Three Times a Countess: The Extraordinary Life and Times of Raine Spencer

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Yet she could not sway the powerful media narrative which pitted her as ‘the evil stepmother’ at every turn. A societal whirl of London Seasons, family feuds, politics, pomp and ‘big hair’, Gaudoin’s vibrant history of the Countess sets the record straight once and for all, drawing insight from those who knew Raine most. Spain: Parliamentary ceremony in Madrid to mark the 18th birthday of Crown Princess Leonor of Spain. Raine Spencer leaving The Connaught hotel after lunch with Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997 Antony Jones/Getty Images

But who was the real Raine? What was hidden behind the immaculately manicured public facade and her overwhelmingly negative tabloid image? Ongoing Covid restrictions, reduced air and freight capacity, high volumes and winter weather conditions are all impacting transportation and local delivery across the globe. When Johnny did eventually die, poor Raine was shunted out of Althorp within 24 hours and even refused suitcases to put her clothes in… she left with car loads of bin liners. And suddenly she was friends with Princess Diana. Diana made the first move, inviting her to lunch, and soon they were phoning each other every day and calling each other “darling”. Raine was one of the first people to learn of Diana’s death. The BBC announced that Dodi Al Fayed had been killed in the Paris car crash, but Diana was in hospital with minor injuries. Michael Cole, who worked for Mohammed Al Fayed, had been frantically phoning the Salpetriere Hospital to ask for news but the hospital refused to tell him anything because he wasn’t family. Then he remembered that his good friend Raine was family, and got her to ring the hospital, who told her Diana was dead. In one of the longest interviews he ever gave, the Friends actor confided that he was ‘a dark soul’ who dreamed of meeting the right woman and starting a family

Scottish Business Digest Serica could revive North Sea’s Kyle oil field: 5 need-to-know business stories Nicola Sturgeon has insisted she has “nothing to hide” but repeatedly refused to say whether she deleted messages sought by the UK Covid inquiry. The former first minister was challenged over reports that she destroyed communications that have been requested by the investigation. The Scottish... Nicola Sturgeon has insisted she has “nothing to hide” but repeatedly refused to say whether she deleted messages sought by the UK Covid inquiry. The former first minister was challenged over reports that she destroyed communications that have been requested by the investigation. The Scottish... Nicola Sturgeon has insisted she has “nothing to hide” but repeatedly refused to say whether she deleted messages sought by the... When using any of our marketplaces – e.g. jobs, courses, energy comparison etc. We may receive money from third parties who are listed on our marketplaces e.g. an employer paying to advertise a job, or a course or energy provider paying a commission to us.

This book is a vindication, both of Raine herself and of a type of person - of woman - whom it became uncool to value * TLS *When Lady Diana Spencer was 15, she and her siblings discovered their father had secretly married the woman they called Acid Raine by reading it in the Daily Express. He hadn’t dared to tell them. A furious Diana was sent in “to sort him out”, a confrontation that ended up, according to the princess, with her slapping him round the face. Then one day she found herself on a historic buildings committee with Johnnie Spencer, heir to Althorp. Before he met Raine, Johnnie was rumoured to be “the gloomiest man in London”. His wife Frances had bolted and he couldn’t get over it. But Raine made it her business to cheer him up. “Raine loved men and she loved sex,” according to a friend, and they were always stopping the car in lay-bys. On one occasion, they gave a lift to a friend but then popped into a budget hotel by a filling station, and left the friend waiting with the chauffeur in the Rolls. They married in 1976. We are experiencing delays with deliveries to many countries, but in most cases local services have now resumed. For more details, please consult the latest information provided by Royal Mail's International Incident Bulletin. Tina Gaudoin sets out to rehabilitate Raine as a far more nuanced woman, an insouciant, sexy survivor uncredited for her many achievements . . . A colourful life. * The Times *