The Stunning Transformation Of Lady Eliza Spencer

Princess Diana's niece, Lady Eliza Spencer, had many bumps in the road en route to her life in the lap of luxury. The world was shocked when her aunt died in a car crash in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in August 1997. Eliza was just five years old at the time, and the incident undoubtedly left a lasting impact on her and her family. If the Spencers didn't have a lot of media attention before, they certainly did after Diana's untimely death. It's something that someone of that age would struggle to understand, as Eliza told Tatler years later in her cover story, "Growing up in South Africa, I really had very little idea of how significant she was in the world until I was much older."

Earl Charles Spencer and his then-wife, Victoria Lockwood, gave birth to Eliza and her twin sister, Amelia Spencer, in July 1992. But these minor royals were kept out of the limelight in their youth, relocating to South Africa in Cape Town's lush suburb of Claremont. Eliza is often pictured alongside her sister and has made a name for herself with her flawless style since her first public appearance in 2011. Whether at the front row of fashion shows or relaxing on a yacht, Eliza has certainly maintained her aunt's legacy. She left Claremont and moved back to her birthplace, London, with Amelia in 2021. Between London, South Africa, and London again, Eliza has undergone a significant transformation. 

Despite her accent, Lady Eliza Spencer was not born in South Africa. In 1995, her family fled to Cape Town to escape the media attention the Spencer name had gained in light of Princess Diana's ascension to royalty. Their cross-continent move means that not only do they sound less British, but also, their complexion changed from Anglo-pale to sunkissed-South African. We don't know much about this time in Eliza's life; after all, the family moved to escape the media's attention. However, Lady Amelia Spencer reminisced to Tatler about her sibling relationship with Eliza: "We've always been very close. We're very similar. We love doing the same things and share the same friends. You're guaranteed to have a best friend there always — you can't really compare it to anything else."

But the Spencers did not totally detach themselves from England; in speaking to Tatler, Eliza recalled how they both enjoyed school holidays in Althorp, Northamptonshire –- their family seat. "It is a truly special and beautiful place ... Exploring and discovering it as children, and being part of a long heritage of Spencers that have lived there, it has always felt like another home. And, of course, it conjures up memories of family Christmases as children, with our extended family all together." But these happy moments belie a much darker tragedy that was imminent in Eliza's youth.

A relative dying is challenging at any point in life, not least when you are young and it's plastered all over the news. That's exactly what happened when the tragic details of Princess Diana's death became public: paparazzi swamped Lady Eliza Spencer and her family at their home in late August 1997. When her father broke the news to young Eliza, she found herself in a state of disbelief. Eliza recalled saying, "But not in real life, Daddy" to Tatler in 2021. She continued, stating the impact it made on her at the time, "As a child, I realized the enormity of the loss for my father and family. It was only later that I came to understand the significance of the loss of her as a figure in the world."

A family tragedy on that scale, at such a young age, would leave a profound impact on anybody. It is often a catalyst for depression and mental health issues in later life and can bring on emotions like sadness and anger in adolescence unless the child has a healthy support system. We can only speculate as to how it has affected Eliza down the road, but she certainly seems like a well-adjusted young woman. It's an impressive transformation for someone who had to deal with so much at such a young age. Despite Diana only playing a small part in Eliza's life, she seems to have left a lasting impression. Diana's nieces have frequently had something to say about her, such as when Eliza remembered the late princess as "incredibly warm, maternal and loving. She always made an effort to connect with us as children and had a talent for reading children's hearts" (via Tatler). 

It's difficult to tell twin sisters Lady Amelia and Eliza Spencer apart. However, when they attended the opening of the Diana Memorial Park in 2000, they helped the public by differentiating themselves — wearing jumpers adorned with an A and an E. It must've been a hard day for Eliza, who was only 7 years old. Not only was she settling into a new country, but she was also attending a memorial for a loved one.

Earl Spencer, Eliza's father, attended with his offspring under the assurance that he would not be bumping into any of his former in-laws. At first, he declined an offer for the family to attend. So Eliza and her sisters missed meeting their cousins, Prince Harry and Prince William. This situation must have been quite baffling for a child, who is unlikely to grasp the labyrinthine politics of the British royal family. People often remember Princess Diana's life as a struggle against the paparazzi, so maybe it's for the best that Eliza's father didn't plunge his children into the media circus that would inevitably come about should her cousins have attended.

In 1997, Lady Eliza Spencer's father, Earl Spencer, delivered a moving speech at his sister, Princess Diana's, funeral (via YouTube). "Tens of millions of people taking part in this service, all over the world, via television and radio. Those who never actually met her, feel that they too lost someone close to them." It summed up the public opinion on Diana and emphasized the staggering amount of eyeballs on the Spencer family.

Several years later, in 2007, 15-year-old Eliza and her family attended a heartfelt memorial to their aunt on another trip to the U.K. This time, her cousins were present. It was a major occasion, and although not a public event, it was televised across the U.K. alongside simultaneous memorials being held in Manchester, Bristol, and Cardiff. It was the first time in years much of the British public would have heard from Eliza.

When leaving the memorial service, she walked behind her father with her siblings. Later, she and her sisters, Amelia and Kitty Spencer, attended the Concert for Diana at Wembley Stadium, which included performances from artists such as Elton John, Take That, and Lily Allen. However, the South African Spencers stayed out of the public eye while attending the concert. It must have been a hard time for her; Eliza's early life was marred by tragedy. Sadly, that was not going to change any time soon.

A few days prior to her 16th birthday in 2008, Lady Eliza Spencer faced another tragic setback when her first love, Christopher Elliot, died in a car crash in Cape Town. Little is known about their young love, but before the tragic incident, Eliza had spoken of her bodyboarder boyfriend lovingly on Facebook (via Hello!), calling him "the most amazing and most gorgeous boy in the world." She even stated he was her "beautiful boy." Again embroiled in tragedy, Eliza was comforted by her father, Earl Spencer, who flew back to South Africa from the U.K. after the accident. 

A memorial was soon held for the late Elliot at his private school — Reddam House — in Eliza's adopted hometown of Cape Town. She honored her him by getting a tattoo of a small star on her wrist in remembrance and, in 2015, posted a photo of her and Elliot on Instagram, captioning it with "I miss you everyday. I will hold you in my heart forever." When she feels down, Eliza still relies on her support system in the form of new-love Channing Millerd, telling Tatler: "He has held me through the sad times and anniversaries. He doesn't try to change my past." Experiencing such a bombardment of tragedy so young could throw anyone's life off the rails. Instead, Eliza was soon to make her first official public appearance and demonstrate quite the transformation.

At royal weddings, the great and the good are put under a microscope by fashion experts. Unsurprisingly, it was no different when Lady Eliza Spencer, then 18, and her sisters made their first public appearance at Prince William's wedding in April of 2011 — making a statement with their head wear. They say you should never wear white to a wedding and Eliza heeded those words to the Nth degree. She donned a simple and chic black blazer above a gray dress and, of course, added an interesting headpiece. The look was designed by South African fashion designer and friend of the family Errol Arendz, with the obscure head wear courtesy of the royal's favorite milliner Philip Treacy.

It was quite the transformation for Eliza, who until then had only invaded the public consciousness on the most emotionally fraught of occasions — here she was, finally being seen on a happier day. It would signal a metamorphosis from anonymous minor royal to lavish socialite. Over time, Princess Diana's nieces have taken the fashion world by storm.

In 2015, at age 22, Lady Eliza Spencer penned a modeling deal with Storm Management. Until then, she had been out of the spotlight in South Africa; at the time of signing with Storm, Eliza had only been seen on paparazzi long-lens or in official wedding photographs. Since signing, Eliza has kept herself busy with various modeling jobs, strutting her stuff for brands such as Versace, Roberto Cavalli, and Bvlgari, whilst penning another deal with British luxury jeweler Boodles. All designers fit for a royal.

It's a profession that runs in the family, with her mother, Victoria Aitken (neé Lockwood), having a successful career as a model for Dior and Levi's. So maybe this was a transformation that was to be expected; lower-ranking royals often have side hustles to make more money, and Eliza kept her work in the family industry. It provided consistent work for Eliza and major changes occurred in her personal life.  

We don't know much about Lady Eliza Spencer's beau, Channing Millerd, a technology COO at Dataleger (a blockchain service provider) who works in developing technologies. Although the pair aren't afraid to flaunt each other on their respective Instagram pages. For example, she penned a loved-up birthday message on the social media site, detailing what Millerd meant to her. "Happy Happy Birthday to my best friend and the man who holds my [heart]. I love you with all my heart and soul. Thank you for filling my life with so much happiness. To many more incredible adventures together. I adore you," Eliza swooned, underlining a photo of the pair locking lips in front of a sunset.

The rumors are that these long-term lovers have now been dating for almost eight years, meaning it was around the time Eliza was 24 when they allegedly met at a dinner party in South Africa through Lady Amelia Spencer's husband Greg Mallett. Her other sister, Lady Kitty Spencer, welcomed a baby girl to the family in March 2024, and with her twin tying the knot atop a South African mountain in March 2023, could Eliza soon be following suit? Despite a lack of engagement rumors in the press, there's no doubt Eliza's transformation from girlfriend to fiancee is only a matter of time.

At age 29 in 2021, Lady Eliza Spencer and her sister Amelia moved to London and got immersed in the city's thriving social scene — the siblings quickly established themselves as city socialites. A major transformation for two sisters from mountainous South Africa. In their Hello! interview, Eliza shared what she was looking forward to after she'd settled into the city. "Kitty [their elder sister] has always told us how much she particularly enjoys Wimbledon and the Serpentine Summer Party and we have always hoped to go. We are looking forward to our first London Fashion Week." The pair celebrated both South Africa and their return to England's capital with a cover story for Tatler in 2021, where they were photographed in suburban Cape Town.

The pair are often seen strolling down the aptly named King's Road in London's lavish Kensington wearing a who's who of luxury designers. But they soon found, upon arrival, that meeting their vast aristocratic family left them little time to focus on their careers. Eliza's life at 29 was mostly photoshoots and parties, but soon, she would find a career she loved — one a little different than what anyone may have expected. London certainly transformed Eliza's outlook on life.

Often, those with wealth struggle to find purpose in life. With everything as an option, there's almost too much choice. Despite Lady Eliza Spencer studying psychology and criminology at Varsity College in South Africa, she has found her calling in interior design. Not much is known about Eliza's passion for finding the right color scheme or furnishings. But, she displays a clear eye for detail on her Instagram, photographing the ornate interiors of five-star hotel rooms. With the pedigree of a life living the most glamorous of interiors, there's no doubt that Eliza will make a formidable interior designer.

One of the internet's favorite slights is calling a celebrity a "nepo-baby", aka a young up-and-comer whose famous parents got them where they are today. Often, nepo-babies are not fans of the moniker. With Eliza flitting between her accomplished modeling career and nascent interest in interior design, it could be argued she is apt for such a title. She orbits the royal family, who seemingly do what they want: podcasts, television shows, and even being president of England's soccer association. It would be no surprise if Eliza got hit with the nepo-baby accusations.

But it's not always easy for the rich to do whatever they want. Those with the generational wealth Eliza has can fall into the trap of asking, "What's even the point of getting out of bed in the morning?" As their life would be just as comfortable should they not work. Thankfully, Eliza has had success modeling and is now broadening her horizons — her transformation into an interior designer is one we're excited to see. So she's no nepo-baby, the only title that Eliza has is the one given to her: Lady.

Lady Eliza Spencer, alongside her sister Amelia, stepped out for the Fashion Award in November 2024 at London's Royal Albert Hall, looking every bit their late aunt. It was quite the transformation. For example, Princess Diana's iconic revenge dress was a Christina Stambolian-designed black off-the-shoulder number, worn after a last-minute switch from a planned Valentino gown. Eliza's awards dress bore an uncanny resemblance to it.

Eliza's gown was similarly off-the-shoulder, black, and had diamonds, redolent of those Diana wore at the Serpentine Gallery dinner, around her neck. She was even the same age as Diana when she wore the dress — 32. The only noticeable difference was that Eliza's dress stretched down to her feet, whereas her aunt's hem barely touched her knees. This dress demonstrates a marked transformation for Eliza; like her late aunt, she is nodding to her past whilst being her own woman –- a tightrope walk that can only be achieved through experience and age. Eliza's version of the outfit is more of a statement about her than about taking revenge.

It's not the first time she's been compared to Diana; within the same month, when she attended a dinner for Mexico's luxury fragrance outfit Aromaria, there were analogies to the late princess. This time, she wore a much shorter dress from Australian designer Rebecca Vallance. Though less overt, it still referenced the revenge dress and is fittingly named the "Diana bow-detail sequined minidress". The Spencers have always seemed to love a little black dress and have been fashion-forward; Eliza is keeping up the tradition.