Charles Spencer is so in love with his wife, Karen Spencer, whom he married in 2011, but did you know he was married twice before meeting the now Lady Spencer?
Earl Spencer was married to his first wife, Victoria Aitken, for eight years and his second wife, Caroline Freud for six years. From his marriages, the brother of Princess Dianna has a total of seven children.
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Keep scrolling for everything you need to know about his relationship with his first wife, Victoria Aitken...
Who is Victoria Aitken?
Victoria Aitken, neé Lockwood, was a British model for Dior and Levi, and was once described by famed fashion designer, Ralph Lauren, as, "the most beautiful woman in the world," according to Tatler Magazine.
© Photo: Getty ImagesVictoria was a model
She is the daughter of airline executive John Lockwood, and his wife Jean Lockwood.
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A shotgun wedding
The Earl wasted no time before proposing to his then-beloved and presented her with a very unusual engagement ring just six weeks after meeting her.
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe Earl opted for a controversial engagement ring
Charles chose a heart-shaped ring made up of a diamond and a ruby with a crown-like design on top and mini diamonds around the outside. His betrothed was pictured at the Spencer family home, Althorp House, wearing the rock, and it looked almost identical to one formerly owned by the Queen's great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria.
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Charles and Victoria got married in September 1989, with Diana's youngest son Prince Harry as a pageboy. They held their wedding ceremony at St Mary's Church, Great Brington. Whilst they were married, Victoria was known as Viscountess Spencer.
© Photo: Getty ImagesPrince Harry was a pageboy at the wedding
Did they have any children?
The couple share four children and welcomed daughter Kitty, 32, in 1990, twins Eliza and Amelia, 30, in 1992, and son Louis, 28, in 1994. Charles also shares son Edmund, 19, and Lara,16, with second ex-wife Caroline, and ten-year-old Charlotte Diana Spencer, with his current wife Karen.
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe pair posing with their eldest daughter Kitty
In 2021, Victoria was captured in a beautifully candid moment in Rome when she attended her and Charles' oldest daughter Kitty's Italian nuptials, however, the Earl was not in attendance at the sun-soaked occasion.
© Photo: Getty ImagesCharles and Victoria share four children
News of her mother's arrival for the family milestone was shared by Kitty on her Instagram account which saw Victoria posing by the Trevi fountain with her long blonde tresses wafting in the summer breeze. Kitty captioned the photo: "Mummy in Rome for our wedding."
© Photo: Getty ImagesVictoria attended daughter Kitty's wedding in 2021
When did they get divorced?
After starting a new life in South Africa together, the pair divorced in 1997, following eight years of marriage.
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe pair started a new life in South Africa
Whilst Victoria opted to stay in her sunny new home, on the other side of the world, Charles returned to the UK in 1997 after their split. Growing up, their four children remained living in Cape Town for most of the year with their mother.
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe children spent most of their years in South Africa with their mother
During their marriage, Victoria suffered from substance abuse issues and anorexia. Talking about her issues with HELLO!, in 2004, she said: "There are no holidays from this illness. The price of freedom is constant vigilance, I attend recovery meetings every week and I will do so for the rest of my life."
Victoria's other marriages
After her marriage to Charles, Victoria remarried - this time to someone she met through mutual friends, a businessman called Jonathan Aitken, according to the MailOnline. The pair welcomed a son, Samuel, in 2005.
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The publication reported that Victoria's second marriage didn't end well, as it was widely reported that Victoria moved on with a new beau, James Clinch.
