Earl Spencer was left in a “state of shock” when he came face-to-face with a suspected stalker who was “fixated” on meeting his son, a court has heard.
Michelle Akpata spent months bombarded the Spencer family and staff at their Althorp estate with requests for a meeting with Viscount Louis Spencer.
The 29-year-old tried to book budding actor Louis for fictional casting sessions, she claimed to be a BBC podcast while trying to secure an interview, and repeatedly invited Earl Spencer to charity galas, Westminster magistrates court heard.
The Spencer family called in police as Ms Akpata’s behaviour appeared to escalate, including a bizarre request to host her birthday party at Althorp House itself.
Alarm bells rang after Ms Akpata hired a private investigator to try to get hold of Louis Spencer’s personal phone number.
And her pursuit of the family culminated when she travelled more than 100 miles to ambush Earl Spencer as he signed books for fans at the Cirencester History Festival.
She managed to pose for a selfie with the Earl before he realised who she was and signalled for his agent to take her away, the court was told.
Details of the case emerged after the Metropolitan Police secured a temporary stalking protection order against Ms Akpata, banning her from contacting the Spencers or visiting the Althorp country estate.
Earl Spencer, 61, an author and broadcaster who is the younger brother of Princess Diana, said he feared for his son’s safety after the shock face-to-face meeting with Ms Akpata.
The Standard has gained exclusive access to the case files, which detail Louis Spencer’s fears of going out in public alone in case Ms Akpata turns up and how her attentions left him feeling alarmed, threatened, and constantly looking over his shoulder.
Ms Akpata told police when she was arrested last November that she only wanted Louis to come on to her podcast, and she stopped pursuing the family once she recognised “her attention was unwanted”.
But Scotland Yard sought a court order, believing Ms Akpata to be a “fixated and obsessive stalker” who needed to be stopped.
‘An Ongoing Fixation’
When Beverley Kelly, the head of business services on the sprawling Althorp estate in Northamptonshire, took on the role of PA to Earl Spencer in February 2024, she soon spotted a problem.
She told the court that staff who work for the Spencers are accustomed to fans and admirers sometimes becoming “fixated” with the aristocratic family.
Most of them stop when told to, but Ms Kelly said in regular calls from Ms Akpata she refused to take ‘no’ for an answer.
She made persistent demands for a meeting with Earl Spencer and his son, and came up with increasingly outlandish reasons for to get close to them.
“I had at first felt sorry for Michelle and had attempted to get to the bottom of why she was calling various times in order to try and put a stop to the contact”, she said.
“I felt she was clearly someone suffering from mental health issues to have such an ongoing fixation.”
Ms Akpata appeared to be on Tube in London during many of the calls, said Ms Kelly, recognising the familiar ‘Mind the Gap’ announcements in the background.
She said her concerns began to raise thanks to the “odd” requests for information that Ms Akpata was making.
“Michelle would call and state she wanted Lord Althorp to go onto her podcast, what he likes to eat and most concerning, she would ask for his address in London”, she said.
She said Ms Akpata appeared to know little about Louis personally, but insisted she was interested in his “career as a Viscount”.
Ms Akpata, who lives in a flat in Highbury, north London and claimed variously to be a charity worker, radio presenter, and “working at the BBC”, turned to emailing the Althorp estate when Ms Kelly did not grant her the interview she was seeking.
She claimed Ms Kelly was “gatekeeping” Louis from her, the court was told, and repeatedly asked: “Why are you stopping me?”
“Michelle would continue to say words to the effect of ‘I need someone to help me get close to him, he must have time to meet me’.”
Ms Akpata’s emails were sometimes polite and innocuous. “I hope you are doing well”, she wrote in June last year. “Just thought to message to see how you are doing.”
Others were more insistent and troubling: “I would like to find out when Louis will next be at Althorp.”
‘I have to meet with him’
As the regular calls and emails continued Ms Kelly began to make a log of the different incidents, while Earl Spencer took steps to increase security.
Between May and October last year, Ms Akpata made calls inviting Louis to a hotel and a public appearance at Moorfields Eye Hospital and requested for Earl Spencer to appear on her podcast.
She suggested she would plan a trip to Althorp in the summer, when the estate is opened up to the public, and is believed to have used an alias to try to sign up as a volunteer at the country home.
Ms Kelly said Ms Akpata asked Louis to chair a mental health charity which they believe is fictional, and she was insisting: “I have to meet with him.”
“I need someone to help me get close to him”, she reportedly said over the phone. “He’s a great man who does great things for charity.”
In July last year, Ms Akpata said she had been nominated for an award and would like Louis to attend the ceremony, she claimed to have a BBC podcast and wanted Louis as a guest, and attempted to invite him to an “opulent charity gala”.
‘You do know this is Princess Diana’s nephew?’
On August 15 last year, a call was made to Althorp from a private investigator who revealed he had been approached for information on Louis Spencer.
The prospective client, Ms Akpata, had offered to pay £200 for Louis’ phone number and home address, the court heard.
The PI revealed that she had pretended to be Louis’ concerned friend who could not get hold of him when booking the job.
But the plan fell apart when he made initial enquiries, realised his client was trying to get hold of personal details of Princess Diana’s nephew, and refused the job - suspecting an ulterior motive for getting the number.
“You do know this is Princess Diana’s nephew?”, he reportedly told her, and says she continued to insist that she needed the phone number.
A Met Police assessment presented in court said it is “not unreasonable” to suspect that Ms Akpata had reached out to other private investigators in her hunt for contact.
When efforts to contact Louis were thwarted, Ms Akpata began requesting a meeting with Earl Spencer.
Alongside calls and emails to Althorp, she made contact with Earl Spencer’s literary agency as well as the talent agency where Louis had signed to pursue an acting career.
Ms Kelly said Ms Akpata’s efforts appeared to “ramp up overnight”, there were growing fears she would attempt a face-to-face meeting, and Earl Spencer had hired a firm of top intelligence experts to compile a dossier on Ms Akpata.
She had been contacting his estranged wife Karen at her Whole Child International charity foundation, asking to have her birthday party at Althorp, and sent LinkedIn requests directly to Earl Spencer.
Ms Akpata has suggested on LinkedIn that she is a presenter on a London radio channel, The Beat, and under the name Michelle Musings she did report from the 2022 Afro Hair and Beauty Live Show in Angel, Islington for the channel.
But the Spencer family believe a lot of her claims were fictional.
She issued an invitation to a charity gala at the Renaissance Hotel in King’s Cross, but the hotel confirmed not event had been organised. The BBC said Ms Akpata is not its books, and a charity registration number that she provided was not linked to any organisation, investigations revealed.
‘Shock’ at the book signing
Louis Spencer had accompanied his father to the Cirencester History Festival of October 31 last year, and watched as Earl Spencer made a live edition of his hit podcast The Rabbit Hole Detectives alongside Reverend Richard Coles and TV historian Dr Cat Jarman.
After coming off stage, Earl Spencer sat down to sign copies of his books for waiting fans.
In the preceding two months, Ms Akpata had made repeated attempts to meet Earl Spencer, asking for details of his public appearances, inviting him to events, and taking to social media to ask for his personal phone number.
She was one of the first in the queue at the book signing, but Earl Spencer did not initial recognise her as she approached.
He told the court she instantly took a selfie of them together, and then turned to say to him “I have a podcast, I’m Michelle”.
“I knew instantly who she was and I asked Michelle to stand to one side, stating that I would not be able to deal with this right now and I needed my agent to speak with her”, said the Earl.
He said Ms Akpata replied “I’ll wait” and then stood for around five minutes next to him as he met other fans and well-wishers.
“I would describe myself as in a state of shock when I realised she had shown up in person to see me”, he said.
“My concern were higher as I knew Louis was also in the building. I felt very anxious for his safety.”
When Earl Spencer’s agent, Tris Payne, came over, he told him “this is the Michelle”, and added that he “gave him a wink so that he would understand who I was talking about”.
Mr Payne, the head of broadcast at Peters, Fraser, and Dunlop, said he recognised the “knowing look” from the Earl, and knew he was dealing with the woman who had been regularly emailing him and his staff.
“I steered Michelle away from the book signing and guided her towards the exit, keeping her engaged with conversation to keep her occupied”, he said.
“Michelle again reiterated the fact she would like Earl Spencer to come onto her podcast. I told Michelle that I had already had previous contact with her via my company, Michelle strongly denied this contact.”
He added that she had a “very intense and fixated stare” during their ten-minute conversation, before she left the event.
‘Constantly looking over my shoulder’
Louis Spencer, his father’s eldest son who is styled Viscount Althorp, was shielded from the early contact from Ms Akpata. But he told the court he was copied into a chain of emails between his father and Ms Kelly in June last year.
“These emails consisted of Michelle contacting the estate via phone and email asking me to appear on her podcast and to attend her charity events”, he said.
“Beverley and my father were very concerned about her level of contact as they did not believe Michelle to have a podcast or in charge of hosting any events.”
Delving into the detail, Louis realised he had received a string of friend requests – all declined - from Ms Akpata through her handle @ItsMichelleMusings, and he swiftly then blocked her account.
“I felt very alarmed and threatened when reading this report due to the escalation over the months.
“I have previously dealt with excessive female attention over the years but I have never experienced someone hiring a Private Investigator in order to gain my personal details.”
The 31-year-old, who is a cousin of Princes William and Harry, was studying at university at the time, and had to contact the head of security “in fear that Michelle would find out which university I was a student of and attend the campus”.
His acting agency, Tavistock Wood, had also been on the receiving end of requests from Ms Akpata for him to “attend an acting casting or a charity event she was holding”.
“When the agents spoke to her further, they realised this was not a genuine request and there was not a casting”, said Louis.
He was in the green room at the book signing event when his father was approached, and said he was “stunned to learn Michelle had attended”.
“(It) caused me to wait behind for a considerable amount of time to make sure it was safe to leave the venue without being confronted by her”, he said.
Louis – the heir to the Spencer earldom - has grown up in the spotlight thanks to his famous family. But he has also fiercely guarded his own privacy and never sought out publicity.
He told the judge that his social life has been disrupted by Ms Akpata’s attentions and he now worries about building new relationships.
“I have started fearing for my physical safety when I am out and about”, he said. “I have concerns around Michelle turning up to where I am socialising with friends or family and I am concerned as to what she might do.
“I am very conscious of when I enter a restaurant or bar that I now check the premises as I am walking through to see if Michelle is there.
“I feel constantly on alert when in public situations. I do now like to be accompanied by someone on most outings where there will be crowds, this makes me feel as though I am a burden on family and friends.”
His statement, which was provided to support the application for the court order, continued: “I no longer feel safe if I am alone in busy areas.
“I have great concerns that Michelle is attempting to find out private information about me through private investigators and so I am constantly looking over my shoulder or changing my routines.”
Stalking protection order
A Scotland Yard superintendent signed off in February this year on an application for a court order under stalking legislation which would stop Ms Akpata from contacting Earl Spencer and his son.
The case was brought against ‘Michelle Akpata AKA Onyuka-Chukwakpata’, while the Spencer family knew her initially as Michelle Carter. Another four suspected aliases had been identified.
Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring granted an interim stalking protection order (SPO) in June, preventing her from “physically approaching, following, or waiting for Louis Spencer or Charles Spencer”. It also included a ban on phone, email, and social media contact.
Ms Akpata was ordered to attend a police ‘Early Stalking Intervention Programme’, in a bid to offer support in understanding how to comply with the court order.
Ms Akpata is also banned from going to Althorp, attending Louis’ homes, or hiring a private investigator to seek information about him.
An SPO is a civil court order usually sought by police forces, rather than prosecutors. The court has heard that Ms Akpata has not been charged with any criminal offences and is not expected to face prosecution.
SPOs were introduced five years with the intention of taking early action in stalking cases to try to stop a pattern of behaviour from escalating.
When she was quizzed by police in October last year, Ms Akpata issued a prepared statement saying she had been “trying to contact Earl Charles Spencer or Louis Spencer to ask them to take part in a podcast and other events.
“I thought that if I persevered that they might eventually agree. I now understand that they are not interested in doing this and I won't contact them about this.
“I am sorry if I have bothered anyone unduly.”
The Met is now seeking to make a full SPO against Ms Akpata, to last for three years, at a hearing later this year.
After The Standard gained access to the court documents in the case, Ms Akpata’s lawyer at Hodge Jones & Allen, Katy O’Mara, said: “As soon as it was made clear that her attention was unwanted she immediately stopped contacting the Spencer family.
“Applying for this order is completely unnecessary as she has not contacted the family since and has no intention of doing so again.”
Ms Akpata, who was represented in court by a lawyer, resisted the making of the interim order. It is understood mental health issues are likely to be raised when the judge considers whether to make a full three-year SPO.
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