Princess Diana’s Brother Charles Spencer’s Unique Wedding Location Couldn’t Be Further From A Royal Wedding

The Earl Spencer and his new bride formed a professional relationship before becoming closer as friends, and now closer than ever as husband and wife.

Charles Spencer wedding Cat Jarman
(Image credit: Getty Images/Charles Spencer)

Princess Diana’s younger brother, Charles Spencer, wed his girlfriend, archaeologist and podcast host Cat Jarman, in a location that couldn’t be more different from his late sister’s St. Paul’s Cathedral wedding ceremony. 5,000 miles from his family home at Althorp House, on the rustic red hills of Sedona, Arizona, the 9th Earl Spencer said ‘I do’ to his fourth wife on May 15.

Charles Spencer wedding to Cat Jarman

The bride and groom share a selfie.

(Image credit: Cat Jarman)

“We both feel so incredibly lucky to have progressed from being colleagues, to friendship, to deep love and connection,” Spencer and his new wife said in an official statement to People. “Each stage of our relationship has been underpinned by laughter and we share a passion for life.”

The bride looked modern and elegant in a sleeveless blue Grecian-esque gown in a pale blue, rather than an overtly bridal white. The dress comes from ba&sh and features a gold-tone hardware accent and a slightly stretchy, breezy fabric—ideal for the hot Arizona weather. Charles Spencer looked relaxed and joyful in a navy suit and blue shirt with the buttons undone.

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Charles Spencer Cat Jarman

The Earl Spencer and the new Countess Spencer.

(Image credit: Cat Jarman on Instagram)

Charles Spencer at the Viceroy Hotel on March 3, 2015 in Santa Monica, California.

Charles Spencer is an accomplished historian and author, which is how he met his new wife.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Royal watchers might find this happy news a little confusing, as Charles Spencer was previously married to Karen Spencer, and their divorce was only finalized in December 2025. The Earl Spencer married Karen Gordon in 2011, and they shared a daughter—Lady Charlotte Diana Spencer, born in 2012. Karen, who was styled as The Countess Spencer, was Charles’s third wife following his previous marriages in 1989 and 2001. Charles Spencer and Karen Spencer announced they were divorcing in June 2024 and the earl confirmed his relationship with Cat Jarman in October 2024.

Charles Spencer and Cat Jarman initially bonded over their love of books and history. Spencer was introduced to his now-wife through his work as an author, when he was asking to review her newest book in 2021. They formed a professional relationship before becoming closer as friends, and now closer than ever as husband and wife.

Christine Ross
Writer

Christine Ross is a freelancer writer, royal expert, broadcaster and podcaster. She's worked with news outlets including the BBC, Glamour, Talk TV, ET, PBS, CNN and 20/20 to cover the foremost royal events of the last decade, from Prince George’s birth to the coronation of King Charles III.

She previously served as co-host of Royally Us, a weekly royal podcast by Us Weekly. As a freelance writer and royal commentator she provides expert commentary, historical context and fashion analysis about royal families worldwide, with an emphasis on the British Royal Family.