‘I brought my privacy claim after my private medical information was shared without my consent,’ Professor Jarman said following the settlement. ‘As someone living with Multiple Sclerosis, I have the unquestionable right to decide when and how to share such sensitive details. Pursuing the claim was a necessary and principled step to protect that right, as well as my career and livelihood.
‘The matter has now been resolved after the other party chose to settle the claim, and I regard that outcome as a clear vindication of my decision to take action. I am relieved to be able to move forward and glad the other side saw sense in bringing this matter to a close, sparing everyone further distress. I acted on principle and to defend my privacy at a time when it had been seriously violated.’
A spokesperson for Countess Spencer said: ‘Countess Spencer confirms that the legal proceedings brought against her by Cat Jarman have been resolved in an agreed settlement.
Earl Spencer was first married to Victoria Lockwood, pictured, with whom he shares four children
Tim Graham/Getty Images
‘Countess Spencer considers her position to have been fully vindicated. There was no admission of liability or wrongdoing and Earl Spencer has been ordered to pay the legal costs, which are in excess of £2million together with £4,500 in damages to be paid to his girlfriend Cat Jarman.
‘Countess Spencer sincerely hopes this will mark the end of the matter.’
Earl Spencer announced his split from Countess Spencer, formerly Karen Gorden, in the Mail on Sunday last summer, calling the turn of affairs ‘immensely sad’. ‘I just want to devote myself to all my children, and to my grandchildren,’ said the Earl. ‘I wish Karen every happiness in the future.’ It is believed that their relationship broke down due to the psychological strain the Earl felt while writing his memoir, A Very Private School. In the acknowledgements for the book, a harrowing account of alleged sexual abuse during his boarding school education, Charles thanked Karen and his family for supporting him when he became ‘tetchy and wrung out’ during the writing process.
Elsewhere in the memoir, Earl Spencer reflected on how his childhood experiences had shaped the ‘wreckage’ of his first and second marriages: ‘I learned early in therapy that being sent away to boarding school at eight years of age meant that I had no understanding of intimacy.’ It was a sentiment that he reiterated in an interview with the Therapy Works podcast in March 2024, describing how the abuse he suffered left him pursuing ‘good-looking people who weren’t really into love’.
