Woman accused of stalking Princess Diana's brother appears in court ahead of trial
Marinela Atomei, 44, from Warwickshire, previously denied stalking Earl Spencer by sending letters and repeatedly visiting his Althorp House estate in Northamptonshire
A woman accused of stalking Princess Diana's brother Earl Charles Spencer has appeared in court ahead of her trial next year.
Marinela Atomei, 44, previously denied a charge of stalking Earl Spencer which prosecutors allege caused him serious alarm or distress by sending handwritten letters, repeatedly visiting Althorp House in Northamptonshire, and seeking to access his home to meet him.
Appearing at Warwick Crown Court in Leamington Spa on Monday, Atomei, who wore a grey pinstripe suit and a white blouse in the dock, was told she would next need to appear for her trial in April 2027.
The court heard Earl Spencer, 62, and a police officer would be witnesses in the trial, which is expected to begin on April 19.
Prosecution counsel Peter Grieves-Smith said the earl would not be required on the first day of the trial, but would give evidence and be cross-examined on the same day.
The judge in an earlier hearing at Warwick Crown Court granted an application for Earl Spencer to give evidence behind a screen.
The hearing was also told Atomei, of Atherstone in Warwickshire, is accused of stalking Earl Spencer by visiting the Althorp estate on numerous occasions when it was open to members of the public in July and August 2025.
Diana is buried on a private island in the grounds of Althorp, near the village of Great Brington, and the estate was one of her childhood homes.
Prosecutors allege Atomei stalked Earl Spencer between July last year and February this year, causing him serious alarm or distress which “had a substantial adverse effect on his usual day-to-day activities”.
The detail of the charge read to Atomei by the court clerk at a hearing in May further alleges that she made numerous posts on social media in respect of Earl Spencer and Althorp House, and contacted the stately home by email in January 2026 “seeking to arrange to collaborate on a project with Charles Edward Maurice Spencer”.
On January 17 this year, the court heard, she is alleged to have attended Althorp uninvited, “gaining access to the grounds, and attempting to gain access to the House”.
She is also alleged to have returned to Althorp two weeks later “to attempt to personally deliver a letter and a package” to Earl Spencer.
At the end of the brief hearing on Monday, Recorder Charles Foster told Atomei, who is Romanian but has lived in the UK for more than a decade, she would once again be released on bail, with conditions not to enter Northamptonshire and monitoring through an electronic tag, to continue.
He said: “Stand up Ms Atomei. You have heard what has been said. This case remains listed for trial.
“You must attend your trial. I enlarge your bail conditions as before.”
Atomei said thank you and nodded her head at the judge as she was let out of the dock and left the courtroom following the hearing.