TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Princess Di Fans Flock To See Earl, Althorp Furniture

Tribune photo by SCOTT ISKOWITZ

Earl Charles Spencer signs replica furniture from Althorp, the ancestral family home, during his recent visit.

ADVERTISEMENT

By PENNY CARNATHAN

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 10, 2008

TAMPA - Even in the former Colonies, people are expected to observe proper courtesies when addressing British nobility. For Charles, the ninth Earl Spencer, that includes being introduced as Earl Spencer, though afterward, Charles is OK.

And for the media, it means absolutely no questions about his famous sister, the late Princess Diana.

"Mention Princess Diana, and that's it. It shuts down immediately," warned Spencer's host, D.J. Lanzoni of Sarasota.

But it was hard to believe the earl wouldn't have taken such a question in stride. He was affable and even funny during his visit Monday at Livingston Furniture, his only Florida stop on a U.S. tour promoting Althorp Living History, a furniture line that includes replicas of antiques at the 500-year-old Spencer family home, and pieces "inspired by" the estate and its residents.

"When we were children, visiting our grandfather at Althorp, they were just pieces," Spencer said of the heirlooms amassed by 18 generations before him. "We weren't allowed to touch them.

"I've relaxed the rules. I've got six kids - which I don't think is bad as a Protestant - and they have the run of the home."

That led to just one accident. Years ago, his now 17-year-old daughter, Kitty, dropped a snuff box that had belonged to Admiral Lord Nelson, the Napoleonic war hero who died in 1805.

"It smashed," Spencer said.

The Living History line is not supposed to be about Diana - her image doesn't appear on any of the promotional brochures. And it would seem to stand well on its own: The furniture is exquisitely made, designed and handcrafted by manufacturer Theodore Alexander. The pieces reflect tastes and trends dating back to the 1600s.

And the family history is rich in its own right. When Sir John Spencer bought Althorp in 1508, he was already a wealthy sheep farmer. His male descendants would become sailors and ambassadors; the women were often strong and pioneering. One of them, Lady Georgiana Spencer, is the focus of a new movie starring Keira Knightley. "The Duchess" opens Sept. 19 in the United States.

But for all that, it was the Di factor that drew many of the 150 or so people who came to Livingston's for Spencer's visit.

Michele and Michael Davis of Seminole bought an elegant little George II dressing table, with drawers that pop open at the push of a button, for their 12-year-old daughter, Alia Artemesia Davis. At Michele's request, Spencer inscribed it, "To Princess Alia Artemesia - Charles Spencer" with his black Sharpie.

"I've been following Diana for a long time," Michele said. "We all cried the day she died."

Cindy Flowers bought a couple of pieces even before she knew Spencer planned to visit. She's from Georgia, her partner Chuck Levine is from Washington, D.C., and they just bought a house in June.

"We're trying to mix Southern charm with the formality of Washington, D.C.," she said. "I think it should be functional, Chuck thinks it should be beautiful. This furniture fits that absolutely."

And Diana just makes it all the more interesting.

"The connection is there, obviously," Flowers said. "I admired her work with charity."

Spencer spent about three hours at the store, posing for snapshots and signing dozens of pieces. Customers snapped up almost all of the least expensive items, including $200 wooden boxes and $120 picture frames, said store owner Dick Greenfield.

The line was introduced in the United States in 2004. When it proved popular, Spencer said, it was introduced in England. There, he admitted, it's a slightly tougher sell.

"It's a bit like selling ice to Eskimos."

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT