Raine Spencer, the stepmother of Diana, Princess of Wales, has died today aged 87 after a short illness, her family has said. Raine Spencer, née McCorquodale, was born in Newbury, Berkshire in 1929, the only child of romance novelist Barbara Cartland and army officer Alexander McCorquodale. The walls and foundations hark back to 1740 and a wide Edwardian façade of 18 windows blends flawlessly with the home's features of 21st century elegance. US election polls tracker: who is leading in the swing states? On Saturday at 8pm, Channel 4 is broadcasting a documentary about Raine and her relationship with the late Princess of Wales, titled Princess Diana’s ‘Wicked’ Stepmother. Another alleged sore spot within their blended family was Raine’s decision to redecorate the family estate, Althorp, in Northamptonshire. “Diana and Raine forged a friendship which lasted until the Princess’s death,” author Ingrid Seward wrote in her book The Queen and Di: The Untold Story, published in 2000.

The building was awarded listed status in 1975 and has just re-emerged onto the market with luxury estate agents Rokstone. Raine Spencer, the stepmother of Diana, Princess of Wales, has died today aged 87 after a short illness, her family has said. Helping Prince William with a puzzle in his playroom in Kensington Palace on Oct. 22, 1985. Walking on the beach during a holiday in Necker, British Virgin Islands, on April 11, 1990. In an obituary for the Countess published in The Telegraph following her death in 2016, it stated that a maid initially packed her clothes in suitcases bearing the Spencer emblem upon her exit from the stately property. At the Wimbledon Tennis finals with her mother, Frances Shand Kydd (L), in July 1993. During their honeymoon at Balmoral, Scotland, on Aug. 19, 1981. Neither she nor her three siblings were at all fond of their stepmother, reportedly referring to her as “Acid Raine” and saying “Raine, Raine, go away!” in her presence. She divorced him in 1976, before remarrying her second husband the same year.
- days after he crashed the markets by killing negotiations, Would YOU splurge $1,000 on a pair of tights? With U.S. First Lady Hillary Clinton during a luncheon at the British Embassy in Washington D.C., U.S., on Oct. 22, 1994. Luxury fashion houses Gucci, Fendi and Prada unveil new designer hosiery ranges - and Chanel's $500 C-logo hose is proving the most popular, Prince Harry will head back to the UK 'within weeks' and could face a 'telling off from the Queen' after Republican Congressman demanded he is stripped of his royal title for using it to 'interfere' in US election, Republican Congressman demands UK strips Meghan and Harry of their Prince and  Duchess royal titles because they are using them to 'interfere' in the US election, Donald Trump calls LeBron James 'nasty' and says Black Lives Matters is 'a very bad term for blacks' as he wades into racial rhetoric during Rush Limbaugh appearance, Nuclear-armed Kim Jong Un shows off a 'monster' new 'intercontinental' ballistic missile and claims his claims his country is 'coronavirus free' in speech to huge military parade in North Korea, Second debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden is officially OFF after president refused virtual head-to-head in wake of COVID hospitalization, NINE people who attended Donald Trump's rally in Bemidji have tested positive for COVID-19 - and two are in hospital, Brazilian model, 26, who went missing from her New York home told Rio de Janeiro police she was 'happy' there after her family reported her missing... months before being found wandering its slums 'disorientated' and shoeless, 'Who KILLED Gail Webster? Rokstone Estate Agents and Letting Agents in Central London, Sales, W1G, W1U. Raine Legge, as she was then known, is pictured above in 1957 during her marriage to the Earl of Dartmouth, Left, in 1954 Raine, Countess Spencer, spring cleans her China collection, and right, in 1958 while enjoying a cup of tea, Raine, Comtesse de Chambrun, is pictured dancing with councillor D.W. Bromfield of Finsbury in an undated photo, Countess Spencer, pictured left, smiles with her mother, the author Barbara Cartland (right) at a function in 1971. As the world has come to learn, the ins and outs of Diana’s relationship with Prince Charles were not as smooth-sailing as they may have seemed at the time. The original property and newer additions work seamlessly together. Raine Spencer, née McCorquodale, was born in Newbury, Berkshire in 1929, the only child of romance novelist Barbara Cartland and army officer Alexander McCorquodale. With ballet dancers from a production of "Swan Lake" at the English National Ballet in London on June 20, 1997. With her sons Prince William (R) and Prince Harry, playing in the garden of Highgrove House on July 18, 1986. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. Signing her official portrait, circa 1993. Relaxing by the sundial at her home, Highgrove House, on July 18, 1986. Following her marriage, Lady Dartmouth began to take a strong interest in politics and at 23 she became the youngest member of Westminster City Council as a Conservative.

Driving an armored vehicle with the Royal Hampshire Regiment in Tidworth, England, on June 23, 1988. “She had incredibly heavy pressures put upon her, but we ended up huge friends. The letters were described as being warm and affectionate and far removed from the 'Acid Raine' nickname Diana's siblings used to describe their stepmother. In the months following the engagement of Princess Diana and Prince Charles, the years following their wedding and their subsequent divorce, the media probed every aspect of the royal couple’s lives. Raine Spencer, the socialite stepmother of Diana, Princess of Wales, and daughter of the prolific romantic novelist Dame Barbara Cartland, has died aged 87.. Countess Spencer … “So many people, because she was so popular and so world famous, wanted something out of her. In 1947 an 18-year-old Raine McCorquodale was launched as a debutante into London high society. In 2012 private correspondence between Countess Spencer and Diana reignited the debate as to whether Camilla Parker Bowles cast a shadow over her life even before Diana's engagement. Luxury fashion houses Gucci, Fendi and Prada unveil new designer hosiery ranges - and Chanel's $500 C-logo hose is proving the most popular, Prince Harry will head back to the UK 'within weeks' and could face a 'telling off from the Queen' after Republican Congressman demanded he is stripped of his royal title for using it to 'interfere' in US election, Republican Congressman demands UK strips Meghan and Harry of their Prince and  Duchess royal titles because they are using them to 'interfere' in the US election, Donald Trump calls LeBron James 'nasty' and says Black Lives Matters is 'a very bad term for blacks' as he wades into racial rhetoric during Rush Limbaugh appearance, Kim Jong Un takes a swipe at Trump at huge military parade: North Korean leader claims his country is 'coronavirus free' and wishes 'good health' to all people around the world who are 'fighting the ills of the evil virus', Second debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden is officially OFF after president refused virtual head-to-head in wake of COVID hospitalization, NINE people who attended Donald Trump's rally in Bemidji have tested positive for COVID-19 - and two are in hospital, Brazilian model, 26, who went missing from her New York home told Rio de Janeiro police she was 'happy' there after her family reported her missing... months before being found wandering its slums 'disorientated' and shoeless, 'Who KILLED Gail Webster? - days after he crashed the markets by killing negotiations, Would YOU splurge $1,000 on a pair of tights? The couple had three sons and one daughter together. During her last official tour with Prince Charles, in South Korea, in November 1992. When she was 23 years old, she became the youngest person to ever become a member of Westminster City Council, representing the Conservative party and going on to participate in local government for several subsequent years.

Its vast size, grandiose design and fascinating back story make this property one of the most special in central London. This was her last photographed trip before her death at the end of the month. Countess Spencer was also a member of the board of directors of Harrods, and was known to occasionally work in the store. Raine’s relationship with her stepchildren was tumultuous to say the least; according to her former hairdresser Peter Constandinos, she thought very little of the young Lady Diana. He was her third husband but they divorced just two years later in 1995, Raine, Countess Spencer, and her new husband Comte Jean-francois De Chambrun, are seen leaving their wedding in 1993. Riding in a Land Rover at the Hands Oval ground in Bunbury, Australia, on April 8, 1983. Posing for the camera at Althorp, the Spencer family's ancestral home in Northamptonshire, England. However, the Princess of Wales opposed this course of action, demanding that her stepmother’s clothes be put in black bin liners instead. Attending a banquet in Nova Scotia, Canada, on June 15, 1983.
They were married until his death in 1992 - it was her second marriage. © Provided by The Independent It was the first of her three marriages. At the time of Diana’s untimely death, the 36-year-old had not spoken to her mother, Frances Shand Kydd, in four months. On the lawns of Government House, during their tour of Auckland, New Zealand, on April 23, 1983. Countess Spencer, born in 1929, was the only daughter of Alexander McCorquodale and the noted novelist Dame Barbara Cartland (She is pictured as a baby with her author mother at Althorp House in the Daventry District of Northamptonshire), Countess Spencer, born in 1929, was the only daughter of Alexander McCorquodale and the noted novelist Dame Barbara Cartland (Raine is pictured in 1953, left, and in 1962, right while showing off a new, cropped hairstyle), The wedding of Raine Spencer and Gerald Legge, Earl of Dartmouth, at St Margaret's Church, Westminster, London, July 21st 1948. Playing with Prince Harry at Highgrove House in July 1986. On the Royal Yacht Britannia at the start of their honeymoon cruise on Aug. 1, 1981. She used to come and sit on my sofa and tell me her troubles,” Raine said. With her sons on a skiing holiday in Lech, Austria, on April 10, 1991. Published: 07:29 EDT, 28 February 2020 | Updated: 07:29 EDT, 28 February 2020. From JLo to James Packer: 4 of the key revelations from Mariah Carey's new book. She and Legge married on  July 21 1948 and he became the 9th Earl of Dartmouth in 1962. Kissing her husband on the balcony of Buckingham Palace in London, on their wedding day on July 29, 1981. Seen with Prince Charles and sporting a sapphire and diamond ring, following the announcement of their engagement, at Buckingham Palace in London on Feb. 24, 1981. Posing in front of Uluru, or Ayers Rock, during an official tour of Australia in March 1983. On her way to attend the Opening of Parliament in London, in November 1982. Her daughter, Countess Raine Spencer, made her public debut outside the property in 1947 and would become a step-mother 29 years later to Princess Diana, who reportedly dubbed her 'Acid Raine'. Related Slideshow: 50 iconic pictures of Princess Diana.

Their daughter, Lady Charlotte Legge, was born two years after Diana.