L
ady Kitty Spencer finds herself
in a conundrum every time she
touches down in a new country.
“I never know what profession
to write on my arrivals card,”
says the jet-setter with a laugh.
Model? Philanthropist? Mem-
ber of the British aristocracy?
Today her job falls squarely
into the former category. The 28-year-old is smoul-
dering on the set of our photo shoot in a stately
Sydney mansion, draped in a dazzling array of
haute fashion: brilliantly sparkling Bulgari jewels,
Dolce & Gabbana polka dots; classic Chanel tweed.
Between looks she chats effortlessly with the crew
and excitedly sends snaps to her mum, radiating
warmth and ease. It’s almost hard to reconcile her
royal roots, bar for an indefinable air of poise.
Spencer was born in London in 1990, the
daughter of model Victoria Aitken (née Lockwood)
and Earl Charles Spencer, younger brother of
Diana, Princess of Wales. Just one-degree removed
from swirling royal scandals, the family relocated
to South Africa in 1995 to escape the media’s glare.
“I had an idyllic childhood,” Spencer says of her
days under the Cape Town sun. “It was wholesome
... very different to if I’d grown up in London.”
Fast-forward two decades and Spencer has
returned to the British capital, though between
jaunts in Europe, South A f r ica and, now, Austra lia ,
she’s spent only nine nights at home this year. The
self-described nomad makes it her mission to meld
each trip with charity work (days before our shoot,
she was at a Telethon fundraiser in Perth), pleasure
(climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge, “breathtak-
ingly beautiful”) and modelling engagements.
Her first major fashion foray came in 2017,
when Dolce & Gabbana asked her to walk in their
millennial-themed real-people runway show. “I
was initially hesitant, but then I thought, if I don’t
do it now – when the category is millennials and
real people – [I never will],” she says. “And it was
Dolce & Gabbana, so I felt confident that they’d be
good with curves and feminine shapes.”
After her high-glamour turn on the catwalk,
opportunities flowed. Last year, Spencer became
an ambassador for luxury Italian jewellery house
Bulgari, a label she turned to when getting dressed
for her cousin’s wedding – that is her cousin
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex.
The royal wedding on May 19, 2018, proved
significant for Spencer beyond her decadent
jewels. Catapulted to the top of every best-dressed
list in hand-painted green Dolce & Gabbana,
she awoke the next morning to nearly half a
million new Instagram followers. “I thought I was
in someone else’s account,” she recalls. “I turned
off my phone – it was a bit overwhelming. I felt like
someone was watching me!” Now, though, she’s
settled into the groove, and uses the social media
platform to share snippets of her life with a mainly
adoring audience. “I’m lucky, I get lovely mes-
sages,” she says, adding, “It takes a lot to ruffle
my feathers, and it’s not going to be a negative
Instagram comment.”
Since Spencer captured the public attention,
parallels with her aunt, Princess Diana, have been
rife – not just for her graceful beauty and eye for
style, but also for her philanthropic pursuits. “I’m
proud to say that a lot of my family members have
been really big on giving back – and personally I’ve
been [motivated by what I’ve seen] growing up in
South Africa, where there’s such a huge divide
between the haves and the have-nots,” she says. “I
think it’s our responsibility to find what matters
to us and get behind it and push for change.”
Her piercing blue eyes light up as she talks
about the causes she actively supports: Youth Focus,
a suicide prevention charity; Give Us Time, an
organisation that supports British military fami-
lies; and youth homelessness charity Centrepoint,
of which her cousin Prince William, Duke of Cam-
bridge, is patron. She’ll be back in the UK soon to
carry out her philanthropic duties, but not before
hopping across to Seattle and New York, then down
to South Africa to visit her mum and beloved obese
cat, Baby D. “He’s my firstborn son,” she giggles.
“I’ll FaceTime him tonight.”
Lucky for technology – as this globetrotting
slashie isn’t planning on slowing down or staying
put anytime soon, quietly sharing that she also
has a film project in the works.
Lady Kitty Spencer: actress. Add that to the
international arrivals card.OPPOSITE PAGE
Zimmermann jumper,
$750, zimmermannwear.
com; Falke tights, $42,
at net-a-porter.com.HAIR BY ALAN WHITE/M.A.P USING ORIBE. MAKE-UP BY LINDA JEFFERYES/TAG USING LINDA JEFFERYES LIQLIPS. MODEL: KITTY/STORM MODEL MANAGEMENT. PRODUCTION: JEMMA WAUD.