A woman accused of stalking Earl Charles Spencer is due to stand trial in April next year.

Marinela Atomei, 44, previously denied a charge of stalking Diana, Princess of Wales’s brother, 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 earlier this month, Atomei was told she would next need to appear for her trial in April 2027.

The court heard 62-year-old Earl Spencer and a police officer would be witnesses in the trial, which is expected to begin on April 19.

Marinela Atomei arrives for a pre-trial review hearing at Warwick Crown Court in Leamington Spa, where she denies stalking Earl Spencer by sending handwritten letters and repeatedly visiting Althorp House. Picture: Jacob King/PA Wire

placeholder image — Marinela Atomei arrives for a pre-trial review hearing at Warwick Crown Court in Leamington Spa, where she denies stalking Earl Spencer by sending handwritten letters and repeatedly visiting Althorp House. Picture: Jacob King/PA Wire

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.