Princess Diana's Niece Shares Some Beautiful Genes
Sorry, that's not the lovely Princess Diana's secret daughter. This is Lady Kitty Spencer, Diana Spencer's niece. Though Kitty was only 6 years old when her beloved aunt passed away, it's apparent these two share some beautiful genes. We've got all the details on one of the lesser-known Spencers.
Her background and not-so-humble beginnings
Kitty was born in 1990 and lived most of her life in Cape Town, South Africa, attending the most prestigious schools. One of her very first public appearances was at a 2007 memorial service for Princess Diana, where she joined her cousins, Prince Harry and Prince William. After high school at Reddam House, Kitty enrolled at the University of Cape Town, where she majored in psychology, politics, and English literature. She also holds a degree from Regent's University London in luxury brand management.
In her spare time, Kitty reportedly parties with the cast of Downton Abbey, struts her stuff on red carpets, and serves as the ambassador for Give Us Time, a British charity that provides free vacations for military families. This young woman, who turned 25 in December 2015, is clearly not resting on her laurels?
Even royalty are not exempt from fat-shaming
Believe it or not, Lady Kitty was fat-shamed on Instagram (she is second from the right in the photo above) when an internet troll blasted this poolside pic: "Lay off the cake, darling. You're too fat," said the follower. Kitty replied, "I'm sorry that you feel the need to post nasty comments under photographs of people you don't know...I've yet to see unkind behavior do any good in the world." How's that for shutting down haters in the most royal of ways?
Her family isn't picture perfect
Though she's living a charmed life, Kitty's family has weathered its own share of scandals, and we're not just talking about the rocky marriage of Princess Diana and Prince Charles. Kitty's mother, former model Victoria Lockwood, and father, Charles Spencer, went through a nasty public divorce, and when Kitty was just a child, her mum entered rehab for alcoholism and drug addiction.
Reflecting on the latter, Kitty told Tatler (via the National Post), "Obviously I'm aware of the facts about my mother's [hospitalization], but I don't remember. My mother has been a counselor for 15 years and she has really educated us all about addiction and self-worth. We've never really wanted to rebel because she's always been so upfront and honest."
Regarding the late Princess Diana, Kitty told Tatler (via the National Post), "Sadly, I have very few memories of of my aunt. I was so young when she died."
She doesn't even know what sour grapes are
When it was revealed that her younger brother, Viscount Louis, would inherit the Spencer family estate because of traditional primogeniture, Kitty took the news in stride, telling Tatler (via Hello!) in 2015, "In general, I'm totally pro-gender equality. But I'm quite happy that that's [going to be] my brother's responsibility. I just think it's the correct way." She added, "I like that the house stays within the same family with the same surname. I wouldn't want it any other way for the Spencers. And I just know my brother is going to do an impeccable job."
She's met her fair share of celebs
Kitty has rubbed elbows with some A-list entertainers, including One Direction's Harry Styles and rap goddess Nicki Minaj, just to name a couple. Like we said, she gets around, in a good way, of course. Don't pretend you wouldn't want to walk a mile, or at least a few feet, in her designer stilettos.
Her pets are the cutest
She's rumored to be engaged
While she's been spotted wearing a sparkler on that all-important finger, nobody really knows for sure if Kitty is betrothed. Her on-again, off-again boyfriend is Italian business tycoon Niccolo Barattieri di San Pietro, who is some 20 years her senior. A spokesperson for the family said in September 2016, "if any of the Spencer children were to become engaged, there would be a public announcement." Well, we're waiting.