Jane Fellowes, Baroness Fellowes

Cynthia Jane Fellowes, Baroness Fellowes (née Spencer), was born on February 11, 1957. She is known as one of the two elder sisters of Diana, Princess of Wales, with Lady Sarah McCorquodale being the other sister.

Early Life and Education:

Lady Fellowes is the daughter of Edward John Spencer, the 8th Earl Spencer (1924–1992), and the Honorable Frances Ruth Burke Roche (1936–2004). Her parents married in 1954 and divorced in 1969. She was raised using her middle name, Jane, as did her elder sister. Among her godparents was Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, who was a witness at his 1961 marriage to Katharine Worsley. Lady Fellowes attended West Heath boarding school near Sevenoaks in Kent. Reports describe her as a diligent student who achieved the status of school prefect and completed several A-level examinations, having earned multiple O-levels and A-levels.

Marriage and Children:

On April 20, 1978, Lady Fellowes married Robert Fellowes, born in 1941, a distant relation and assistant private secretary to Queen Elizabeth II. The wedding took place at The Guards' Chapel, located within Wellington Barracks. Robert Fellowes was later granted a life peerage as Baron Fellowes, of Shotesham in Norfolk, on July 12, 1999, after being knighted as Sir Robert Fellowes. The couple has three children, who are maternal first cousins of Princes William and Harry, and paternal second cousins of Sarah, Duchess of York. Their daughter Laura Fellowes is a godmother to Princess Charlotte, the daughter of Prince William and Catherine Middleton.

Relationship with Diana, Princess of Wales:

After Diana's death in 1997, reports have discussed the relationship between Lady Fellowes and her sister. Diana's former butler, Paul Burrell, suggested the sisters' relationship was strained due to Lord Fellowes’s position as secretary to the Queen and indicated that they had not spoken in several years. Conversely, Mary Clarke, Diana's childhood nanny and memoirist, stated that the sisters' relationship was not as adversarial as some accounts imply. The exact timeline of their relationship difficulties, if any, remains unclear. The sisters were neighbors on the Kensington Palace estate, with Diana residing at numbers 8 and 9, and Lady Fellowes at a house called the Old Barracks. Following Diana's death, Lady Fellowes and Lady Sarah McCorquodale traveled to Paris with their former brother-in-law, Prince Charles, to escort Diana’s body back to England for her public funeral. Witnesses noted that Lady Fellowes was visibly distressed upon viewing Diana’s body and required assistance. Both sisters participated in the funeral proceedings.

Later Life:

Post-1997, Lady Fellowes has largely maintained a private life alongside her family. She attended the weddings of Prince William and Catherine Middleton on April 29, 2011, and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on May 19, 2018, delivering a reading at the latter event.

References and Bibliography:

Her genealogy has been documented in sources such as the Genealogist’s Magazine, with articles by D. Williamson in 1981 detailing her ancestry.