Charles Spencer has a poignant few months ahead. The 9th Earl Spencer will mark the 60th birthday of his late sister, Princess Diana, on 1 July, followed by the 14th anniversary of her death on 31 August.
And it has now been revealed that Charles has been chosen to host the 2021 Legacy Awards at the family ancestral home, Althorp House, on 9 December in honour of Diana’s 60th year.
The Legacy Awards come under the umbrella of The Diana Award organisation, which was established in 1999 with the aim of honouring young people who work to improve the lives of others.
The Legacy Award is the most prestigious accolade a young person can receive for their social action or humanitarian work, with both Prince William and Prince Harry presenting the inaugural event at St James’s Palace in 2017
This year’s event in December will see 20 winners from around the world honoured for their humanitarian efforts.
Tessy Ojo CBE, Chief Executive of The Diana Award, said in a statement: “Hosting the Legacy Awards at Diana, Princess of Wales’ family home is especially poignant as we mark what would have been her 60th birthday.
“In a year that has seen young people’s lives disrupted by the Pandemic, it is even more important that we honour, celebrate but also invest in those young people from across the world, who through their selfless trailblazing efforts have changed lives in their communities.
“We are incredibly grateful to both Lord Spencer for hosting this event as well as Gilead Sciences, who for the third year running, are sponsoring the Legacy Awards.”
Althorp House has been in the Spencer family for generations and was where Princess Diana grew up with her three siblings prior to her 1981 marriage to Prince Charles.
Following her untimely death in 1997, she was laid to rest on a small island on the grounds of Althorp, located in the middle of the ornamental Round Oval Lake.
Furthermore, a temple with Diana’s name inscribed on the top is situated across from the lake as a place where visitors can lay down their floral tributes to the late princess.
