According to reports, the pope described Father Ignatius Spencer, formerly known as George Spencer, as someone who lived his life with “heroic virtue.” He was born in 1799 and was Diana’s great uncle three times over. He was also the great uncle of former Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
Now called the Venerable Ignatius Spencer, Diana’s uncle built strong connections in and around England and Ireland with his missionary work. Despite growing up in the massive Althorp estate, where Diana also spent her childhood, he shunned his wealthy life as he committed himself to the Christian life. But prior to being a Catholic priest, Father Spencer was aligned with the Anglican Church.
The Catholic community in the United Kingdom celebrated the news of Father Spencer’s potential sainthood. The next steps to this process, however, are more challenging as evidence of the priest’s two miracles must be presented to the Vatican.
Upon verifying the proof, Father Spencer will be beatified and then canonized. Needless to say, the path to sainthood takes several years to complete as decades of research and investigation are undertaken at the Vatican.
While one of William and Harry’s relatives lived an extremely pious and righteous life, a maternal cousin of Queen Elizabeth was recently ordered by the courts to be jailed for 10 months. Simon Bowes-Lyon, the Earl of Strathmore, and a nephew of the Queen Mother, was sentenced in February 2021 for sexually assaulting a female guest in his ancestral home.
Also known as Sam Glamis, the 34-year-old earl admitted to forcing himself on a female friend during a party a year ago. However, the woman was able to escape Glamis and reported her assault to the police.
According to Daily Mail, the earl will be stripped of his title and honorary role as the chieftain of the Strathmore Highland Games. For three generations, earls in this family have held such a role and also inherited the 16,500-acre stronghold in Scotland.
In statement, Glamis said that he was greatly ashamed of causing distress towards another person. He also said that he apologized to his lady friend, after realizing what he did. He claimed to have been drunk, hence he lost his bearing and senses. According to the police, the victim is still traumatized by her attempted rape and has been having nightmares, one year after the attack.