Why Princess Diana’s niece Kitty Spencer loves Australia
Regularly compared to her royal aunt for her sophisticated sense of style and grace, Lady Kitty Spencer can add impeccable taste to the list of things to like about her given her love for Melbourne.
Lifestyle
Don't miss out on the headlines from Lifestyle. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Lady Kitty Spencer may have an impeccable pedigree and live a life of luxury and privilege, but there is more to her than her family name and breathtaking beauty.
The 28-year-old model is the niece of the late Princess Diana — her father Earl Spencer’s sister — and first cousin to Princes William and Harry. Her mother Victoria Aitken was a successful model in the 1980s before marrying into British aristocracy.
Regularly compared to her royal aunt for her sophisticated sense of style and grace, Spencer recently signed on as an ambassador for luxury Italian brands Dolce & Gabbana and Bulgari.
Although she’s been modelling for four years, her profile skyrocketed after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding last year when she turned heads in a striking handpainted emerald green dress from Dolce & Gabbana.
Her Instagram following has since grown from tens of thousands to almost half a million.
Now the glamour girl is heading back to Australia as a special guest of Lexus and the Victoria Racing Club for Tuesday’s Melbourne Cup.
She made her first visit to Australia and the race that stops the nation in 2015.
“I can’t wait, I’m so excited to come back,” she says.
“It feels like yesterday. I can’t believe it’s already been four years.”
A planned three-day trip ended up extending to more than a week after Spencer fell in love with Melbourne.
“I was meant to stay a few days and I was lucky enough to be allowed to stay for the rest of the races, which was amazing. I absolutely loved it. I managed to cram a lot into my stay. I hope I make the most of it this time, too.”
Due to arrive on Monday, Spencer is disappointed she’ll only have a few days in Melbourne this visit as she has to return to London for an event close to her heart.
Spencer is connected with several charities but one that is particularly special to her is youth homelessness organisation Centrepoint. Princess Di was the patron and Prince William has continued her legacy in the role.
“It’s the 50th anniversary of Centrepoint. So we’ve got that happening at Kensington Palace a week after Melbourne Cup so I’ve got to get back for that,” she says.
“It’s lovely that there’s a family link and it does mean a lot to my family over different generations and I hope that continues.”
Spencer travels the world as part of her increasingly high-profile modelling career and has been a fixture on the London social scene since relocating there from South Africa in 2015.
“I grew up in South Africa which was amazing, but then I suppose every holiday I was coming back to England to see my Dad so this has been really a chance to explore places I’ve never been. Mexico, China or Dubai, different cultures and seeing them through work, it’s such fun and such a great way to see the world,” she says.
Her parent’s decision to move the family to South Africa in the hope of giving them a more grounded upbringing when she was five has ingrained in Spencer a desire to use her privileged position to help others.
Among her many roles, she is an ambassador for Perth charity Youth Focus, which raises money for suicide prevention.
“The statistics in Perth were particularly shocking,” Spencer says.
“I was asked to help the charity and it was really amazing. When I was in Perth, I got to go and meet the people involved and so that’s something I’ve stayed involved with. I think it was meant to be a one off, but I’ve really connected with the team and the charity and I hope to keep that up and to continue to support that.”
Working as a model in the cutthroat fashion industry and being raised by a model mother who had her own well-documented battles with eating disorders, drugs and alcohol could have set Spencer up for her own body image issues. But the curvy beauty says it’s never been a consideration for her.
“My mum and I often talk about it because it’s what she was doing in the ’80s, we often compare and contrast the differences,” Spencer says.
“I’m very glad I’m doing this in a time where diversity is celebrated and people and brands take you on for you rather than for you feeling like you have to sort of fit a certain mould.
“I guess growing up with her as my mother, I suppose she was so natural with me that it really hasn’t been an issue for me. It’s not something she magnified with me or has drawn unnecessary focus to, so we’ve had a very healthy upbringing and I think it’s given us a healthy focus and outlook and a balanced view of it.
“I think things (in the fashion industry) have changed a lot. I’ve been lucky it’s in a time where there’s a far more healthy outlook and celebration of individuality and diversity.”
Spencer is more than just a pretty face representing brands. She has a masters in luxury brand management, which has helped elevate her role beyond the runway.
“I didn’t realise at the time how handy (the degree) would be, that it would be exactly what I would end up working in,” she says.
“When I did my undergraduate, I did politics and psychology and literature and then Italian and history of art and I didn’t know what route I was going to go down. Now it works out that I work for these luxury brands as an ambassador and charity work and it’s turned out to be quite handy.
READ MORE:
LAST CUP FOR KEEPER OF FAMOUS FLEMINGTON ROSES
WHY FRANCESCA CUMANI RUNS HERE OWN RACE
HOW THESE SURVIVORS STARED DOWN DEATH AND WON
“It helps me to understand the process and the strategies and the thinking behind these brands and how it all works, and who knows, maybe one day if I work for a luxury brand in a different capacity or collaborate with one? It’s great to have an understanding of the business side as well, especially if it’s going to be as an ambassador rather than a model.”
Spencer admits to having a genuine passion for racing and trackside fashion.
“I love the riders and the horses and that aspect of it, but I love the fashion, too,” she says.
“It’s obviously a great combination of the two. I remember being so blown away by the effort everyone goes to and the individuality of the outfits and the colour and the headpieces.
“It’s definitely an opportunity to have some fun and dress up.
“I’m going to be working with a stylist in Melbourne and I think it would be nice to wear something from an Australian brand or store.
“That’s what I did last time when I came. I think it’s always lovely to embrace the designers of wherever you are.”
ON MELBOURNE CUP DAY, LADY KITTY SPENCER WILL VISIT THE BIRDCAGE AS A GUEST OF LEXUS AND THE VRC.