The only child of Frederic Oakley Spedden and Daisy Spedden. The family lived in Tuxedo Park, New York.

In 1911 the family were on holiday in Europe. Robert was tended to by Elizabeth Burns, or as Robert would call her, "Muddie Boons". The family boarded Titanic at Cherbourg with Robert's nurse and the family maid Helen Alice Wilson.  Robert Douglas was woken by his parents after the collision to take him for a "trip to see the stars". The party were rescued on lifeboat 3. Douglas slept through the night and when he woke at dawn, seeing the icebergs said "Oh, Muddie, look at the beautiful North Pole with no Santa Claus on it."

In 1913 Daisy wrote and illustrated a storybook for Douglas. It told of their adventures across Europe through the eyes of a teddy bear. The story culminated with the rescue from the Titanic.

In the 1990s Mr Leighton H. Coleman III, a relative of Daisy's, discovered Daisy's diaries, photo albums and the storybook in a trunk in the attic. He has  had the storybook fully illustrated, and published under the title "Polar, the Titanic Bear".

Tragically Robert was struck by a car on Gridstone Neck, Winter Harbor, near the family summer retreat in Maine. He died of his injuries.