The Stunning Transformation Of Lady Amelia Spencer

Lady Amelia Spencer should probably be one of the most famous people in England. Her first cousins are Prince William and Prince Harry. Her aunt was Princess Diana. And, for a brief part of her childhood, King Charles III was technically her uncle by marriage. Despite these strong royal connections, though, Amelia spent most of her life hiding from the spotlight. As a child, she rarely attended royal events and was hardly ever photographed with her famous family members. Even once she became an adult, the public knew relatively little about Lady Amelia Spencer and her twin Lady Eliza Spencer.

All that privacy, however, has since changed. After moving to London in 2021, Amelia and Eliza have appeared interested in taking on a larger public role. Although both Spencer girls were raised in relative anonymity, their more recent modeling ambitions have thrust them into the limelight. Naturally, though, as Amelia and her twin sister have gained more fame, their lifestyle has had to shift. No longer can Amelia wear casual tank tops and spend her weekends lounging at the beach. These days, she's a society girl who is expected to wear designer clothes, attend philanthropic events, and even give the occasional interview. This shift in expectations has led Amelia to transform from a relatively sheltered child to a famous woman who seems ready to take the spotlight head-on.

Like many other children of the British peerage, Lady Amelia Spencer spent her early years at her family's historic home. As one of Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer's seven children, Amelia partially grew up at Althorp House in Northampton, England. Reflecting on this experience, Amelia's twin sister, Lady Eliza Spencer, told Tatler, "It is a truly special and beautiful place. Having spent the first three years of our lives at Althorp, 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." In the same interview, Amelia added, "It's our family home, it's beautiful."

Spending time at Althorp helped Amelia and his sister develop a sense of British identity early on. As the twins would later reveal in a conversation with The Telegraph, they grew up playing yard games like croquet on the estate's massive lawns. At Christmastime, they would attend a local church service and then enjoy a scrumptious meal at home. Naturally, they also learned a thing or two about their family history and how it related to the fascinating property. As Amelia told the outlet, "Well, growing up he [Charles Spencer] used to tell us about that at Althorp." These early memories would help the twins remain connected to their roots.

Although Lady Amelia Spencer could have spent her childhood in England, her mother, Victoria Aitken, didn't love this idea. Due to having famous family members like Princess Diana and the King Charles III, Amelia's chances of a normal British upbringing were close to none. Her royal connections meant that people might treat her differently than other children. Plus, her ties to the palace threatened to attract unwanted media attention. As a protective mother, Aitken did not like this one bit.

In 1995, Aitken fled the British press and headed to South Africa with her brood in tow. There, Amelia and her siblings were able to experience a sense of normalcy — and get to know their famous aunt Diana beyond her worldwide fame. "We always just knew her as our aunt," Lady Eliza Spencer once told Tatler. "Growing up in South Africa, I really had very little idea of how significant she was in the world until I was much older."

Beyond developing a more authentic relationship with Diana, Amelia and Eliza benefited from a limited press presence in Cape Town. Speaking with The Telegraph, Eliza once admitted, "We were so lucky to have a normal, relaxed childhood. Public scrutiny didn't exist at all." While Amelia and Eliza's aunt Princess Diana was developing a rocky relationship with the press, her aristocratic nieces were experiencing relative freedom in South Africa.

Perhaps as a result of her laid-back childhood, Lady Amelia Spencer remained under the radar as she moved into adulthood. When it came time for her to attend university, Amelia didn't want to go to an elite school in England. Instead, she preferred to remain in South Africa and attend the University of Cape Town — a public school with a good reputation. There, she attended classes, made new friends, and spent time with her future husband, Greg Mallett.

Although the British press has tried to portray Amelia as something of a party-animal-turned-society-girl, her Instagram profile tells a different story. Photos from Amelia's college days rarely show her in anything other than casual wear. Ever a woman of her generation, Amelia often wore the dark eyeliner and tight tank tops that were so popular outside of society circles in the early 2010s. As for her activities, Amelia's posts reveal that she attended a Rihanna concert, spent afternoons at the beach, and went to parties with Mallet on her arm. While she did hit a big bash or two in her day, Amelia's antics never came close to those of her famously wild cousin, Prince Harry. On the contrary, Princess Diana's niece seemed like almost any other public university student — refreshingly normal.

After enjoying a wonderful university experience, Lady Amelia Spencer could not imagine herself leaving South Africa. She had a loving boyfriend, a good education, and tons of friends. Plus, her twin, Lady Eliza Spencer, was always there to support her in times of need. Speaking to The Telegraph about this phase of her life, Amelia shared, "Cape Town was all about the sea, hiking, horse riding, tennis, netball ... After high school and university we were so happy that [Eliza and I] didn't feel the need to move."

When it came time to join the workforce, Amelia decided that she might try her hand at wedding planning. As someone with a very organized personality, she felt that the area might be a good fit. "I love the structure of wedding planning, the timeline," Amelia told the outlet. "I'm a people person. I enjoy working with everyone from the bride and groom to the parents." The young aristocrat went on to plan 40 weddings for people in South Africa. As time went on, though, Amelia began to see opportunities elsewhere.

Things began to change for Lady Amelia Spencer when her older sister, Lady Kitty Spencer, established herself in London. Kitty had long been the type of person to laugh at her own clumsiness — rather than one to dream of modeling. However, due to a little mix-up, Kitty found herself represented by one of the biggest brands in the business. "My step into modeling started a few years ago," Kitty told Harper's Bazaar in 2019. "A brand reached out to someone at Storm [modeling agency] because they thought that Storm represented me. I wasn't modeling at the time, but Storm did get in touch, and I've been with them sense." By 2017, Kitty was the queen of the catwalk.

As Kitty's career took off, Amelia and her twin sister began to see London in a new light. They were impressed by the events that Kitty got to attend and began to think they might like to experience them for themselves. "Kitty has always told us how much she particularly enjoys Wimbledon and the Serpentine Summer Party and we have always hoped to go," Lady Eliza Spencer would eventually admit to Hello! As the twins grew more enamored with the idea of London, they also opened themselves up to the many professional opportunities there, such as studying up on the fashion industry. By 2020, Amelia and Eliza, too, had signed with the modeling agency team at Storm.  

After carefully considering their options, Lady Amelia Spencer and Lady Eliza Spencer decided to give life in London a go. In 2021, the twins returned to their country of origin to see what the future had in store. Before they knew it, Princess Diana's nieces began to take the modeling world by storm. "London has so much to offer and we're both open and ready for new experiences. It's really just the start for us," Amelia told Only Natural Diamonds that year. Eliza added, "It's all very new and exciting. We feel so lucky to be on the journey we're on, the opportunities we've been presented with, and all the amazing people we've met so far. It's been incredible."

Amelia was especially excited by the competitive energy flowing through the streets of her new home. As she told The Telegraph, "In London everyone seems so driven; it makes you want to reach your full potential." This ambiance inspired her to give everything in London her all. Before long, the young aristocrat found that she couldn't imagine herself living anywhere else. "I've always imagined I'd end up in the U.K., it just took a little longer than I'd planned. We're thrilled to finally be here. For me, this is where my future is," she gushed in a conversation with Hello!

Even though Lady Amelia Spencer loved her new life in London, she often found herself balking at certain elements of British culture. Local reactions to her titles especially astounded her. Not only did people actually call her "Lady Amelia," but they seemed to treat her well for it. After growing up in the more informal environment of South Africa, Amelia struggled to wrap her mind around this. As she revealed in an interview with The Telegraph, "Only in England. We've never heard [the titles] outside the U.K. We don't use them, but people use them to us." In the same conversation, Lady Eliza Spencer explained that they have to correct people. "We just say, 'Call me Eliza, call me Amelia,'" she said.

Despite some of these cultural differences, Amelia found that her previous experiences at Althorp House helped ease her transition into British society. Speaking to Only Natural Diamonds, Amelia explained, "Even though it's a very different world to our lives growing up in South Africa we have always been used to coming here for family holidays, so it's not too much of a shock." Even so, Amelia and Eliza have both kept their South African accents — a sure sign that the "Rainbow Nation" will forever be part of their identities.

When Lady Amelia Spencer traded Cape Town for London, she also exchanged relative anonymity for a life in the spotlight. In South Africa, most people declined to ask her about Princess Diana out of respect for her privacy. As Lady Eliza Spencer put it in an interview with The Telegraph, "Definitely people at school knew there was some kind of tension, but as much as some people might be interested, they never brought it up." This sort of quiet distance contributed to Amelia and Eliza's laid-back childhood. However, it did not carry over into their life in England.

Almost as soon as they moved to London, Amelia and Eliza were featured in the tabloids. Oftentimes referred to as "Princess Diana's nieces," the twin sisters found that their late aunt played a major role in their public image. When they gave interviews to talk about their own lives and accomplishments, Amelia and Eliza were frequently asked about Diana. Considering that the "People's Princess" died when the twins were only 5 years old, it was likely very strange for them to confront so many questions about their late relative.

As Lady Amelia Spencer adjusted to her new life of fame and glamor, she had to make some changes to her wardrobe. Back in South Africa, she had largely opted for casual attire, as things like expensive jewelry weren't considered especially appropriate in her social circle. Lady Eliza Spencer even told The Telegraph,"It just wouldn't have made sense to us with our very outdoors life." Plus, the twins' mother, Victoria Aitken never encouraged her daughters to indulge in things like fancy labels or copious makeup. "My mother never puts any emphasis on brands or makeup; she's just so natural," Eliza further explained.

When Amelia and Eliza transformed into London-based socialites and models, however, the expectations changed. They needed to know the ins and outs of the fashion world. As brand ambassadors for jewelry companies like Boodles, Amelia and Eliza were essentially required to become experts on diamonds. In the same interview with The Telegraph, Eliza confessed that she and Amelia were "learning a lot." As they built their expertise, the twins often found themselves gravitating toward similar styles. Speaking to Only Natural Diamonds about this coincidence, Amelia laughed, "It's funny, in the case of jewelry we both tend to buy the same pieces. We should probably branch out so we can share more pieces!"

Even as some aspects of Lady Amelia Spencer's life changed, others remained the same. In 2020, her long-time love, Greg Mallett, asked her to marry him. "The day Greg proposed was the most romantic day of my life. He has been my best friend for 11 years and everything about him makes me feel like the luckiest person in the world," Amelia told Hello! at the time.

Back when the couple first met, Mallett was just a 19-year-old university student and Amelia was 17. Although the pair hit it off immediately, they most likely didn't imagine that they would one day tie the knot in the wedding of the season. In 2023, however, Mallett and Amelia walked down the aisle in a ceremony that was literally covered by Vogue. Amelia wore a dress by Versace. "My gown was crafted, over the course of two and a half months, from custom silk rebrodé lace and featured a two-and-a-half-meter train, Swarovski crystals, a hand-embroidered neckline, and structured shoulders, with intricate flower patterns running throughout," she told the outlet.

Because of Amelia's position in British society, there was certainly pressure for her to get married at Althorp House. In the end, though, she opted to tie the know in South Africa. As she very diplomatically told Tatler, "We would be very lucky to get married there [Althorp], but Cape Town is where we grew up."

Lady Amelia Spencer's life changed tremendously when she moved to England, but many of her passions remained the same. Growing up in South Africa, Amelia cultivated a passion for charity work. "We were surrounded by a lot of poverty in Cape Town," she revealed in a chat with The Telegraph. According to her memories, this opened her eyes to a number of important causes. When she was just a child, Amelia would try to collect money for stray animals on the streets. Sometimes, she would even try to adopt them. "We already had eight rescue cats, a pug and a Jack Russell when I fell in love with Eliot — he's my black-and-white cat," Amelia recalled fondly.

As a child, Amelia's charitable efforts were quite limited. Now that she has built a platform, though, the aristocrat has pursued a number of other causes. She is an ambassador to The Little Princess Trust — an organization that provides wigs to children with cancer. She has also championed United Purpose, which provides support to refugees affected by the Civil War in Mozambique. If Princess Diana harnessed her celebrity status for good causes, her niece seems to be following in her footsteps. While building a name in the public eye cannot always be easy, it does occasionally have its benefits.

In 2025, Lady Amelia Spencer's fame reached new heights when she appeared on the March cover of Tatler. Posing alongside her sisters, Lady Kitty Spencer and Lady Eliza Spencer, Amelia hardly resembled the girl who had once spent her weekends hiking in Cape Town. Instead, she looked like a glamorous model — someone born to soak up the spotlight. With her hair flowing behind her and professional makeup on her face, Amelia's transformation could not have been more evident.

Speaking to the magazine, Amelia implied that she really enjoys her new career. She especially seemed to like the variety of projects that she gets to tackle. "We're not exclusive with any particular brands. It's been an amazing year working with so many different design and jewelry brands. We're able to travel, which really helps, I think," she said. 

Even as Amelia has become more successful, though, she is not afraid to continue to grow. In the same interview, she confessed to having tried downhill skiing — despite finding the sport challenging."We should have started earlier," she laughed.