Charles Spencer addresses 18-year age gap with new girlfriend following divorce from wife Karen
Charles Spencer “wasn’t looking” for love when he met his much-younger girlfriend Dr. Catrine Jarman — but that didn’t stop him from finding it.
The younger brother of the late Princess Diana detailed his romance with Jarman during a new interview with the Daily Mail, explaining that the two went from “friends” to “colleagues” to partners.
“[We have] shared interests,” he explained. “We were fascinated by the same things. And she made me laugh. Laughter was key.”
The 60-year-old met the archeologist — who is 18 years his junior — in 2021 when she arrived at Althorp, his family’s country estate, to do some digging.
Although he was married at the time, that didn’t stop the pair from forming a strong friendship. Eventually, they launched a podcast together called “The Rabbit Hole Detectives” alongside Reverend Richard Coles.
Despite their bond, the aristocrat insisted there was nothing romantic going on during the early stages of their friendship — especially since he was married to wife Karen Spencer at the time.
“The thing is, I am 18 years older than Cat and so there wasn’t even the possibility,” he said. “I’ve never been with a much younger person. I wasn’t even thinking romance. I was at the tail end of a marriage. It just wasn’t a possibility.”
He continued, “I’ve never tried to do a hard sell on Cat. She’s very canny, very emotionally mature. With her I don’t pretend to be anything I am not. She knows exactly who I am and who I am not.”
The historian revealed he often sent Jarman drafts from his deeply personal memoir, “A Very Private School,” which helped her “understand” what “had made him the way he is.”
“I feel that I’ve got to know Charles very gradually, as a friend, and I know how his life has developed,” Jarman told the outlet. “I know who he is now. That is all that matters.”
Charles said he is “too old for hearts and flowers” but that “the best way to describe it” is that with Jarman, “I can be myself.”
He added, “She knows who I am. Who I really am. I don’t have to pretend to be something I am not. And she brings out the best in me.”
The pair admitted that their relationship tipped into “something else” around March 2024 — three months before Charles announced his divorce from Karen.
It’s unclear exactly when he and Karen split but they reportedly announced their decision to the staff at Althorp — where his sister, the late princess, is buried — in April.
The pair declined to comment on how things came to be, claiming the situation was “too complicated.”
Charles has seven children from three marriages, including a 12-year-old daughter with Karen. Meanwhile, Jarman has two teenage boys with her estranged husband.
While they didn’t discuss their children, Charles told the Daily Mail it’s “nice to find someone who is dynamic and interested.”
“Put it this way, this is a very easy relationship to be in,” he said. “Sometimes in the past I was trying to make people better, or make people happier. I think I was a people pleaser. I’m much less concerned with that.”
The 9th Earl Spencer said several of his “close friends” have voiced “how happy they are that [he is] with someone like Cat because it shows enormous progress from where [he] was before.”
“Look, it’s good to be with someone who is just so . . . nice,” he continued. “I don’t want to denigrate anyone, but Cat is just completely different to anyone I’ve ever been with before.
Charles was married to Karen for 13 years before going their separate ways. He was married to Caroline Freud from 2001 to 2007 and Victoria Aitken from 1989 to 1997.
Although he and Jarman appear to be happier than ever, Charles said they are not living together at this time and plan to take things slow.
When asked about the possibility of marriage No. 4, Charles told the outlet, “It’s a bit early for that.”
