Lady Kitty Spencer

Lady Kitty Spencer (born Catherine Eleanor; 28 December 1990) is a British fashion model and aristocrat. In 2018, Spencer became the spokesmodel for the Italian jewellery brand BVLGARI. She is the eldest child of Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer, and a niece of Diana, Princess of Wales.

Lady Kitty Spencer
Spencer in 2018
Born (1990-12-28) 28 December 1990
London, England, UK
EducationReddam House
Alma materUniversity of Cape Town
European Business School London
OccupationModel
Partner(s)Michael Lewis (engaged, 2020)
Parents
RelativesDiana, Princess of Wales (aunt)
FamilySpencer

Early life and family

Lady Kitty Spencer was born in London on 28 December 1990 to Charles Spencer, Viscount Althorp (later the 9th Earl Spencer) and Victoria Lockwood.[1][2] She is a member of the Spencer family, an English noble family that holds multiple peerages including the Earldom of Spencer, the Dukedom of Marlborough, the Earldom of Sunderland, and the Churchill Barony. She is a descendant of the House of Stuart through Charles II of England by his illegitimate sons Charles Lennox, 1st Duke of Richmond and Henry FitzRoy, 1st Duke of Grafton, and through James II of England by his illegitimate daughter Henrietta FitzJames.[3] Spencer has three younger siblings and four younger half-siblings through her father's second marriage to Caroline Freud and third marriage to Karen Villeneuve and her mother’s second marriage to Jonathan Aitken.[4][5] Her paternal aunt was Diana, Princess of Wales.[6][7] She is a first cousin of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex.[8][9]

She was raised in Cape Town, South Africa, where she attended Reddam House, a private school.[10] After her parents divorced in 1997, Spencer spent her time between her native United Kingdom with her father and South Africa with her mother.[1]

In 2009 Spencer was presented as a debutante at the Hôtel de Crillon's le Bal des Débutantes in Paris.[11]

Spencer studied psychology, politics, and English literature at the University of Cape Town.[12] She later studied art history and Italian in Florence, Italy, before completing a master's degree in luxury brand management from the European Business School London at Regent's University London.[13][1][14][15]

Career

Modelling

In 1992, when Spencer was one year old, she appeared with her mother on the cover of Harper's Bazaar UK.[16] Spencer is signed with Storm Model Management,[17][13] and made her professional modelling debut in 2015 in the December issue of Tatler.[6] In September 2017 she walked for Dolce & Gabbana in a fashion show during Milan Fashion Week.[18] She was the 2017 June covergirl of Hello Fashion Monthly, and was featured on the cover of Vogue Japan.[19][20] She walked the runway for Dolce & Gabbana in their 2017 Christmas show at Harrods.[19][21] In 2018, Spencer was a featured model in Dolce & Gabbana's Venetian spring/summer print campaign.[22][23][24] During 2018 Milan Fashion Week Spencer walked in Dolce & Gabbana's Secrets & Diamonds fashion show.[25][26][27][28]

In May 2018 BVLGARI announced that Spencer would be the new face of the jewellery brand,[29] working as their newest brand ambassador.[30] She had previously modelled for the jewellery designer, modelling the brand's "Diva's Dream" diamond necklace.[30]

On 23 September 2018 Spencer walked in a fashion show in Milan for Dolce & Gabbana's Spring 2019 collection. She also appeared in editorials for Marie Claire Spain and Elle Russia, and graced the covers of L'Officiel Brazil and Tatler, the latter alongside Helena Christensen.[31][32]

Philanthropy and charity work

Spencer is an ambassador for Centrepoint, a charity that supports homeless youth,[1][33][34][35] and a trustee and patron for the military charity Give Us Time.[36][37]

In June 2017 Spencer helped raise £140,000 for the Elton John AIDS Foundation.[30][38] She also has raised funds for Save the Children.[30]

Personal life

Although Lady Kitty is the 9th Earl Spencer's firstborn child, the title and family estates, Althorp and Spencer House, will pass to her younger brother, Viscount Althorp, due to primogeniture, as specified in the succession of the Earldom of Spencer.[39] Spencer expressed her personal belief in gender equality, while also stating that she believes her brother should inherit.[40][41][42]

In January 2020, Spencer announced her engagement to the 61-year-old South African-British multimillionaire businessman, Michael Lewis, chairman of fashion company Foschini Group.[43][44] Lewis is divorced, with three children.[44]

References
  1. Duboff, Josh (September 13, 2016). "Lady Kitty Spencer: Princess Diana's 25-Year-Old, Instagram-Obsessed Niece". Vanity Fair. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
  2. Calvi, Nuala (25 April 2011). "Royal wedding clash of the titles! Spencers vs. Parker Bowles". CNN. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  3. Moncreiffe of that Ilk, Sir Iain (1982).Royal Highness. London: Hamish Hamilton. p. 38.
  4. Doughty, Eleanor (11 June 2016). "Lady Kitty Spencer, Princess Diana's niece: I won't let weight worries consume me — and young women should feel the same". The Telegraph. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  5. "Spencer, Earl (GB, 1765)". Cracroft's Peerage. Heraldic Media Limited. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  6. Gonzales, Erica (1 December 2015). "Princess Diana's Niece Steps into the Spotlight". Town & Country. Hearst Communications, Inc. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  7. "Interview with Diana's niece, Lady Kitty Spencer: 'I've had curveballs thrown at me'". The Sunday Times. September 10, 2017. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
  8. "Milan Fashion Week: Dolce & Gabbana sends drones down the runway". South China Morning Post. Associated Press. 28 February 2018. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  9. Mountford, Jane (1 June 2016). "Dior Cruise 17 Collection Video And Attendees: The Weeknd, Kiernan Shipka, Lady Kitty Spencer". Fashion Times. Archived from the original on 20 February 2017. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
  10. Binding, Lucia (14 September 2016). "Who is Lady Kitty Spencer? Glamorous Instagram star finally speaks about aunt Princess Diana's death". International Business Times. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  11. "The Crillon Ball: 24 Princess Gowns and One Lady". Vanity Fair. December 3, 2009. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
  12. Walker, Tim (12 July 2009). "Lady Kitty Spencer says: I'm not going to be a geek". The Telegraph. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
  13. "Kitty Spencer". Storm. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  14. "Inside the insanely decadent life of Lady Kitty Spencer – Princess Diana's niece". National Post. 27 October 2015. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  15. Hosking, Julie (20 March 2017). "Lady Kitty Spencer more than just Princess Diana's niece". The West Australian. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  16. Opelka, Brenna (16 March 2018). "Princess Diana's 27-year-old niece Lady Kitty Spencer is a model — and she's taking the fashion world by storm". Insider. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  17. Le Caer, Morgane (27 May 2018). "Princess Diana's Niece Is Making Waves in the Fashion Industry — and She's Just Getting Started". Popsugar. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  18. Lowe, Lindsay (7 November 2017). "Princess Diana's niece walks the runway for Dolce & Gabbana — see the photos!". Today. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  19. "Pixie Lott and Lady Kitty Spencer join star-studded Dolce & Gabbana show at Harrods". Hello!. 4 November 2017. Archived from the original on 1 March 2018. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
  20. "Vogue Japan August 2017 Cover". models.com. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  21. Ledbetter, Carly (3 November 2017). "Lady Kitty Spencer, Princess Diana's Niece, Walks Runway For Dolce & Gabbana". Huffington Post. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  22. Maloney, Maggie (12 January 2018). "Princess Diana's Niece Lady Kitty Spencer Stars in New Dolce & Gabbana Campaign". Town & Country. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  23. Brannigan, Maura (10 January 2018). "DOLCE & GABBANA AND ITS MILLENNIALS PACKED UP FOR VENICE FOR ITS SPRING 2018 CAMPAIGN". Fashionista. 28 May 2018.
  24. "Archived copy". Dolce & Gabbana. Archived from the original on 2018-03-01. Retrieved 2018-02-28.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  25. Maloney, Maggie (26 February 2018). "Princess Diana's Niece Just Walked the Dolce & Gabbana Runway". Town & Country. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  26. Whittaker, Alexander (26 February 2018). "Princess Diana's Look-Alike Niece Was the Breakout Model of This Fashion Show". InStyle.com. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  27. Brown, Vanessa (26 February 2018). "Young royals headline catwalk for Dolce & Gabbana Milan show". news.com.au. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  28. Phelps, Nicole (25 February 2018). "Lady Kitty Spencer and British Model-Aristos Walk Dolce & Gabbana's "Secrets & Diamonds" Show in Milan". Vogue. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  29. Sutcliffe, Laura (25 May 2018). "Lady Kitty Spencer has some exciting news!". Hello!. Archived from the original on 24 June 2018. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  30. "Lady Kitty Spencer has been hired as Bulgari's new ambassador". Harper's Bazaar. 25 May 2018. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  31. Thompson, Kara (September 24, 2018). "Princess Diana's Niece Lady Kitty Spencer Just Walked in the Dolce & Gabbana Show". Town & Country.
  32. "Wait til you see the pictures of Lady Kitty Spencer taking over the catwalk - she looks insane". HELLO!. September 24, 2018.
  33. "Tinie Tempah Takes to the Trading Floor to Raise Money for Homeless Young People". Centrepoint. 7 December 2017. Archived from the original on 21 August 2018. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  34. "SLEEP OUT SET TO RAISE MORE THAN HALF A MILLION". Centrepoint. 25 November 2016. Archived from the original on 2018-03-01. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  35. Perry, Simon (22 February 2016). "Lady Kitty Spencer Follows Aunt Princess Diana with a Special Cause". People. Time Inc. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  36. Borge, Jonathan (21 November 2017). "Princess Diana's Niece Lady Kitty Spencer Is All Grown Up–and Stunning in Sparkly Jumpsuits". InStyle.com. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  37. Epstein, Jackie (30 October 2015). "Melbourne Cup 2015: Lady Kitty Spencer brings royal touch to Flemington Birdcage". Herald Sun. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  38. Sutcliffe, Laura (25 May 2018). "Lady Kitty Spencer has some exciting news!". Hello!. Archived from the original on 24 June 2018. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  39. Furness, Hanna (10 May 2015). "Leaving aristocratic estates to sons works, Earl Spencer says". The Telegraph. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  40. "Lady Kitty Spencer: 'It's better that my younger brother inherits Althorp, so that it stays under the family name'". The Telegraph. 26 October 2015. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  41. Faderugao, Maricris (3 December 2015). "Lady Kitty 'not really royal' and not entitled to inheritance". International Business Times. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  42. "Princess Diana's niece says it's 'correct' for younger brother to inherit family estate". Hello!. 27 October 2015. Retrieved 28 May 2018.
  43. Boak, Josh (2020-02-16). "Engaged to Jewish tycoon, Princess Diana’s niece set to convert". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 2020-04-26.
  44. Cope, Rebecca (6 January 2020). "Lady Kitty Spencer is engaged to her fashion tycoon boyfriend". Tatler. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
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