Who are Lady Eliza and Lady Amelia Spencer? Meet Princess Diana's model nieces

Twins Lady Amelia and Lady Eliza Spencer gave their first joint interview as they appeared together on the cover of Tatler.

The nieces of the late Princess Diana opened up about their aunt, who died when they were just five-years-old.

Raised mostly in South Africa, the twins, 28, share a close bond with each other and their older sister, Lady Kitty Spencer, and have been out of the public eye in the UK.

But their social media accounts show their glamorous and usually jet set lifestyles, as the models spend time in South Africa, as well as the UK and abroad on holidays.

Amelia is engaged to personal trainer Greg Mallett. The pair haven’t decided where to wed yet, as she revealed to Tatler.

Her father, Earl Spencer, has offered up the family home of Althorp, in Northamptonshire, but Amelia explained they are torn between Cape Town and Britain.

Eliza has been dating her boyfriend, Channing Millerd, for four years. He has a son, Nate, from a previous relationship and shares snaps of the trio together on social media.

Eliza is clearly devoted to her boyfriend’s five-year-old son and she also shares lots of photos of him on her Instagram.

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Speaking to Tatler about growing up with a twin, Amelia said: “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.”

Lady Amelia’s first name is actually Katya, but she goes by her middle name. The twins were born in July 1992.

They moved to South Africa in 1995 with their father, Charles Spencer, and mother Victoria, but Charles moved back to the UK in 1997 after the death of his sister, Princess Diana.

Charles and Victoria divorced in the same year, and she went on to marry Jonathan Aitken in 2005, though they broke up four years later.

Earl Spencer remained close to his daughters, and they were an important part of the wider Royal Family too. Despite living in South Africa, Lady Amelia, Lady Eliza and their sister Lady Kitty Spencer all attended the wedding of Prince William to Kate in 2011.

Amelia did not make it to Harry and Meghan’s wedding though.

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As well as older sister Kitty, they also have a younger brother, Louis, the Viscount Althorp, who is the heir to the Spencer name.

Both their parents remarried and went on to have more children, giving Amelia and Eliza half siblings.

Earl Spencer has three other children, Edmund, Lara and Charlotte. Their mother had a son called Samuel with her second husband, before they divorced in 2009.

Despite living thousands of miles away, Earl Spencer was reported to play an active role in his children’s lives, visiting them regularly and bringing them to Althorp for holidays.

Victoria, who now goes by her second married name of Victoria Aitken, said in 2002: “I believe that it is a lot better for a child to be loved by both parents individually than to be in an environment where there is conflict, pain or animosity.”

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Amelia and Mallett got engaged in July 2020, and spoke to Hello! magazine after announcing their news.

Amelia said: “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.”

They met at university, and Mallett has worked as an estate agent, though he recently announced he has joined Jeff Fitness as a coach.

Congratulating the couple on their engagement, Earl Spencer revealed Mallett had asked him for permission to marry his daughter beforehand.

He wrote on Twitter: “So happy for my daughter, Amelia, engaged to her boyfriend of 11 years, Greg - it’s wonderful to hear them both so excited about their future. Sending them both love, and every good wish for their life together. I love that Greg asked my blessing before proposing. Very sweet.”

Eliza is similarly loved up, and shared a picture with her beau as they marked four years together, saying: “Thank you for giving me the happiest four years of my life.”

In 2008, Eliza experienced tragedy when her first serious boyfriend was killed in a car crash.

Christopher Elliot died aged 17, and Eliza remembers him on her social media years on. She posted a tribute in 2015 saying “I will hold you in my heart forever”.

Earl Spencer reportedly flew to South Africa to comfort her at the time.

While living in South Africa meant they largely avoided media attention growing up, Lady Amelia did find herself in the papers when she was charged with assault in 2011.

However she was cleared of the charges before arriving in London for her cousin Prince William’s wedding.

Her lawyers argued she had suffered enough because of the global attention of the case.

Growing up, the twins were mostly based in South Africa, but did travel to the UK for special family occasions.

They were present at a 10th anniversary memorial service for their aunt, the late Diana, Princess of Wales, about seven years after they had been in London to help their father open the playground in her name.

The four siblings were pictured in matching blue jumpers with their first initials on the front.

Lady Kitty, their older sister, was the first to be signed as a model and her appearance at Prince Harry and Meghan’s wedding in 2018 spun her into a new level of fame.

She has been based in the UK and it looks like Lady Amelia and Lady Eliza are ready to join her.

Sharing their magazine cover, the twins said: “We look forward to moving back to London and seeing you all soon!”

Royal watchers will be thrilled with new additions to the London royal set.

The March issue of Tatler is available on newsstands and via digital download on Monday 1 February.

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