PRINCESS Diana’s brother Charles Spencer confirmed that he is in a relationship with Norwegian archaeologist Cat Jarman, who is his podcast co-host.
Earl Spencer, 60, revealed in June that he was divorcing his third wife Countess Karen Spencer, who he married in 2011.
However, the dad-of-seven confirmed to hosts Richard Madeley and Susanna Reid on Good Morning Britain today that he has found love again with Cat.
Charles appeared on the show to promote his new book, The Rabbit Hole Book: 99 adventures into the history of stuff, which he co-wrote with his podcast co-stars Cat and the Reverend Richard Coles, who starred on Strictly.
He said: “Cat Jarman, who is my partner now actually, but she’s a brilliant archaeologist.
“It sounds like an Alan Partridge title, but she is a Nordic Person of 2024, which is usually handed out to someone like Sven-Göran Eriksson or a composer to be Nordic Person of the Year.
“You have to be respected throughout all Scandinavian and Nordic countries, and she totally is.”
Charles was asked about how he met Cat, and he replied: “Well, first of all, I met her because we both have the same publisher.
“But secondly, I know this sounds rather bizarre, but she came to dig up a Roman villa on the land I’ve got.
“And then Richard Coles, Cat and I would end up together.
“Richard had been recently bereaved, so he’s semi living with me, and the three of us would just talk and talk and talk.
“And Kat said, ‘let’s do a podcast’. And after the podcast came this book.”
Charles recently hinted at their relationship in an interview with The Times.
Speaking of his bond with Cat, he said: “We are close,” after being asked “Very close?”, he replied: “Well, close enough.”
Cat is currently separated from her husband, with whom she shares two children.
Back in 2021, Cat shared a photo next to Charles at his Althorp Estate, in West Northamptonshire, which was Princess Diana’s childhood home.
She wrote: “Exciting news! I’m finally allowed to share that this summer, @charles.earl.spencer asked me to help him search for the lost medieval village in the park of his Althorp estate.
“With a brilliant team of volunteers and my colleague prof Mark Horton, we spent two weeks digging five trenches searching for it.
“The results will be shown on Channel 4 on the 15th November at 9pm in the programme Ancient Secrets of Althorp with Charles Spencer.”
Cat Jarman, who is my partner now actually, but she’s a brilliant archaeologist
Charles Spencer
At the time Charles was married to Karen Gordon, a Canadian philanthropist and founder of the Whole Child charity, who Charles wed in June 2011 after they met having been set up on a blind date at a Los Angeles restaurant the year before.
The pair married in the grounds of Althorp, where Diana is buried, four months after Charles proposed.
They had one daughter together, Lady Charlotte Diana Spencer, who was born in 2012 and has been raised at Althorp.
Charles said in June he was going through an “immensely sad” divorce from his third wife.
He said he wanted to devote himself to his children and grandchildren, and told the Mail on Sunday: “It is immensely sad.
“I just want to devote myself to all my children, and to my grandchildren, and I wish Karen every happiness in the future.”
It was reported he had hired lawyer Fiona Shackleton – who advised the then-Prince Charles during his divorce from Princess Diana in 1996 – to represent him during the divorce.
Kate wrote on Instagram in August that she was looking to move out of Althorp and find somewhere else to live.
She wrote: “I’m currently still at Althorp, and as we move into the fall, I look forward to closing this chapter out with you all and launching the next.”
THE late Princess of Wales grew up on the Althorp Estate alongside her siblings Lady Sarah, Lady Jane Fellowes, and her brother Charles, the 9th Earl Spencer.
When Diana died in 1997, her three siblings accompanied Charles to collect her body from Paris.
Born Charles Edward Maurice Spencer on May 20, 1964, Earl Spencer is Princess Diana’s younger brother and Prince William and Prince Harry’s maternal uncle.
He is the ninth Earl to inherit the Spencer title, which he did in 1992. Queen Elizabeth II was his godmother, and his parents were the Viscount and Viscountess Althorp.
With the eyes of the world on him, Earl Spencer delivered an infamous eulogy to his sister where he lashed out at the media for how they treated the late Princess.
He also used the speech to make a thinly veiled attack on the Royal Family for stripping Diana of her status.
It is believed their marriage deteriorated in recent years with the strain of the Earl’s memoir, A Very Private School, where he detailed the physical and sexual abuse he suffered while at boarding school.
In the book he claims he was abused by an assistant matron at Maidwell Hall when he was a child in the 1970s.
Charles is father to Lady Kitty Spencer, twins Eliza and Amelia Spencer and Louis Spencer, Viscount Althorp, with his ex-wife Victoria Aitkin.
The Earl, is also dad to Edmund and Lara, who he shares with his second wife Caroline Freud.
In an interview with the Therapy Works podcast in March Charles said that being abused as a child had a huge impact on this choice of romantic partners in adulthood, adding he was left susceptible to women who were incapable of loving him.
He told the podcast: “I think I went for good-looking people who weren’t really into love.
“I’m having a good look at myself and everything around me and I think I would be a lot easier to live with now than I ever have been in the past.”
THE People’s Princess tragically died in a car crash on August 31, 1997, and her peaceful final resting place is at her childhood home.
Her grave is nestled on an island in the beautiful Oval Lake at Althorp House, Northampton.
Understandably, the grave holds great significance for her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry.
Thousands of fans flock to the location each year to pay their respects to the late royal, and Meghan Markle has also visited.
Harry revealed in his memoir Spare that he took his wife to his mother’s final resting place in 2022, where they each had a private moment.
He wrote: “I was finally bringing the girl of my dreams home so she would meet my mother.”
