Catrine Jarman, the partner of Earl Spencer, has expressed her delight at being able to "move on with my life" after reaching a High Court settlement with his ex-wife, Countess Karen Spencer. The settlement resolves a claim brought by Ms Jarman in 2024, alleging that Countess Spencer misused her private information by revealing details of her multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis to others.
Settlement details
During a unilateral statement read in open court on Thursday, lawyers for Ms Jarman confirmed that an agreement was reached in August last year. However, this settlement was made without any admission of liability or wrongdoing from Countess Spencer. The specific terms of the resolution were not disclosed during the hearing, which Countess Spencer did not attend and where she was not represented.
Ms Jarman's reaction
Speaking following the short hearing, which came during MS Awareness Week, Ms Jarman said: "I'm delighted to be able to move on with my life now." She continued: "Your medical information is your own, and people are not allowed to speculate on that or share it." Solicitor Dina Shiloh, for Ms Jarman, told the court that her client had previously only shared her diagnosis with "a very small and trusted circle of people".
Background of the case
More than 150,000 people in the UK live with the autoimmune disease, which affects the brain and spinal cord and is a disability under the Equality Act. Most people are diagnosed in their 30s and 40s, but it can affect people of all ages, ethnic backgrounds and genders. Ms Shiloh said that Countess Spencer was told about Ms Jarman's diagnosis in a conversation with her husband, Tom Jarman, in April 2024, from whom Ms Jarman was separated at the time. She continued that Countess Spencer then disclosed the information to others "while passing her own commentary upon it" and was unable to provide a list of people she had told, causing Ms Jarman "enormous strain and anxiety".
Legal arguments
Ms Shiloh also said that Ms Jarman believed that the disclosures were "neither necessary nor reasonable", but that Countess Spencer "has asserted, and continues to assert, that it was entirely justified and legitimate for her to tell everyone she did that the claimant had MS in the context of discussing the breakdown of her marriage". Ms Jarman then went public with her condition in a media interview in December 2024, which Ms Shiloh said sought to "bring to an end to the public speculation about her". She said that while Countess Spencer had not admitted wrongdoing, and had not apologised, Ms Jarman was "relieved that these proceedings are at an end".
Financial aspects
Ms Shiloh also said that Earl Spencer had made a "contribution" to Ms Jarman's legal costs through a "formal loan", and that he was also paying Countess Spencer's legal fees in the High Court claim as part of an agreement made in separate divorce proceedings. The solicitor concluded: "She remains profoundly distressed by the disclosure of her medical information by the defendant and is disappointed that she continues to deny any liability or wrongdoing. She has brought these proceedings in order to vindicate her right to medical privacy and to secure recognition of the wrong she considers has been done to her."
Court response
At the end of the hearing, Mrs Justice Steyn said: "I am glad to hear that the matter has concluded." Earl Spencer, the brother of Diana, Princess of Wales, married Countess Spencer in 2011, but the pair divorced last year.
Countess Spencer's statement
A spokesperson for the countess said following the hearing that she had been "threatened with multiple legal claims" by Ms Jarman and Earl Spencer, which she believed were "co-ordinated". They continued that Countess Spencer accepted the settlement offer "with no admission of liability or wrongdoing", as "Earl Spencer would be required to indemnify her for the costs associated with accepting" the settlement. They said: "Countess Spencer has exercised restraint throughout and has limited what she has said publicly. At this time, she does not intend to discuss these matters beyond the few points she feels it is important to highlight in this statement for the purpose of context and accuracy. She considers the matter closed."
Other parties' reactions
Mr Jarman said in a statement following the hearing that he "did not envisage" that information disclosed to Countess Spencer "might have become public". He said: "Their disclosure has been distressing and has had a significantly harmful impact on all involved and on Cat in particular. This is a source of huge personal regret." He continued: "Any private speculation around Cat's condition was just that: private." Earl Spencer said: "Cat has handled every aspect of this with grace, integrity and quiet courage. She sought only what was her right: the same right to privacy that every person deserves. Multiple sclerosis is a serious condition; its course is uncertain, and its demands are significant. Those who live with the condition deserve complete control over when, how and to whom they choose to disclose it."
