As a father of seven, one might assume that his eldest child, Lady Kitty Spencer, 33, would inherit the family grounds.
However, Charles Spencer has revealed that his eldest son, Viscount Louis Spencer, 30, is most likely to inherit the 13,000-acre estate. This follows the tradition of primogeniture, where titles and property are passed to the eldest male heir.
Although primogeniture was abolished for the British monarchy in 2015, the Earl explained in an interview with the Telegraph that he intends to adhere to this tradition within his family, suggesting that it is no less fair than having the eldest child inherit. “Is it any fairer that the eldest child gets it instead of the eldest male? Whatever you say is a selection,” he stated.
Charles mentioned that his children do not have a strong attachment to the family property. “You can’t make your children care. You have to hope that something has bedded down when their turn comes,” he said, adding that he believes four of his seven children care about the estate, which he considers “isn’t a bad hit rate.”
Regarding his own feelings towards the title and land, he remarked, “There are days where you think, ‘I could do without this.'”
He elaborated that Althorp cannot be home in the conventional sense. “For 300 years my family perambulated between Spencer House in London, a villa in Wimbledon, and a house in Norfolk. It has always been a magnificent project rather than home. It’s a family headquarters, part of the nation’s heritage,” he explained.
The ninth Earl Spencer shares Lady Kitty, twins Lady Eliza and Lady Amelia, both 32, and Louis, Viscount Althorp, 30, with his first wife Victoria Lockwood. He shares his second son, Hon. Edmund ‘Ned’ Spencer, 20, and daughter Lady Lara, 18, with his second wife Caroline Freud.
His youngest daughter, Lady Charlotte, 12, is from his marriage to Countess Spencer, from whom he announced his divorce last month after 13 years of marriage.
