Karen Spencer has released her first public statement since news of her impending divorce broke.
On June 21, the Countess Spencer shared a written statement via her Instagram account addressing her impending divorce from the late Princess Diana's husband, Charles Spencer.
"Just wanted to say that I have been overwhelmed by the messages of love and support," she wrote, along with various pictures from the evening marking the summer solstice.
"Thank you, it has really meant a lot to me," she continued in the caption. "I’m just processing at the moment. Will come back to you soon. ❤️Thought I’d share a few pics from last nights summer solstice gathering."
On June 9, the 9th Earl Spencer publicly confirmed the end of his marriage to the Countess of Spencer, telling the Daily Mail that the split "is immensely sad." The pair were married for nearly 13 years.
"I just want to devote myself to all my children, and to my grandchildren," Spencer told the publication at the time. "And I wish Karen every happiness in the future."
According to the Daily Mail, the former couple's staff were aware of their impending divorce back in March.
The same report claims that Spencer's relationship with the Countess started to break down "amid the strain of writing his harrowing memoir detailing the physical and sexual abuse he suffered at boarding school." Additionally, Charles Spencer reportedly told his staff that "five years of work on his memoir" impacted him greatly, which led to him "undergoing residential treatment for trauma late last year."
In a previous interview with People, Spencer opened up about how supportive his wife was while he wrote his memoir.
"Karen has been supportive," he told the publication at the time. "I think it was very challenging for her to have a husband going through what was essentially four and a half years of the most profound therapy with very difficult undertones to it. And she supported the idea of me doing it.
"I think she always hoped I would come out happier and healthier," he added. "And that seems to be the case very much. So, I'm grateful to have her standing by me while I went through this, what I now realize was an essential process."
In a previous Instagram post, Karen Spencer shared that she has been "spending a lot of time these days contemplating families and people and who and what shapes us."
In the post honoring Mother's Day, she went on to say that she believes "the most impactful person in our life is our mother."
"The older I get the luckier I feel to have been raised by a mother who had really simple basic values and who always put her family and her children first," she added. "Those fundamentals become the foundation of who you are."
