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charles spencer© Photo: Getty Images

Charles Spencer makes a heartbreaking confession as he mourns tragic death

Princess Diana’s brother took to Twitter to share some news

Gemma Strong
Online Digital News Director
May 23, 2023
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Charles Spencer has taken to social media to share a poignant message with his followers.

The 59-year-old informed fans with the news of the tragic death of Laura Nuttall, an inspirational young women who ticked off a bucket list of ambitions while living with terminal cancer.

Laura was diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer in 2018 and was given an initial prognosis of 12 months.

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In 2021, she said after she got her diagnosis, she had chosen "to do something about it and stay positive".

She  went on to work her way through her list of ambitions, which saw her meet Michelle Obama, command a Royal Navy ship, graduate from the University of Manchester and present the weather on BBC North West Tonight.

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Sadly, Laura passed away on Monday.

Charles and wife Karen at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding© Getty
Charles, seen with wife Karen, is a patron of The Brain Tumour Charity

In a heartfelt caption, Charles wrote: “Brain tumours remain the most deadly cancer for people under 40 – a reason why I take being one of the many patrons of @BrainTumourOrg so seriously.”

He concluded: “Research into tackling this tragedy needs more government funding.”

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Charles also took the time to respond to a number of followers in the comments section. One wrote: “Thank you for your support. Lost my best friend to glioblastoma brain cancer.” Charles replied: “My condolences - so very, very, sad.”

princess diana and charles spencer as children at althrop house© PA Images
Princess Diana and Charles Spencer as children

Of course, Charles has experienced his own share of tragedy; his older sister Princess Diana was killed in a car crash in Paris in 1997 at the age of 36.

LOOK: Charles Spencer hasn't aged a day in incredible throwback photo

As such, news of his nephew Prince Harry's recent encounter with paparazzi would have been incredibly distressing.

Prince Harry and Charles Spencer at the unveiling of a Princess Diana statue© Rex
Charles is Prince Harry's maternal uncle

The incident occurred after Meghan received a Woman of Vision award at the Ms. Foundation for Women's annual gala on Tuesday night last week.

In a statement, the spokesperson said: "Last night, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Ms. Ragland were involved in a near catastrophic car chase at the hands of a ring of highly aggressive paparazzi.

"This relentless pursuit, lasting over two hours, resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers.  

Doria Ragland, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle© Kevin Mazur
Harry and Meghan attended the awards with her mother, Doria Ragland

"While being a public figure comes with a level of interest from the public, it should never come at the cost of anyone's safety."

It was alleged that those involved in the chase broke multiple road rules - including running a red light, driving on the pavement, driving while on the phone, driving while photographing and illegally blocking a moving vehicle.

They claimed they were chased for two hours© MEGA
The couple pictured leaving the event

Law enforcement sources told CBS News, their vehicle circled the venue for about an hour in an unsuccessful effort to shake off the paparazzi. They then went to the New York police department's 19th precinct police station, where they switched vehicles in another attempt to get away.

Get the lowdown on the incident in the video below...

Harry And Meghan Pursued ‘Relentlessly’ In ‘Near Catastrophic’ Car Chase

However, Harry and Meghan’s account has proved divisive.

Conflicting accounts of what Harry and Meghan's spokesperson described as a "near catastrophic car chase" resulting in "multiple near collisions" have emerged since the incident was made public on Wednesday.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry© Getty
Harry and Meghan’s account has proved divisive

New York police said "numerous photographers" had made the couple's journey from an awards ceremony on Tuesday evening "challenging", but added there had been "no reported collisions, summonses, injuries, or arrests".

A taxi driver who briefly drove them suggested their spokesperson's account was "exaggerated", while some photographers involved have denied parts of it.

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex attend The Royal Variety Performance 2018 at the London Palladium on November 19, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)© Max Mumby/Indigo
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry

Backgrid, the California-based entertainment picture agency who took the pictures, said on Thursday it had received a letter from the Sussexes' legal team.

It said the letter stated: "We hereby demand that Backgrid immediately provide us with copies of all photos, videos, and/or films taken last night by the freelance photographers after the couple left their event and over the next several hours."

prince harry meghan markle walk in rain under umbrella© Getty
The couple's account has been called into question

The agency said it had replied in a letter: "In America, as I'm sure you know, property belongs to the owner of it: Third parties cannot just demand it be given to them, as perhaps Kings can do.

"Perhaps you should sit down with your client and advise them that his English rules of royal prerogative to demand that the citizenry hand over their property to the Crown were rejected by this country long ago. We stand by our founding fathers."

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