Earl Spencer gushes about his 'respected' new partner Cat Jarman

Earl Spencer has confirmed his relationship with archaeologist Cat Jarman.

Speaking on Good Morning Britain today, the brother of the late Princess Diana, joined hosts Susanna Reid and Richard Madeley and opened up about his relationship with the Scandinavian archaeologist for the first time.

Gushing about his new girlfriend, 42, he said: 'Cat Jarman, who is my partner now actually, she's a brilliant archaeologist. 

'She is Nordic Person of the Year 2024 which is usually handed out to someone like Sven-Goran Eriksson or a composer or something. You have to be respected throughout all Scandinavian and Nordic countries.'

Cat is currently  taking Charles' ex-wife Karen, 52, to court over 'misuse of private information'.

Cat, who is separated from her husband, has been helping Earl Spencer unearth a Roman villa in Althorp, the Spencer family estate in Northamptonshire. 

Since 2023, Charles and Cat have co-hosted The Rabbit Hole Detective, which is a historical podcast, alongside Richard.

Discussing his new trivia book which he has co-written with Reverend Richard Coles and Cat, Charles, 60, shared the inside story of how they first met. 

He said: 'Well first of all I met her because we both had the same publisher but secondly, I know this sounds rather bizarre but she came to dig up a Roman villa on some land I've got.

'Richard, Cat and I would end up together and Richard had been recently bereaved so was semi living with me and the three of us would just talk and talk and talk. Cat said ''let's do a podcast'' and out of the podcast came the book.' 

Charles and Cat first sparked romance rumours in June, after they were spotted enjoying a theatre trip in London. 

He was snapped walking with Cat to the Prince of Wales Theatre, where they watched a performance of the hit musical comedy The Book Of Mormon.

'They looked into each other's eyes and there seemed to be a strong attraction,' one onlooker said. 'They were both laughing as they walked to the theatre and he didn't use his VIP status to beat the long queue.'

It was recently revealed that Cat has started legal proceedings against Earl's ex-wife, Countess Karen Spencer over 'misuse of private information'.

The court filing was made on Thursday, however further details about the case haven't been released. 

Cat is being represented by legal firm Simons Muirhead Burton, while Karen, who remained at Althorp following her separation from Spencer, will reportedly be representing herself in the legal case. 

In June, Charles revealed the 'immensely sad' news that he and his third wife Karen Gordon, 52, a Canadian philanthropist, were divorcing.

The pair married in 2011 and Karen gave birth to Charles' seventh child, Lady Charlotte, the following year.

They married within the grounds of Althorp, where the Earl's older sister Princess Diana is buried. The couple had met the previous year on a blind date at a restaurant in Los Angeles.

But their relationship is understood to have broken down amid the strain of him writing his harrowing memoir, A Very Private School, which details the abuse he suffered at boarding school.

Earlier this year Charles dramatically disclosed that he'd been subjected to sexual abuse while at his prep school, Maidwell Hall.

The Earl's memoir also revealed the trauma of his mother leaving him and Diana when he was three-years-old and how being brought up by a succession of nannies also impacted him. 

His wife was absent from his book launch events at Althorp and Spencer House in London in March, while Cat praised his 'beautifully written' memoir on social media.

He's reportedly hired divorce lawyer Baroness Shackleton of Belgravia, known as the 'steel magnolia', to represent him.    

Elsewhere in the interview Charles revealed that Princess Diana is still 'very' alive in his memory and he still visits his sisters grave 'most days'.

27-years since the princess died in Paris, he said: 'Everyday people tell me what an inspiration she was and how much they miss her and what they did the day she died - it's extraordinary.

Responding to Richard asking where he was when he first heard the news about Diana's death, he said: 'I was on the telephone to my middle sister Jane and her husband who worked for the Queen was on another line. I heard him go 'oh no' and that's when my sister said what had happened. I remember it like yesterday.'

Speaking about his grief he said: 'Like everyone else you sort of get used to it, without it ever going away. I go pretty much everyday [to visit her burial]'