachable. They also liked eating chocolate, candy and reading romance novels written by Barbara Cartland.

The young girl Diana was in awe of her sister Sarah and regarded her as the "queen" in her heart.The shrewd and agile Sarah is indeed regarded as the "social queen" by everyone.When Sara came home from West Heath School on holiday, Diana offered to serve her like a servant, unpacking her trunks, preparing her bath water, and cleaning her room.Her enthusiasm for housekeeping was noticed by Albert Bates, Earl of Althorp's butler.Butler Bates remembers Diana ironing her own jeans herself and doing many other chores. In 1973, my father gave Sarah a big coming-of-age party at a Norman castle called Lessing House in Norfolk.Guests came in droves in carriages, and the road leading to the castle was lit by torches like daylight.The guests invited were all of the same status as Sarah, and people expected her to marry her good friend, Gerald Grosvenor, Duke of Westminster, the richest nobleman in Britain.However, Sarah was as surprised as everyone else to find that the Duke's eyes were fixed on other people.

Diana enthusiastically attended parties, braais, and cricket matches at Althorp.The presence of her stepmother puts a stop to the competition on the estate and in the various nearby villages.Wren Spencer was no ordinary woman, but an extraordinary person: shaggy hair, exquisite clothes, impassioned charm, a captivating smile, and a countess in every way.The daughter of the outspoken romance writer Barbara Catland, she was already a half-page figure in Who's Who before she met Johnny Spencer.She was Lady Lewisham and, since 1962, Countess of Dartmoyne.In London politics, she served as a London County Councilor, is a controversial figure.Her unique insights attracted a large audience, and she was a favorite topic of discussion in the gossip columns of newspapers and periodicals.

Her outspoken statements belied an iron will, accompanied by formidable charm and sharp words.When she and Earl Spencer wrote a book for the London County Council called What is Our Tradition, they found that they had a lot in common.Wren, then 46, had been married to the Earl of Dartmoyne for 28 years and had four children: William, Rupert, Charlotte and Henry.Johnny Spencer and the Earl of Dartmoyne had been good friends when they attended Eden School. The children didn't have a good impression of her. In the 1970s, she sailed into the children's sight like a sailing ship with full sails.In fact, her presence at Sarah's 18th birthday party sparked murmurs among Norfolk high society.Charlie and Diana actually meet her at a rather unpleasant dinner party in King's Lynn, and they begin to gauge the woman's place in their father's life.Ostensibly a celebration of the cost-saving tax package, the dinner was actually arranged for Charlie and Diana to meet their future step-mother. "We don't like her at all," said Charlie.They told their father that once he married her they would leave him alone.The children can only make futile protests. In 1976, Charlie, then 12, sent Wren an "impolite" letter expressing his disgust.Diana asked one of her classmates to write an anonymous letter to her future stepmother, which contained many accusations and attacks.They did this because shortly before Diana's grandfather died, they found a letter from Wren to her father discussing her plans for Althorp.Her views and ideas were the exact opposite of what Diana and Charlie had seen her say about their grandfather in public.

The family's objections were of no avail, and Wren and Johnny were married at the Caxton Registry on 14 July 1977, shortly after the Earl of Dartmoyne's divorce case had concluded.Unbeknownst to the children, Charlie learned that he had a stepmother from the principal of his junior high school. Many things changed when the new mistress entered Althorp.The new hostess remodeled Althorp Manor according to her plan.The magnificent manor became the capital to repay the huge debts borne by the new earl.The manor was downsized and opened to the public, and the cowsheds and stables were converted into teahouses and souvenir shops to earn money from tourists.Over the years, countless paintings, antiques, and other works of art were sold off for cheap.The whole family was "paid off," the children said scornfully.Earl Spencer always defended his wife's rough housekeeping."The cost of repayment is, of course, enormous," he said.

In Althorp, Christmas, hosted by Wren Spencer, is yet another quirky comedy, a stark contrast to the lavish extravagance of the Parker estate of yesteryear.She presides over the gift openings like a makeshift timekeeper.The children were only allowed to open the gift she had designated, and she had to tear the wrapper when she looked at her watch, signaling the beginning.Charlie couldn't stand it and said, "It's crazy." In this case, the relationship between the stepmother and the child will naturally not be good. In the early days of Wren's life at Althorp Manor, the children often played tricks on her.She liked to classify the overnight guests at the manor according to their social status, and the children often made fun of her for this.Charlie was still at Eton at the time, and when he came home from Eton, he told his friends in advance to come and give a fake name.A friend of Charles' came to play and called him "James Rothschild," implying that he was a member of a great banking family.Ryan was overjoyed immediately, "Oh, you are Hannah's son?" Charlie and his friends burst out laughing.Friends said he had even written his pseudonym and last name wrong in the visitor book.

At a weekend braai, one of Sarah's friends bet £100 that Charlie couldn't throw his stepmother into the swimming pool.It was a casual party where everyone wore crew-neck T-shirts and shorts, but Lane showed up in ball gowns.She agreed to Charlie's request to dance with him by the pool.Just as Charlie was about to push her off in a judo pose, she realized what he was up to and slipped away.The hostile relationship that exists between Rain and the children cannot be concealed.Lane also once complained to the newspaper. "I did start out in a difficult situation, and it's only just improving. Sara used to hate me, even my place at the table, and gave orders to the servants without getting through me. Jenny didn't even speak to me for two years. , even in the hallway. Diana was all right, always doing her own thing."

The tender Diana's resentment for her stepmother, suppressed for many years, finally exploded because of her biological mother.It was 1989, and it was a church rehearsal for her brother's wedding to Victoria Lockwood, a successful model.Wren refused to speak to Diana's mother Frances, who was sitting next to her in church. Diana was angry from her heart, and the resentment of more than ten years burst out like lava rushing east and west, but Ren replied indifferently: "Diana, you have no idea of ​​the pain your mother caused your father. Diana, who had never felt so angry, retorted: "Pain? You don't know who to use this word at all. I have seen a lot of people who are in pain, but you have never seen them. What are you talking about? Pain. You have to learn There are plenty of things for you, Ryan." Diana was eloquent and impassioned.Afterwards, her mother said it was the first time her family had come forward to defend her.