# Lady Glenconner defends Diana's 'generous' stepmother > Lady Glenconner calls Diana's stepmother 'generous' after Earl Spencer's book claims she was 'Acid Raine'. - Title: Lady Glenconner defends Diana's 'generous' stepmother - Summary: Lady Glenconner calls Diana's stepmother 'generous' after Earl Spencer's book claims she was 'Acid Raine'. Lady Glenconner praised Diana's stepmother Raine… - Keywords: lady glenconner, princess diana, earl spencer, raine spencer, acid raine, swan song, royals, spencer family, celebrity, Lady, Glenconner, defends - Source: Dailymail — https://dailymail.com/news/royals/article-16207729/Lady-Glenconner-defends-Dianas-generous-stepmother-Earl-Spencers-claims-woman-called-Acid-Raine.html?ito=1490&ns_campaign=1490&ns_mchannel=rss - Published: 2026-10-14T09:23:31+00:00 - Read time: 2 min - Topics: lady glenconner, princess diana, earl spencer, raine spencer, acid raine, swan song, royals, spencer family, celebrity ## Lady Glenconner defends Diana's stepmother Lady Glenconner praised Diana's stepmother Raine Spencer as 'generous' after Earl Spencer's book claims she was 'Acid Raine'. > Lady Anne Glenconner has defended Princess Diana's 'generous' stepmother after Earl Spencer's disparaging remarks about the late Countess Spencer in his new book Swan Song ## Raine Spencer's role in family Raine Spencer was described as 'wonderful' with John Spencer after their 1976 marriage and credited for saving his life. > Raine Spencer was 'wonderful' with John Spencer after their marriage in 1976 ## Raine's death and legacy Raine Spencer died ten years ago at age 87, and Lady Glenconner credited her for saving John Spencer's life. > Raine Spencer died ten years ago at the age of 87 ## Earl Spencer's book claims Charles Spencer described Raine Spencer as 'Acid Raine' and claimed she sold Althorp estate assets. > Charles Spencer described Raine Spencer as 'Acid Raine' ## Diana and Raine's conflict Diana pushed Raine down stairs after she said she felt 'sorry' for Prince Charles marrying someone 'stupid'. > Diana pushed her stepmother down the stairs after Raine said she felt 'sorry' for the then-Prince of Wales because he was married to 'someone quite as stupid' as her ## Family tensions Spencer siblings nicknamed Raine 'Acid Raine' and sang 'Raine, Raine, go away' when they saw her. > Spencer siblings nicknamed Raine 'Acid Raine' and sang 'Raine, Raine, go away' when they saw her ## Diana's reconciliation Diana and Raine reconciled after John Spencer's death, with Diana expressing gratitude for Raine's love for her father. > Diana and Raine reconciled after John Spencer's death, with Diana expressing gratitude for Raine's love for her father ## Raine's final years Raine died in October 2016 following a short battle with cancer. > Raine died in October 2016 following a short battle with cancer ## Raine's impact on Diana Raine was a godmother to Diana's daughter Charlotte and Lady Glenconner's daughter May. > I was godmother to her daughter, Charlotte, and she was godmother to my daughter, May, and she was very generous to her ## Raine's estate sales Raine sold Althorp estate assets, which the Spencers' children criticized as 'feathering her own nest'. > Raine sold Althorp estate assets, which the Spencers' children criticized as 'feathering her own nest' ## Raine's marriage to John Spencer Raine married John Spencer in 1976 after divorcing her first husband, Gerald Legge. > Raine married John Spencer in 1976 after divorcing her first husband, Gerald Legge ## Raine's family dynamics Spencer children ganged up on Raine, who was often described as an unwelcome addition to the family. > All the Spencer children behaved very badly to Raine; it wasn't just Diana. They were purposely ganging up on her ## Raine's influence on Diana Raine was a key figure in Diana's early life, with the princess expressing gratitude for her father's love. > Diana was fully aware of what she was doing, she knew that this was a U-turn day. She knew the Spencer family would not be very happy but she couldn't care less because she thought it was time Raine came back ## Raine's legacy Raine's influence on Diana's life and family remains significant despite the tensions. > For the last year of Diana's life the pair remained very close and spoke on the telephone every morning ## Raine's death Raine died in October 2016 following a short battle with cancer. > Raine died in October 2016 following a short battle with cancer ## Raine's impact on family Raine's marriage to John Spencer caused significant family tension and conflict. > Raine's marriage to John Spencer caused significant family tension and conflict ## Key takeaway Lady Glenconner praised Diana's stepmother Raine Spencer as 'generous' despite family tensions.