Earl Spencer shows off furniture

Replicas inspired by Althorp, where Diana and her brother grew up

Mic Smith
The Post and Courier

Earl Spencer talks to customers Monday in Southeastern Galleries about a replica chest that can trace its roots back to George Washington's family. Spencer was in Charleston to sell furniture inspired by his family's ancestral home.

Eleven years ago, Charles the Ninth Earl Spencer received worldwide attention when he attacked the media and royal family over the treatment of his sister, the late Princess Diana.

He's making headlines again this side of the pond by promoting a line of furniture inspired by the home they grew up in.

Spencer spent several hours in Charleston on Monday evening, inside Southeastern Galleries. It was his second time in the Holy City; the first was in 2005, shortly after the "Althorp: Living History" collection was introduced.

"I remember it well because they gave me grits and shrimp for breakfast," he said. It was a dish he'd never tasted before.

There was no time for such delicacies this visit. Spencer planned to leave late Monday, the same day he arrived, for Virginia and his next public appearance. But he will "certainly come back," he said, and would love to bring his children.

Inside the Ashley River Road home furnishings store, Spencer shed his coat jacket and got to the task of signing about 150 pieces with a black permanent marker. He scribbled on the inner lids of boxes and the insides of drawers. He knelt on the floor to get to the bottoms of chairs.

The pieces were inspired by those inside Althorp, the Spencer family's home for the last 500 years. The estate is in Northamptonshire, about 70 miles north of London, and is where Diana is buried.

Spencer's favorite piece is the Washington Chest, which sells for $2,310 at Southeastern Galleries. He told a crowd of about 50 that he was "flabbergasted" when he first saw furniture maker Theodore Alexander's version, with every nick and scar in the appropriate place.

The original oak chest sits in the private wing of Althorp, storing Spencer's cricket and tennis equipment, he said.

Prices range from $179 for a bronze crab to $12,000 for an oval mahogany dining table, said David Sutton, sales manager for the store. Both sold Monday, as did at least three-fourths of the Althorp pieces Southeastern had on hand.

Fifteen percent of the purchase price of each item sold through Wednesday will be donated to Hollings Cancer Center, Sutton said.

Royalties help pay for the routine maintenance of Althorp, Spencer said. The home needs a new roof, which will likely cost around $10 million.

Southeastern Galleries is one of the Althorp collection's top five accounts in the country, said Vice President Rick Cooper. "Charleston is an English traditional market, and this is an English traditional collection," he said. "It's a perfect glove fit."

Isle of Palms resident Margaret Marsh Crawley called the pieces "elegant."

"I feel that it's such a privilege that Earl Spencer has done this, and that he's brought this beautiful furniture — his heritage — to share with America," Crawley said.

Arthur Oberg of West Ashley rode his bike to meet Spencer, and get an autograph for his wife. The couple was "deeply distraught" when Diana passed away. "It's very hard to speak about that and keep a dry face."