| The Right Honourable The Earl Spencer KG, GCVO, PC, VRD |
|
|---|---|
| The Earl Spencer by Sir William Orpen. | |
| Lord Chamberlain of the Household | |
| In office 18 December 1905 – 14 February 1912 |
|
| Monarch | Edward VII George V |
| Prime Minister | Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman H. H. Asquith |
| Preceded by | The Earl of Clarendon |
| Succeeded by | The Lord Sandhurst |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 30 October 1857 St. James's, Westminster, London |
| Died | 26 September 1922 (aged 64) St James Place, Westminster, London |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Spouse(s) | Hon. Margaret Baring (1868–1906) |
| Alma mater | Trinity College, Cambridge |
Charles Robert Spencer, 6th Earl Spencer KG, GCVO, PC, VRD (30 October 1857 – 26 September 1922), styled The Honourable Charles Spencer until 1905 and known as The Viscount Althorp between 1905 and 1910, was a British courtier and Liberal politician. An MP from 1880 to 1895 and again from 1900 to 1905, he served as Vice-Chamberlain of the Household from 1892 to 1895. Ennobled as Viscount Althorp in 1905, he was Lord Chamberlain from 1905 to 1912 in the Liberal administrations headed by Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman and H. H. Asquith. In 1910 he succeeded his half-brother in the earldom of Spencer. Lord Spencer was a great-grandfather of Diana, Princess of Wales.
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Spencer was born in St. James's, Westminster,[1] the son of Frederick Spencer, 4th Earl Spencer, by his second wife Adelaide Seymour, daughter of Horace Beauchamp Seymour and granddaughter of Lord Hugh Seymour. John Spencer, 5th Earl Spencer, was his elder half-brother.[2] He was educated at Harrow and Trinity College, Cambridge.[3]
Spencer represented Northamptonshire North in parliament from 1880 to 1885 and Northamptonshire Mid from 1885 to 1895 and again from 1900 to 1905. In 1898 he contested Hertford.[4] He was a Groom-in-Waiting to Queen Victoria between February and June 1886. In 1892 he was sworn of the Privy Council[5] and appointed Vice-Chamberlain of the Household under William Ewart Gladstone,[6] a post he held until 1895, the last year under the premiership of Lord Rosebery.[7] Between 1900 and 1905 he was a Liberal whip.[8]
On 19 December 1905, he was created Viscount Althorp, of Great Brington in the County of Northampton,[9] so as to allow him to become Lord Chamberlain in Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman's new Liberal administration (his older brother was still Earl Spencer at that time).[10] On 13 August 1910 he inherited the earldom on the death of his childless elder brother, John Spencer, 5th Earl Spencer. He remained Lord Chamberlain until 1912.[11] From 1908 to 1922 he was Lord Lieutenant of Northamptonshire.[12] He was made a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order[2] in 1911 and a Knight of the Garter in 1913.[13]
Lord Spencer held a large number of foreign decorations: the Grand Cross of Order of the Dannebrog of Denmark, Royal Norwegian Order of St Olav, Order of the Polar Star of Sweden, Order of the Rising Sun of Japan, the White Eagle of Serbia, Order of the Red Eagle of Prussia, Royal and Distinguished Spanish Order of Carlos III and Order of Philippe le Bon of France. He was also an honorary major in[8] and later honorary colonel of the 4th Volunteer Battalion, Northamptonshire Regiment.[12]
Lord Spencer married the Hon. Margaret Baring (14 December 1868 – 4 July 1906), daughter of Edward Baring, 1st Baron Revelstoke, at St James's Church, Piccadilly, on 23 July 1887. They had six children:
Lord Spencer died in September 1922 at his home in St James Place, London, aged 64. He had been ill for four months after contracting a 'chill' at a public event in his home county of Northamptonshire.[15] His eldest son Albert succeeded in the earldom.
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sackville Stopford-Sackville Lord Burghley |
Member of Parliament for North Northamptonshire 1880–1885 With: Lord Burghley |
Succeeded by Edward Monckton |
| New constituency | Member of Parliament for Mid Northamptonshire 1885–1895 |
Succeeded by Sir James Pender, Bt |
| Preceded by Sir James Pender, Bt |
Member of Parliament for Mid Northamptonshire 1900–1905 |
Succeeded by Harry Manfield |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Lord Burghley |
Vice-Chamberlain of the Household 1892–1895 |
Succeeded by Ailwyn Fellowes |
| Preceded by The Earl of Clarendon |
Lord Chamberlain 1905–1912 |
Succeeded by The Lord Sandhurst |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by The Earl Spencer |
Lord Lieutenant of Northamptonshire 1908–1922 |
Succeeded by The Marquess of Exeter |
| Peerage of Great Britain | ||
| Preceded by John Poyntz Spencer |
Earl Spencer 1910–1922 |
Succeeded by Albert Spencer |
| Peerage of the United Kingdom | ||
| New creation | Viscount Althorp 1905–1922 |
Succeeded by Albert Spencer |