Princess Diana’s Niece Kitty Has Inherited Her Beloved Aunt’s Looks & Generous Spirit

Jun 09, 2022

Princess Diana was adored the world over for her kindness and humanitarian work, and today, 25 years after her death in a car accident in 1997, her legacy still lives on. Known as the People's Princess, Princess Diana received both unprecedented praise and criticism from the public because of her royal status as well as her tumultuous private life. The level at which Princess Diana was outspoken about mental health was not only atypical of British royal society but also highly influenced and inspired the British public on a heartfelt level. Many royal fans still admire Diana today for her candid and honest nature, and her openness about her struggles left an enormous impact on the British royal family and British society. 

In terms of Princess Diana's legacy, her sons William, Prince of Wales and Prince Harry are the first ones that come to mind when people remember her. However, there are other royal family members that carry an even more striking resemblance to the princess. While brothers William and Harry often remind the public of Lady Di in their mindsets and demeanor, Princess Diana's niece, Lady Kitty Spencer — the daughter of Diana's younger brother — bears a striking physical similarity to her that had us and royal fans alike doing a double-take. However, it's not only the looks that demand attention, but also Lady Kitty's personal life that has people in awe over the similarities.

Read on to learn more about how Lady Kitty resembles her aunt Princess Diana in both looks and life. 

Diana, Princess of Wales was universally loved by not only the British public but by people the world over. Born on July 1, 1961, Diana was the fourth of five children. Unfortunately, Princess Diana's life was taken too soon as she passed away from a car crash at the young age of 36. Throughout her life and royal service, she used her influence to enact good, spending much of her time campaigning for humanitarian causes that improved the lives of others. She sat with people who were ill, helping to break the stigma of then-new diseases HIV and AIDS. These are the reasons she became known as the "People's Princess," — she was a shining beacon of light in the royal family.

Princess Diana was married to King Charles III (then Prince Charles) on July 29, 1981. However, their marriage eventually had too many strains to continue. Charles was 12 years older than Diana, and eventually, an extramarital affair began. When the cracks in the couple's relationship became too public and painful to bear, the couple divorced in 1996.

After Princess Diana passed away in a car crash in Paris on August 31, 1997 — just one year after her divorce — Diana's legacy only continued on strongly and is not only held up by her sons William, Prince of Wales and Prince Harry, but also by the general public. But alongside her sons, another family member who continues in her spirit is Diana's niece, Lady Kitty Spencer, who was just 6-years-old when her aunt, Princess Diana died. It is always incredibly sad to remember that Princess Di was taken far too soon, but her legacy continues to live on, including through her family.

Lady Kitty Spencer was born on Dec. 28, 1990, and is the eldest child of Earl Charles Spencer, the younger brother of Princess Diana. This makes her a first cousin of Princes William and Harry. She even attended William and Kate Middleton's wedding back in 2011, as well as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's in 2018. And although she was not named after Princess Diana like her youngest sibling, 8-year-old Lady Charlotte Diana Spencer, Kitty seems to bear the most similarities among her immediate family to the People’s Princess.

They Both Moved To A Different Country To Stay Away From Paparazzi

Born in Great Britain, Kitty's family moved to South Africa in 1995 to escape the British tabloid press in order to live a peaceful life away from the cameras. But now, Kitty is all about the limelight, as she works as a model and is a favorite of the Italian luxury fashion house Dolce & Gabbana, according to the South China Morning Post.

Good looks clearly run in the family, as Kitty is simply stunning — modeling must have been a clear career choice for her! According to her modeling profile on Storm Management, a British modeling agency based in Chelsea, London, Kitty has worked with many prestigious brands including Estee Lauder, Bulgari, Vogue, Ralph Lauren and Harper’s Bazaar.

Princess Diana was also constantly evading the paparazzi. As a royal, all eyes were on her, even when she moved to Paris in 1997. According to TIME, the paparazzi were even attributed to Diana's untimely death in the car crash. As her brother Charles Spencer put it at her funeral, she was "the most hunted person of the modern age" and the incessant badgering by paparazzi became fatal for Diana. 

Kitty often posts pictures on her Instagram showing off her gorgeous looks and fashion world connections — in September 2020 she sat front row at the Dolce & Gabbana fashion show next to Italian actress and model, Monica Bellucci. Princess Diana was also known to grace high-key fashion events and parties back in the day; examples being the Met Gala, the British Fashion awards, and, of course, the 1994 Vanity Fair party where she turned up in the iconic “revenge dress.” According to Woman Magazine, the revenge dress was dubbed as such because it was worn on the same night that Charles' tell-all documentary was revealed. In the documentary, when Charles was asked if he was unfaithful to Diana, he said, "Yes, until it became irretrievably broken down, us both having tried.” Because the documentary was initially made to win sympathy for Charles, and his comments had the opposite effect, Diana's dress was dubbed the "revenge dress." 

Kitty Spencer, like Diana, is also a fashionista. She takes after her mother a lot, but the Spencer side of her family is undeniable. Her warm smile that extends to her eyes is akin to Diana's. Since Princess Di did not have a daughter of her own, it is incredible to look at the similarities between her and Kitty — it is as if she is her reincarnation (okay, maybe reincarnation is exaggerating a bit since Kitty was already born while Princess Diana was still alive)

In an interview with Vanity Fair in 2016, Kitty spoke of her famous aunt and said:

"I was so young (when Diana was alive). There are only a few memories, but special memories and happy memories, and I am so lucky to have those."

Not only has Kitty taken some of Diana's looks, but she also has her kind and charitable streak, as she works with various charities and an organization that aids homeless youth. She is an ambassador with Centrepoint, a charity that Princess Diana was a patron of.

In December 2020, Kitty took to Instagram to talk about the charity’s Christmas donation drive: “As a @centrepointuk ambassador, I have seen the huge impact that your support could have on the life of a vulnerable young person. Give a meaningful gift this Christmas and donate to centrepoint.org.uk/morethanagift #morethanagift #centrepoint,” she wrote.

According to Harper’s Bazaar, by modeling and introducing Bulgari’s Divas’ Dream diamond necklace that was auctioned at the brand’s gala, Kitty was instrumental in raising £140,000 (US$189,315.00) for Elton John Aids Foundation and Save the Children, two key charity partners of Bulgari. 

There is another thing Kitty shares with her famous aunt: a controversial relationship with a much older man.

Lady Di was 16 when she met her later husband, Charles, who was 29 at that point, for the first time. The two kept meeting and later dating for several years until they finally married each other in 1981 when Diana was 20 years old and Charles 33. At the time, many comments were made about their 13-year age gap, and some people still argue that this was the fundamental reason their marriage ultimately failed. 

Lady Kitty appears to share her aunt's taste for older men. In 2018, she started dating Michael Lewis, a South African-born English businessman and fashion tycoon. The couple kept their dating private, most likely because they knew that their rather large age gap would attract attention and criticism. Lewis, who divorced his first wife in 1985 and has not been married since was 59 years old at the time.

As reported by The Times of Israel, Lewis proposed in 2019, and the couple wanted to get married in 2020. The coronavirus pandemic halted their plans momentarily but they eventually tied the knot in July 2021 in Italy. However, the couple has maintained being private about their relationship. While tongues have been wagging, with many people commenting on the fact that Kitty must have married her partner, who is allegedly a multi-millionaire, for the money, Business Insider actually estimates that Kitty's net worth is about £20 million (approximately US $27,045,000) higher than Lewis'.

Lady Kitty’s figure has transformed over the years. She did not always have the slim, toned build that she flaunts today. According to the South China Morning Post, she was a victim of body-shaming when someone commented on social media that Kitty was “too fat to wear a bikini.” Kitty took the high road and responded to the comment saying that she did not own any weighing scales and that she was sorry that the person felt compelled to say distasteful things on a platform where it was available for everyone to see. Classy right? It reminds us of someone who was also known to be very classy when dealing with circumstances that were aimed to work against her. 

When it came to her life as a royal, Princess Diana always spoke candidly and with taste, despite all of the complications. In perhaps one of Princess Diana's most controversial royal interviews, on BBC1, she spoke about how royal life was not all of the luxury and glamour people think it is. She spoke eloquently about how the royal family had perhaps not the most positive effect on her, and even opened up about having an eating disorder. Princess Diana said:

"I had bulimia for a number of years. And that's like a secret disease. You inflict it upon yourself because your self-esteem is at a low ebb, and you don't think you're worthy or valuable ... it gives you a feeling of comfort ... And it's a repetitive pattern which is very destructive to yourself. I was crying out for help, but giving the wrong signals, and people were using my bulimia as a coat on a hanger. They decided that was the problem ..."

In the interview, Princess Diana disclosed that her eating disorder was a "symptom of what was going on in (her) marriage."

In an article by the Evening Standard released on Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2021, model Kitty talked to the newspaper about what she hoped to get for the festive season and also some of the most memorable gifts she has ever given and received.

"The best gift I ever received was my airplane ticket to study in Florence,” she told the Evening Standard. “It changed the course of my life and began my love affair with Italy!” According to Insider, Kitty spent three years studying Art History and Italian in Florence, the city which she described as "the most magical place in the world.” "It was just like living in a dream," she said.

As for her favorite gift she has given, Kitty said it's the jewelry that she gifted to her younger sisters, twins Eliza and Amelia Spencer, 30. 

“My sisters and I gave each other diamond and pearl evil eye bracelets when I left,” Kitty shared with the Evening Standard. “We had never been apart and it was a beautiful way to feel united and close despite the distance. Amelia is also a model represented by Storm Management.

But Kitty said what she wanted Santa to bring her the previous year had nothing to do with going to Europe or expensive accessories. “A healthy family, all under one roof and able to hug each other,” she said that was what she wanted. “To be able to share joy in person would be a truly wonderful thing.”

She also added that Christmas time with her family is a very relaxed occasion. When asked what her outfit of choice would be for an intimate lunch, Kitty said, “Something summery like a little dress,” because she will “be barefoot in the sun. “It’s a special day so it will be brightly coloured and celebratory!”

Did you know about Princess Diana's niece Lady Kitty Spencer? Do you see the family resemblance? What do you think of her relationship with Michael Lewis? Let us know your thoughts and be sure to pass this on to any royal fans you know!