Princess Diana’s elder sister has suffered severe injuries following an equestrian mishap in September.
The 70-year-old Lady Sarah McCorquodale has remained in hospital care for several weeks, according to her brother, Earl Spencer.
The Earl revealed his sister’s condition during an appearance on the Rosebud podcast, where he described her recovery as challenging. Medical staff have found Lady Sarah to be a demanding patient during her hospitalisation.
“She had a very bad fall last month and has been in hospital,” Earl Spencer confirmed, adding that she has been “quite a handful as a patient.”
Princess Diana’s sister ‘seriously injured’ and left hospitalised for several weeks
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The Earl recounted how the senior physician approached his brother-in-law, Neil McCorquodale, with diplomatic language about Lady Sarah’s behaviour.
“The lead doctor said to my brother-in-law, ‘She’s quite a character, isn’t she?’, which I think is code for, ‘Could you take her home?'”
Lady Sarah holds a unique position in royal history, having previously been romantically involved with the then-Prince Charles before facilitating his introduction to her younger sibling, Diana.
This connection would ultimately lead to one of the most significant royal marriages of the 20th century.
As the princes’ maternal aunt, Lady Sarah has maintained close family ties despite the tragic loss of her sister.
Her accident comes at a time when the Spencer family continues to navigate the enduring public fascination with Diana’s legacy.
The 70-year-old’s marriage to landowner Neil McCorquodale has kept her connected to aristocratic circles whilst maintaining a relatively private life compared to her late sister’s global prominence.
Earl Spencer has expressed discomfort with members of the public approaching him to share their memories of learning about Diana’s death. During the same podcast appearance, he described these encounters as challenging to navigate.
“I tell you what I do find quite difficult, it probably sounds ungracious, but occasionally total strangers come up and feel they must tell me where they were when they heard she died,” he explained. “I’m sure that’s helpful to them, it’s not entirely helpful to everyone else.”
He cited a recent encounter with an American woman who “clutched me to her ample bosom and said that I may have thought I grew up with Diana, but actually she did in South Dakota.”
The Earl marks each anniversary of his sister’s death by visiting her burial site at Althorp estate with his children, gathering flowers for her grave.
Earl Spencer has restated his objection to the decision requiring Princes William and Harry to participate in their mother’s funeral cortege. The young royals, then 15 and 12 years old, respectively, walked behind Diana’s coffin along The Mall while the world watched.
Lady Sarah McCorquodale greeting Prince Harry and Prince William at the Diana statue unveiling in 2021
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“I was very anti-it. I thought it was terrible,” the Earl stated, clarifying that although Prince Philip managed the situation admirably, the late Duke of Edinburgh hadn’t initiated the controversial arrangement.
“It wasn’t his decision to do it. But, actually, on the day, he was a calming presence,” Earl Spencer noted.
Prince Harry later documented the behind-the-scenes tensions in his memoir Spare, revealing his uncle had condemned the arrangement as a “barbarity” at the time.
The Duke of Sussex also disclosed he had refused an alternative proposal for William to walk alone.