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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
World
Sian Baldwin

Who is Lady Sarah McCorquodale? Princess Diana's sister supports Prince William at military ceremony

Prince William was joined by a rarely-seen royal relative as he attended a military graduation.

Lady Sarah McCorquodale, the sister of the late Diana, Princess of Wales, joined Prince William, at Royal Air Force College Cranwell on Thursday, September 12.

The prince, 42, made his way to the graduation ceremony at the RAF on behalf of his father, King Charles.

It's understood that Lady Sarah heard her nephew was at the event and turned up to show her support.

Who is Lady Sarah McCorquodale?

The oldest of Princess Diana’s two sisters, Lady Sarah, 69, is not often seen in the limelight. For a short period of time, she dated Prince Charles before introducing him to her sister Diana.

Diana’s other sister is Jane Fellowes, also known as Baroness Fellowes.

Sarah acquired the title "Lady" in 1975, when her grandfather died and her father became the 8th Earl Spencer.

She went to school in Norfolk, attending Riddlesworth Hall School before moving on to West Heath boarding school near Sevenoaks, in Kent. After passing her O-Level exams, she left West Heath to work in London.

She and her family now live near Grantham, Lincolnshire, where she served a one-year term as High Sheriff of Lincolnshire in 2009.

Her family

She married Neil Edmund McCorquodale in May 1980. The pair share three children: Emily, 41, George, 39 and Celia, 35.

She also has seven grandchildren.

Lady Sarah is aunt to Prince William and Prince Harry and attended both of their weddings in 2011 and 2018 respectively.

Was Lady Sarah close to Diana?

Lady Sarah flew to Paris with her younger sister Jane and Prince Charles to accompany Diana's body back to England after her fatal car crash.

She contributed to the readings at Diana's funeral and was also a co-executor of her will.

After Diana’s death, Lady Sarah stepped in as the president of the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund. It is reported she has since sought to keep close relationships with both Prince William and Prince Harry.

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