Earl Charles Spencer, brother of the late Princess Diana, is following in Meghan Markle's footsteps by launching a new business venture selling homemade jams. The 62-year-old Earl has trademarked the name 'Spencer Farms' to sell market goods, similar to the Duchess of Sussex's own As Ever brand.
The Earl plans to use the business on his Althorp Estate in Northamptonshire to produce honey, tea, marmalade, cheeses, wines, ciders, and more. The pivot to market goods comes as he continues to promote his controversial book about his sister, amid accusations of cashing in on her death.
Trademark filings and public speaking
Intellectual Property Office filings indicate the Earl has also registered his name for public speaking, appearances, and voice-over services. A UK trade mark is a legally protected sign—such as a word, logo, shape, or sound—used to distinguish the goods or services of one business from those of others.
A source said, as per The Sun: “First Spencer imitated Prince Harry with attacks on the royal family, and now he is doing a Meghan — and appears to be planning to make jam.”
Criticism from Diana's former butler
The new branding comes shortly after Diana's former butler Paul Burrell accused the Earl, whose book Swan Song has sparked significant controversy, of failing to support his sister when she needed him. He told The Sun: “I’d think those last five years . . . are pretty vague in the book because he knows nothing about them. She said, ‘My family only want me when they want the best seats in the best restaurants or want to sit in the Royal Box at Wimbledon’.”
Appearing on Piers Morgan Uncensored, Burrell, 68, added: “They barely spoke. He was not part of her world.”
Family rift and royal accusations
Diana and her younger brother had a falling out when he declined to let her live in the Garden House at Althorp, the family's 13,000-acre estate, following her public separation from then-Prince Charles in 1992. The Earl, who inherited the estate that year aged 27, cited the Garden House's proximity to a road as a security concern. He claimed to have offered every suitable property on the Northamptonshire estate.
Among his criticisms of the now King Charles, Spencer alleged that he told him after his father's funeral that he was "so lucky" to inherit at such a young age. He has also accused Charles of being "giddily elated" following Diana's death in 1997 and alleges he said "we will forget her soon enough." Buckingham Palace suggested that the "pain of fraternal grief" may have clouded the Earl's recollections.
Piers Morgan is taking legal action against the Earl after he falsely claimed in his book that Morgan was the editor of the Daily Mirror when it published intrusive photos of Diana. Morgan said: "I've only checked the references to me. So who knows how many other people he's done this to, right?"
The Earl has since apologised. Meanwhile, Burrell expressed his belief that the Earl was wrong to bury Diana on an island within his estate. While the public can visit the estate for a fee, only family members are permitted to visit the grave. He argued that Diana should be buried where the public could pay their respects.
