News about Lady Jane

Echoes of the past were everywhere. An estranged royal waving to cheering fans, while on the other side of town the reserved applause appropriate for a dignified palace garden party. For a moment it was like throwing a switch back to the 1990s when for five brutal years, support for the House of Windsor oscillated between those backing Princess Diana and those standing with Prince Charles and the rest of the Royal Family. It is not quite a re-run of the poisonous 'War of the Waleses'. How could it be? But there was something eerily familiar - and profoundly sad - as two rival royal camps staked out their ground this week.

Watch the moment Prince Harry goes on a surprise walkabout after his Invictus Games event to joke with a fan on her honeymoon. The Duke of Sussex left St Paul's Cathedral, following an event to celebrate ten years of the charity, to greet members of the public before being escorted to his car. The crowd, very much supporting King Charles ' youngest son at his event, shouted 'we love you Harry', as the smiling Royal can be heard jovially responding to a woman who said she was here for her honeymoon by saying: 'You didn't get married in St Paul's, though?' Inside the event he was greeted by members of his late mother's family and was seen on camera warmly embracing both of them, however no other royals attended the ceremony, oweing to 'busy schedules'.

The ties between the Spencers and the Monarchy go back not just generations but centuries. Even today, the family can claim descent from a number of royal bloodlines and over such a period, they make the Windsors look like arrivistes. The wedding of Lady Jane Spencer, then, was bound to be an event - and it was no surprise when she, like little sister Diana, chose someone with connections. True, Robert Fellowes was not heir to the throne. But he was already assistant private secretary to the late Queen - and a first cousin of Ronald Ferguson, the father of Sarah Ferguson - when he married Lady Jane at Westminster Abbey on April 20, 1978.

She has often been referred to as the classic 'wicked stepmother' after being dubbed 'Acid Raine' by the late Princess of Wales and her sisters. When the future Princess of Wales was just 15 years old, Raine Spencer married Diana's father, John, Earl Spencer. The circumstances were horrific; Frances, the Spencer children's own mother, had walked out. So it was not an easy start to the relationship. Other scandals will follow, including the selling of heirlooms, gold, and old masters, as well as a Van Dyke, to help fund a lavish, and in some eyes revolting, renovation of Althorp House, the family's seat.

RICHARD KAY: What are you doing here?' By then Prince Charles, these were the first words spoken to writer Anthony Holden (pictured right). This was also to be the last, more than 20 years ago, and they were delivered in a distinctly chilly tone. Holden later described their first meeting as accompanied by a handshake - 'disappointingly limp.' Nothing more than a princely glower lit their final segment. I can recall that this was far from friendly as a witness to the later encounter in a remote corner of the South African bush in 1997. And yet here were two guys who may have forged a great deal. Both products of Oxbridge and a costly private education were about the same age. If not a shared view, they certainly had some common interest, e.g. a love of Shakespeare and an appreciation of opera and classical music. And all of them had a broken marriage by the time of their marriage and was the father of sons.

Despite well-documented tensions with the Windsors, Prince Harry has remained close to his mother's family, the Spencers, and in particular, Lady Jane Fellowes. Lady Jane Fellowes, the middle of the three sisters who is four years older than Diana, has long been seen as a confidante and a reliable source of stability in his life. Lady Jane, 66, was invited by Harry for a reading at his wedding to Meghan Markle in 2018, and she was one of the first family members to attend their infant son Archie's visit even before Prince William. In July 2019, she and Lady Sarah McCorquodale, 67, were both guests at Archie's christening in the Private Chapel at Windsor Castle. Harry told Lady Jane, Sarah, and their brother Earl Spencer at the end of his tell-all memoir Spare, but he forgot to mention his grandmother, King Charles of Wales, in another nod to his close family ties.

DOMINIC KING - HORSE POWER: The news, inevitably, was welcomed in several countries with groans. There will be no tilt at the Gold Cup for Constitution Hill, no modern effort to imitate Dawn Run. This possibility has been ringing in the racing community's mind since last spring, when Constitution Hill took off as a jet plane and bounded away from his pursuers in the Champion Hurdle, looking as if he'd happily saunter around Prestbury Park once more. Dawn Run had won the same race in 1984 before winning the big one in 1986. She was the mare of a lifetime, her exploits were honoured with a statue in Cheltenham's parade ring and a run named in her honour. Why couldn't Constitution Hill follow in her hoof prints?

CIAR BYRNE, a UK garden specialist, says now is the time to plant spring flowering bulbs. The key is to plan for succession, so you can have flowers from the end of winter to late May.

It shocked not only the United Kingdom but also the world. And so what's the nation's memory is firmly held on today, 26 years old. We republish Jonathan Mayo's powerful reconstruction of 31 August 1997 as seen through the eyes of royals, politicians, Diana's family and friends, and the mourning public. It was a day that started in the small hours with a high-speed car crash in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel under the Seine in Paris. It was not long before the horrific news reached those closest to her.

The Spencer family is one of the UK's oldest and most historic families with a lineage dating back to the 15th century. And so it's no surprise that when a Spencer's wedding day comes it's a resplendent affair. In fact, the brides have made it clear that all attention was on them no matter what they wore. Princess Diana's opulent gown with its long train and puffed sleeves to Lady Kitty Spencer's modern-day Dolce & Gabbana performance.

As he arrived alongside Queen Camilla for a second day of festivities, King Charles led the royal arrivals at Ascot today. His Majesty opted for a classic charcoal morning suit with a purple tie as he joined relatives of his family for the second day of the event, which is considered the crown of the racing calendar. Camilla opted for a Anna Valentine pink dress coat for the second day, the same outfit she wore to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's wedding in 2017.

They have referred to themselves as the "Spice Girls" of their day, the six maids of honour who flanked Queen Elizabeth II on the day of her Coronation on June 2nd, 1953. Lady Rosemary Muir, Lady Anne Glenconner, Lady Moyra Campbell, Lady Mary Russell, Lady Elizabeth Russell, Lady Margaret Russell, Lady Jane Lacey, and Baroness Willoughby de Eresby were selected for their 'decorative' appearance as well as their ability to carry the Queen's heavy 21ft train. When their names were revealed as the women were selected to follow Princess Elizabeth down Westminster Abbey to be crowned the new queen, they became well-known in their own right.

According to Marie Claire, Lady Sarah McCorquodale and Lady Jane Fellowes (left), the older sister of Princess Diana's younger sister, were apparently present at the christening last week. The sisters, who have been close to Prince Harry and Prince William since the death of their mother in 1997, were last seen in public with their nephews at Kensington Palace in 2021 when a monument was unveiled in commemoration of Diana. Lilibet (right), 21, was christened last Friday at a party held at Harry and Meghan's Montecito home, which was described as 'intimate' by around 20-30 people. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (inset) issued a tweet earlier this week announcing the christening of 'Princess Lilibet Diana'.

EPHRAIM HARDCASTLE: Has Rishi Sunak's unilateral announcement of a Coronation bank holiday triggered the first spat between King Charles and the PM? Rishi disobeyed tradition by declaring the holiday in a proclamation, since only the monarch can make proclamations. They were only made at a meeting of the Privy Council with Charles, as Charles' proclamation of a holiday to commemorate his mother's death. Buckingham Palace will'remind' Downing Street of the rules.'

They have dubbed themselves the "Spice Girls" of their day, the six maids of honor who flanked Queen Elizabeth II on the day of her Coronation on June 2, 1953. Lady Rosemary Muir, Lady Anne Glenconner, Lady Moyra Campbell, Lady Mary Russell, Lady Mary Russell, Lady Jane Lacey, and Baroness Willoughby de Eresby were selected for their 'decorative' beauty as well as their ability to carry the Queen's heavy 21ft train. As the women were chosen to follow Princess Elizabeth down Westminster Abbey to be crowned the new Queen, they became well-known in their own right. They were criticized assiduously by the young women and Press of the day, and while Lady Glenconner had hoped that they were regarded as the 'Spice Girls' of their day,' they were not. Lady Mary Russell, one of the six maids of honour, died on the night the night before Her Majesty's state funeral last week. On September 18, she died "fully at home," surrounded by her family. Lady Moyra Campbell, Lady Anne Glenconner Lady Jane Lacey, Lady Jane Russell, Baroness Willoughby de Eresby, and Lady Rosemary Muir were photographed one to six.