The Queen’s former courtier was married to Lady Jane Fellowes, Charles’ elder sister. According to The Times, Princess Diana’s brother-in-law died of undisclosed causes on July 29.
On his official X account, the Ninth Earl Spencer reshared the obituary alongside a heartfelt message. He wrote, “My absolutely exceptional brother-in-law, Robert, is no longer with us. A total gentleman – in all the best meanings of that word – he was a man of humor, wisdom, and utter integrity. I’m deeply proud to have been his brother-in-law.”
Robert married Lady Jane Spencer in 1978, and they welcomed three children: Laura Fellowes, 44; Alexander Robert Fellowes, 41; and Eleanor Ruth Fellowes, 38. The former royal courtier was also a godfather to Princess Charlotte.
While Lord Fellowes was linked to the Firm through marriage, his family had a deep history with the British royal family. His father, Sir William ‘Billy’ Fellowes, was the land agent at Sandringham from 1936 to 1964 and a shooting companion of King George VI. His mother, Jane, was the daughter of Brigadier General Algernon Ferguson, a relative of Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York.
Robert successfully assisted the late Queen Elizabeth through her “annus horribilis” in 1992, when three of the Queen’s children got divorced, and a fire broke out at Windsor Castle.
He was working for the Queen when Princess Diana, his sister-in-law, died and was part of the small team that advised the Queen to return to London from Balmoral.
According to The Times, he penned the first draft of the Queen’s historic speech addressing the British public as “your Queen, and as a grandmother” on the eve of Diana’s funeral. The final version of this famous speech was written by Lord Fellowes, the Queen, and her private secretary, Sir Robin Janvrin.
