The treasures of Raine’s reign

As Diana’s stepmother, she lived a life that made Downton look dowdy. Now her artefacts are up for sale – and what a story they have to tell, reveals her daughter

MY extraordinary mother, Raine, died last year aged 87, but her joie de vivre remained with her until the end. In her final months, even though she was very frail, she threw a lavish party at which she wore her most glamorous dress and her best diamonds and, during her speech, gave plaudits to every guest.

Today most people know her as the stepmother of Diana, Princess of Wales, or for the exaggerated upsweep of her coiffure, yet there was so much more to Raine than that. My mother was truly a oneoff, a woman of great individuality and paradoxes: she still wore white gloves on every outing but loved going to football matches.

She was the least domestically inclined person one could ever hope to meet – when her beloved butler, Brian, was away, she would eat off paper plates rather than have to wash up – but she always changed for dinner, donning a cocktail dress and jewels, even when alone. She took real delight in beautiful things and the magnificent decoration and contents of her homes, some of which will be auctioned this week, were a reflection of her intense knowledge and individual taste.

Hers was a life shaped by the twin ideals of glamour and romance, notions inculcated into her by my grandmother, Barbara Cartland, who, at the time of Raine’s birth in 1929, was a 28-year-old journalist and budding novelist.

Barbara’s brains and verve had enabled her to cut a swathe through London society and, after more than 50 proposals, to marry Alexander McCorquodale, heir to a printing fortune. But too late she discovered that they didn’t get on, and that he drank, so in 1933 she took what was then an highly unusual step by divorcing him. Barbara and her daughter remained at the family house in Mayfair.

In spite of Barbara’s scandalous divorce, her aptitude for selfpromotion helped her retain her position at the apex of London society. My infant mother was dressed up and dragged along in Barbara’s wake. She even sparked the interest of the young Princess Elizabeth who, seeing my mother at a children’s party, remarked to her governess, Crawfie: ‘What a pretty, fat baby, what’s her name?’ Told that it was Raine, Princess Elizabeth was much amused and exclaimed: ‘What a funny, funny name!’

Soon after, Barbara married again, this time to her former husband’s cousin, Hugh McCorquodale.

At school Raine excelled academically, but Barbara’s greater interest lay in tutoring her daughter in the social arts: how to fascinate, how to dazzle with a smile, how to look interested and be amusing – lessons that Raine was never to forget.

At the end of the war, Raine found herself catapulted into the high glamour of the London season. In 1947, aged 18, she was named Deb of the Year. Raine was bright, vivacious and extremely pretty, with fine skin and an appetite for romance. After numerous proposals, she chose my father, Gerald Legge, a war hero and the heir to an earldom. In July 1948, Barbara watched triumphantly as her daughter walked down the aisle of St Margaret’s, Westminster, followed by 16 bridesmaids. She was considered to have been the most beautiful society bride of her year.

My parents set up home in Mayfair, and Raine, despite her extreme youth and the quick-fire births of my two brothers, William and Rupert, a year later, took up work as an unofficial health visitor.

London was still recovering from the war. Horrified by the barely believable conditions in which people were forced to live, she stood for local government and, aged 23, became the youngest-ever member of Westminster City Council. She remained active in local government until the mid-1970s, when she resigned as chair of the

‘Her life was shaped by glamour and romance’

Covent Garden redevelopment committee in protest against the proposed demolition of the historic flower market. The ensuing outcry preserved it from destruction.

Raine and Gerald were invited to stay at all the grandest houses. It was during such visits that my mother began to appreciate beautiful furniture and good paintings, and to embark on her own collection, with French art of the 18th Century a particular passion. The rococo flourishes appealed to Raine’s sense of romance.

Just before my parents’ silver wedding anniversary, they parted. They had married so young and had gradually grown to want different things. Soon after their divorce, in what my grandmother Barbara explained to me as ‘an irresistible coup de foudre, darling’, Raine married Johnny, Earl Spencer, the father of Diana, the future Princess of Wales.

She moved into Althorp, the vast stately home in Northamptonshire, and Raine and Johnny were given two years of bliss until he suffered a massive stroke. My mother used all her considerable influence to keep him alive, arranging access to drugs that hadn’t yet been officially approved in Britain. It was a gamble that paid off. Johnny’s recovery was slow but he was eventually strong enough to walk Diana down the aisle of St Paul’s when she married Prince Charles in 1981.

The friendship between Raine and Diana took root after Johnny’s sudden death in March 1992. While supporting each other in grief, the two women discovered a common ground. My mother could understand the pressures of a life lived in the glare of relentless publicity.

She was devastated to have lost the great love of her life. But she was just 53 and the single state was anathema to her – she had been married since the age of 18. She met Jean-Francois Pineton de Chambrun, a French count and, after a whirlwind romance, they married and went off to live in his pink chateau outside Cannes. The marriage did not survive and my mother moved back to London to reinvent herself yet again, this time as a director of Harrods. Johnny had been great friends with the then owner, Mohamed al Fayed. She adored working there.

When she died, my brothers and I decided to put a part of her collection up for auction. She would have loved the idea that her precious pieces might soon be providing their new custodians with as much pleasure as they once gave her.

The Collection of Raine, Countess Spencer, will be auctioned at Christie’s in London on Thursday.

SHARED GRIEF: Raine Spencer and Diana bonded after Spencer’s death. Earl her Above: Raine at marriage to JeanFrancois Pineton de Chambrun £250,000 RUBY AND DIAMOND PARURE Earl Spencer bought Raine this beautiful parure of rubies from Van Cleef & Arpels as a thank you present for saving his life after his stroke. She wore it with her Balmain gowns at the annual parties that they held at Althorp. £6,000 ALLIGATOR ‘PRINCESS DIANA’ HANDBAG BY LANA MARKS This was commissioned by Diana in 1995 and was one of two she gave to my mother. £5,000 ART DECO BRONZE Raine loved Art Deco and kept this in the dining room

£25,000 £2,500 EMPIRE ORMULU AND CUT-GLASS CHANDELIER My mother didn’t ‘do’ casual – her rooms were always lit by antique chandeliers because they provided the most glamorous and flattering light. ROCOCO-STYLE GILTWOOD BED Raine filled her house with antique beds – this was her own bed in the house she owned by the sea. £40,000 PAIR OF LOUIS XVI AGATE URNS The gilded console tables in the drawing room were adorned with these agate and ormolu urns – my mother loved agate and all precious hard stones. £90,000 A LOUIS XVI COMMODE £60,000 £10,000 GEORGE III SILVER TWO-LIGHT CANDELABRA She loved entertaining, but even when eating alone, her table was set with fine silver. PAINTING BY LOUIS LEOPOLD BOILLY My mother felt a strong affinity with the aesthetic of the French Ancien Regime. She very often wore a hat and favoured the voluminous skirts and nipped-in waists that had bought her such success as a young woman. She particularly loved the soft romanticism of this painting, L’Amusement De La Campagne. Attributed to Pierre-Antoine Foullet in about 1770 – one of Raine’s most loved possessions. £25,000 GEORGE II OVAL GILTWOOD MIRRORS Raine was renowned for her love of gold, so much so that a tone of gilding is named after her – ‘The Lady Spencer Finish’. These mirrors are very fine examples of 18th Century carving. £40,000 MANTEL CLOCK, CIRCA 1795-1800 This was a special piece. My mother particularly loved the chinoiserie detail as it reminded her of Brighton Pavilion – a favourite building. £2,500 HAT CASES AND SUITCASE BY LOUIS VUITTON When my mother and stepfather went to Japan and the US, their extensive personalised Louis Vuitton luggage went with them, as did these hat boxes. There was no thought about excess baggage! £1,200 SILK GROSGRAIN BALLGOWN BY PIERRE BALMAIN This scarlet couture ballgown trimmed with silk roses was made specially for Raine in 1990. She wore it at the grand dances that she gave at Althorp and for her 70th birthday celebrations at The Ritz in 1999.