It was revealed today that the Earl of Devon is divorcing his former Baywatch star wife 18 years after they married at his ancestral castle outside Exeter.
Charles Courtenay, 48, has separated from Ohio-born AJ Langer, 49, citing “irreconcilable differences” and the “well-being of their wonderful children.”
As a teenager, Ms. Langer played Caroline Larkin in “Baywatch” and also appeared in the 1990s hits “My So-Called Life” and “The Wonder Years.” She later starred in a number of Hollywood films, including Escape from LA with Kurt Russell and Meet the Deedles with Paul Walker.
The Earl of Devon met his future wife at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. She had no idea at the time that the bright-eyed British lawyer – touring with an English rugby union club and wearing a kilt – was the heir to a spectacular 4,000-acre estate in the West Country.
They married in 2005 at the family home – the 600-year-old Powderham Castle near Exeter – and had two children. As part of the divorce, Courtenay has requested joint custody of Joscelyn, 16, and Jack, 14.
Charlie Courtenay, 19th Earl of Devon and Member of the House of Lords, pictured with his wife AJ Langer at Powderham Castle
AJ Langer, center, in Baywatch as a teenager
After marrying, they initially lived in California so Langer could pursue her Hollywood acting career, left on the set of The Americans in 2012 and right in Meet The Deedles, a 1998 comedy
A statement on behalf of the earl said: “After much thought and consideration, Charles Courtenay, the Earl of Devon, and the Countess of Devon, Allison Joy Courtenay, have made the decision to separate and divorce.”
“Charlie would like to express his gratitude for his partnership with AJ and everything they have created together as parents, friends and partners in both Los Angeles and Powderham.”
“The well-being of their wonderful children is a top priority as he and AJ focus on co-parenting in the years ahead.”
“Charlie is grateful for the supportive communities in Devon and California and politely asks that his and his family’s privacy be respected at this time.”
Details of the divorce filing were first published on the Blast website.
According to the information in the application, the couple actually separated over a month ago, on September 30th.
The couple together at Powderham Castle in Devon
Posing: Allison (pictured as a model in her younger years) and Charlie had no idea of each other’s backgrounds when they first noticed each other on the dance floor of a Las Vegas hotel
Allison was probably best known for her role as “Rayanne Graff” (left) on the series “My So-Called Life.”
They met at a party in Las Vegas in 2002 and had no idea who the other was.
The Earl was an intellectual property lawyer, but they fell in love as soon as their eyes met.
After their marriage, they initially lived in California so that Langer could continue her acting career in Hollywood.
But they later moved to the UK to live, a change she suggested in a podcast had been challenging.
Speaking to the Celebrity Catch Up show, Langer said: “I’ve been a completely independent person since I was 15.”
“I lived alone for many years, traveled alone a lot and always moved to the beat of my own drum.”
“Then here I found myself in the middle of a really intense and very, very deep-rooted patriarchy.
History of the ancestral home of the Earl of Devon
Powderham Castle came to the Courtenay family as dowry from Margaret de Bohun when she married Hugh Courtenay, son of the first Courtenay Earl of Devon, in 1325.
The Courtenays had traveled from France to England under Henry II and acquired many lands and power in the southwest through marriage to wealthy heiresses.
The medieval core of the castle was built in the early 14th century by Sir Philip Courtenay.
It has been owned by the Courtenay family ever since. It was expanded in the 18th century by the renowned English architect James Wyatt.
Powderham Castle is included in the Domesday Book, a record of the “Great Survey” of much of England and some areas of Wales, created in 1086 on the orders of King William the Conqueror.
For more information on the story visit: Powderham.co.uk
“It was really fascinating.”
His father, Hugh Courtenay, 18th Earl of Devon, who also had three older daughters, sadly passed away in 2015 at the age of 73.
He became the 19th Earl and his wife the Countess.
Langer previously told Breezy Mama, “The whole title thing… I’m not an expert.” It means more to some people and less to others. It definitely makes for interesting conversation and an interesting story.”
Langer, an avid surfer, and Courtenay, a lawyer, had no idea of each other’s backgrounds when they first met on the dance floor at the Las Vegas hotel’s Circle Bar.
“He was wearing a kilt – on tour with London Scottish Rugby. “We smiled at each other across the crowded room…” Langer, who goes by her initials “AJ,” said of the fateful meeting.
She revealed that her future husband did not know that she was an actress who had gained international fame playing the role of Rayanne Graff in the critically acclaimed but short-lived television show My So-Called Life.
The series, which also starred Claire Danes and Oscar winner Jared Leto in their first major roles, was canceled after just one season.
Meanwhile, she “had no idea about the castle or the titles or anything,” she told Breezy Mama.
She said she only learned of her husband’s aristocratic status months into their relationship when he drove her to his family estate, which is on the western bank of the River Exe Estuary.
“I had no idea … until he drove me up the driveway months into our relationship – which was good because I wouldn’t have known what to do with that information anyway,” the mother of two said.
Langer and Courtenay then began dating in Los Angeles – where Charlie was temporarily employed at a London-based law firm. On April 30, 2005, the couple tied the knot in the city.
Two years later they gave birth to their first child, Lady Joscelyn Skye Courtenay, in a home birth.
Another two years later, their son, Jack Haydon Langer Courtenay, was born at their home.
Langer told Breezy Mama that her daughter was named after a member of her husband’s family tree.
“Jack is his maternal grandfather’s name – a very special person to Charlie and his inspiration for playing rugby. “Without rugby we would never have met in Vegas!’ She added.
From 2005 to 2014, Courtenay – a former student of the prestigious English boys’ boarding school Eton College in Windsor (which British Prime Minister David Cameron and Princes William and Harry also attended) – worked as a lawyer for the Los Angeles & Watkins office of Latham.