Lady Amelia & Eliza Spencer: What We Know About William & Harry's Twin Cousins
Hailing from the British royalty, Prince William and Prince Harry have garnered a massive amount of public attention due to the lives they lead. Whether it be the status of their ongoing relationships or their business ventures, the public has a keen eye on their everyday lives. As the sons of King Charles III and Princess Diana, William and Harry share a wide range of family members spawning from their family's legacy. Some of these non-senior members, Princess Eugenie and Zara Tindall, are quite popular and easily recognized, but not much is known about the other sets of cousins the brothers of royalty share.
While Prince Harry and Prince William have six cousins from their father's side of the family, they also have 13 cousins from their mother's side that the public is generally unaware of. Charles Spencer (9th Earl Spencer), the brother of Princess Diana, is a father of seven. One of which is Lady Kitty Spencer, a British model who is the spokesperson for Dolce & Gabbana. Most notable, however, are twin sisters Lady Amelia and Lady Eliza Spencer, who are taking the world by storm with their fashion endeavors as well. From experiencing a life of luxury away from the prying cameras to following in their aunt's footsteps, Amelia and Eliza's lives are quite intriguing, to say the least. Keep reading to learn more about the aristocratic twins.
Amelia and Eliza had a 'relaxed' childhood
Born on July 10, 1992, twins Amelia and Eliza Spencer grew up in Cape Town, South Africa. Following their parent's divorce, the two remained in Cape Town while their father moved back to the United Kingdom. While one can assume that the twins of royalty had a childhood decked out in luxurious experiences — and they did, considering the beautiful landscape of their family home — Amelia and Eliza described their childhood as "relaxed."
Given their family's lineage, Charles Spencer and Victoria Aitken ensured their children had a stress-free life growing up. In Cape Town, the two never had to face the frightening realities children associated with royalty typically deal with. In an interview with The Telegraph, the nieces of Princess Diana told the publication they never experienced a massive amount of attention from the paparazzi. "We were so lucky to have a normal, relaxed childhood. Public scrutiny didn't exist at all," Eliza stated. "You don't really see photographers or journalists in Cape Town; it wouldn't have been particularly relevant or interesting." Given their family ties, those around them shared a great deal of respect without alienating them. Although those at school were aware of who they were, Amelia suggested that their connection to the royal family never became an issue as the people around them never brought it up.
Princess Diana protected Amelia and Eliza before she passed
Just a year after her divorce from King Charles III, Princess Diana tragically passed away in a car accident in 1997. While her death shocked the world, her passing didn't affect her nieces, Amelia and Eliza, until they were old enough to fully understand her importance. Since she died when they were only 5 years old, the two revealed that they wished they had spent more time with her while she was alive. Despite their late realization of their aunt's significance, the two told Hello! that they remember the impact she left on their lives. "I do have some special memories of her," Amelia shared. "I can't explain why, but they've stuck very clearly in my mind."
In an interview with Tatler, the twins suggested that Princess Diana had a knack for "reading children's hearts." Unbeknownst to them, Diana protected Amelia and Eliza from the small number of paparazzi they encountered as youths. Due to Diana's status, she knew far too well that endless flash photography was not suitable for growing children. To protect their innocence, Diana consistently convinced her 5-year-old nieces to race back to the car in public so they could distance themselves from the paparazzi. "It was amazing how she protected us in a way that made us feel safe and not frightened," Eliza told People. "We had no idea what she was doing at the time."
Mental health was a serious topic in their household
Lady Amelia and Lady Eliza, like Prince William and Prince Harry, experienced a life filled with luxurious privileges. At the same time, Amelia and Eliza acknowledged their fortunate circumstances since their area of residence in South Africa was also surrounded by poverty. In addition to their humble beginnings, the two grew up in a household where mental health was at the forefront. While that may sound surprising, their mother, Victoria Aitkens, had her fair share of struggles that influenced her views on prioritizing the topic. From heroin addiction to alcoholism, anorexia to bulimia, the mother knew the depths in which a poor mind can take someone.
In light of reminiscing about Princess Diana — who was also an advocate for mental health — Amelia and Eliza told Tatler magazine about the importance of this discussion in their household (via E! News). According to Eliza, she and her sister always found comfort in opening up about their issues. In agreement with her sister's claim, Amelia revealed that she believes there's a level of importance in shifting the narrative about mental health for the betterment of our society. "We have come a long way in terms of the conversations," Amelia stated. "And I hope there will come a time when the stigma is completely removed, and that people will be able to ask for help and not feel judged for having mental health issues or struggling emotionally."
According to Eliza, Amelia has a fear of birds
From birth, Lady Amelia and Lady Eliza have been inseparable. From their shared interest in modeling to developing a strategy to prevent the two from matching outfits, the twins appear to be quite fond of one another. Since they've prioritized privacy over public attention, Amelia and Eliza have rarely shown their unique personalities to the public. Despite their connection to royalty, we don't know much about the two aside from their passion projects and iconic fashion ensembles.
Though the two remain steadily private, Amelia and Eliza revealed surprising anecdotes about one another in an interview with Hello! (via YouTube). In addition to naming their best personality traits and deciding which "Friends" character they embody (Eliza would be Monica, while Amelia would be Phoebe), the two answered personal questions about each other in a "who knows who best" format. When asked about their biggest phobia, Eliza revealed that Amelia is scared of birds. "I'd say Amelia's biggest phobia is definitely birds," Eliza replied. "From far, I think they're fine, but as soon as they come close to her, she freaks out." According to Amelia, her fear of birds isn't entirely irrational. After her sister's response, Amelia quickly states that she's scared of them because they "always attack her."
Amelia was charged with assault in 2011
Given their humbling childhood, Lady Amelia and Lady Eliza manage to stay away from the public eye. Since specific anecdotes about their life are relatively unknown to the general public, the two succeeded in avoiding publication headlines and false rumors. That was until Amelia found herself in hot water after being charged with assault in 2011.
According to Daily Mail, a war of words ensued after a taxi cut the 18-year-old off at a McDonald's drive-through in Cape Town. Ricci Cinti, the passenger in the taxicab, claimed that Lady Amelia came out of her vehicle and engaged in an argument with the driver. A friend of hers allegedly had a physical altercation with Cinti that left him with a concussion and a swollen jaw. Due to the amount of attention the incident garnered, Charles Spencer stated that his daughter's actual engagement in the incident was purely out of self-defense and that she was going to press charges against Cinti for assault. "It is upsetting that a man who assaulted my daughter should try to press charges against her when she had merely reacted in self-defense," he stated. "She is today pressing charges against him for assault." While much is unknown about the aftermath of the courtroom showdown, it seemed as though Amelia was able to walk away from the incident unscathed.
The day Amelia got engaged was the 'most romantic day of her life'
In 2020, Lady Amelia Spencer got engaged to real estate agent and fitness fanatic, Greg Mallet.From meeting at the University of Cape Town, the two struck up an 11-year romance that culminated in Greg's proposal. In an interview with Hello!, Amelia stated that it was possibly the "most romantic day of her life." Her husband-to-be ended their day filled with romantic pastimes by way of an assortment of memorable photographs — from their first dance to their first date together. To conclude the sentimental arrangement, the final box included a note that read, "But most importantly, I know you will remember tonight as the night that I proposed." "I burst out crying," Amelia told the publication. "I was in shock, I said: 'Yes, yes, yes!' and gave him a hug and a kiss."
Much was unknown about the status of their wedding until Greg Mallet took to Instagram to make a big announcement. On November 21, 2022, Greg shared a compilation of photos of his fiancee on Instagram with the caption, "I did a thing for you. Four months until I marry the love of my life." Although the date isn't specified, we could expect the two to tie the knot sometime in March 2023.
Eliza suffered a tragic loss in 2008
Lady Eliza Spencer learned that her aunt, Princess Diana, passed away at a young age. Despite her blissful ignorance toward the significance of her aunt at the time, she later discovered how tragic of a loss this was for her and her family. Unfortunately for the niece of Princess Diana, tragedy struck again 11 years later as she learned that her high school sweetheart passed away.
In 2008, Eliza's boyfriend and Reddam House student, Christopher Elliot, lost his life after a horrific car crash in Cape Town, South Africa (via Hello!). Eliza, who was 16 years old at the time, took to social media to express her love for the 17-year-old boy while praising his good-natured personality. In light of the depressing news, Hello! reported that her father, Charles Spencer, flew out to Cape Town to support his grieving daughter and attend the memorial service held at her school. Since much isn't known about their relationship — aside from sources claiming that the two were inseparable — it's safe to assume that Eliza didn't share details about the incident with publications, as it is a sensitive topic for her.
Eliza is a proud stepmother
Despite losing her high school sweetheart at 16, Lady Eliza didn't let her loss get in the way of eventually finding love again. Though Eliza remains private about her dating life, she doesn't shy away from showing off her long-time boyfriend, Channing Millerd, to her followers on Instagram. As an individual, Millerd does well for himself as he is a co-founder and chief operating officer for DataLedger, a company dedicated to providing blockchain solutions. In addition to this, Millerd also has his hands in other companies, such as BeefLedger and WineLedger.
Aside from her various snapshots of her and Millerd spending time together, Eliza quietly stepped into a step-mother role. From his previous marriage, Channing Millerd has a son named Nate. Although his entrepreneurial endeavors allow him to enjoy extravagant trips to Italy and France, Millerd appears to make time for his son anytime he can. For Eliza, her involvement in Nate's life seemed to be instant. In 2017, she took to Instagram to upload a picture of the three cuddling with the caption, "The best cuddles." From birthday wishes to comments expressing her love for Nate, there's no doubt that Eliza has an undying love for the little boy.
Moving to London was life-changing for them
South Africa was Lady Amelia and Lady Eliza's place of residence since they were children — though they did visit family in Althorp in the U.K. for the holidays.The two, however, made a drastic decision to move to London to pursue other endeavors, such as modeling, interior design, and wedding planning. This is not to say their prior efforts weren't successful. In Cape Town, Amelia was able to find work as a wedding planner, while Eliza was able to graduate with degrees in psychology and criminology. In an interview with Hello!, they revealed that they've always wanted to move to London. Although the move made sense — given their family's lineage — Amelia and Eliza's reason for moving was to expand their horizons. "We can't wait to see what the future holds," Amelia told the publication. "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."
Since the two are chasing similar goals, Amelia and Eliza are very close — living only 20 minutes away from each other. Despite this, they know that they'll eventually drift apart at some point. Eliza, however, remains optimistic about their connection as twins throughout their time in London. "Wherever we go, our sibling bond is unbreakable," Eliza stated. "The future is bright and this is only the beginning."
Amelia and Eliza prefer not to use their titles outside of the U.K.
In the U.K., referring to a member of royalty by their titles is a sign of respect. For Lady Amelia and Lady Eliza — who grew up in Cape Town, South Africa — this practice wasn't heavily monitored by higher-ups. In fact, Amelia and Eliza suggested that people in South Africa never fixated on their connection to the royal family. Their position in royalty could have likely given them an excuse to get "special treatment," but the twins seemingly never used that to their advantage.
In an interview with The Telegraph, the two went into depth about their upbringing. Before the interview, Hermione Eyre greeted them with their honorary titles, which prompted them to reveal that they preferred to be called by their name without the honorifics. While the two never went to great lengths to hide or drop the titles given to them, Eliza suggested that they're indifferent toward what people refer to them as in public. "Only in England. We've never heard [the titles] outside the U.K. We don't use them, but people use them to us," Eliza told Eyre. "We just say, 'Call me Eliza, call me Amelia.'"
They attended the Cannes Film Festival 35 years after their aunt's infamous appearance
In 1987, Princess Diana notoriously made an appearance at the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France. The celebratory festival became a staple for filmmakers and actors alike as it is an exclusive event dedicated to honoring those involved in the filming industry. As prestigious as it was, Princess Diana seemingly stole the show during the screening of "The Whales of August." There, the princess wore a silk gown that resembled a dress the late Grace Kelly —whom she was also friends with — wore in the 1955 film, "To Catch a Thief." It was such an impactful moment that the pale blue gown was on display at the Kensington Palace exhibit in 2017, further celebrating her legacy.
In a full-circle moment, Princess Diana's nieces turned heads when they made their Cannes debut in 2022 — 35 years after her notorious appearance (via People). While it would've been the perfect opportunity to pay homage to their late aunt by wearing similar gowns, Amelia and Eliza opted for chic black Alberta Ferretti dresses, which stood out amongst the other celebrities sporting pink ensembles.
They're still relatively close to their siblings and parents
From sharing the same friends to living 20 minutes away from each other in London, the Spencer twins have remained close for the last 30 years. So close, in fact, that two found it difficult to spend three weeks away from each other during the pandemic (via The Telegraph). Due to their inseparable connection, one may question their relationship with the rest of their family. With Charles Spencer and Victoria Aitken divorcing and remarrying other spouses, Amelia and Eliza's family grew in number. Though much is unknown about their relationship with Prince Harry and Prince William, the twins try their best to keep in touch with their family members as much as possible.
In 2020, Eliza took to Instagram to share a picture of herself with her siblings Louis, Kitty, Amelia, and Samuel, as well as her mother, with the caption, "Reunited." In 2021, Kitty Spencer's marriage served as another excuse for the twins to catch up with their relatives. Although their father was not in attendance — which spawned rumors regarding his involvement in their lives — the two reunited with their close-knit family for the special occasion. Tatler reported that those in attendance included step-siblings Lady Lara Spencer and Jonah Freud, along with cousin Laura Pettman. In August of the same year, Amelia commemorated the occasion by posting a picture of herself, Eliza, and Kitty on Instagram with the caption, "Sisters" surrounded by several heart emojis.