Lady Amelia and Lady Eliza Spencer Inject a Healthy Dose of Glamour Into Cousin Prince William’s Charity Gala

We didn’t have a Kate Middleton style moment last night, but thankfully we had the Spencer twins.

The Spencer twins at the London Air Ambulance gala
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Rachel Burchfield
By Rachel Burchfield
published

The Princess of Wales’ absence from public life as she recovers from abdominal surgery is certainly felt in many corners—not the least of which is fashion. Last night her husband, Prince William, spoke at a charity gala for the London Air Ambulance and, had Kate not been in recovery (she’s sidelined until at least April), she no doubt would have been by her husband’s side, likely in a take-our-breath-away fashion moment.

Stepping in Kate’s place we actually got not just one glamorous royally adjacent woman, but two: twins Lady Amelia and Lady Eliza Spencer, nieces of Princess Diana and cousins of William (and Prince Harry, too, but he was already headed back home to California and his family there).

The Spencer twins at the London Air Ambulance gala

Lady Eliza Spencer, left, and Lady Amelia Spencer at last night's London Air Ambulance charity gala

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Amelia and Eliza’s father is Earl Charles Spencer, Diana’s only brother. The twins adhered to the night’s black and white color scheme, Amelia in black, Eliza in white, and both wearing their hair in a similar slicked back style. The twins were born in 1992 and were only five when their Aunt Diana died; even before her tragic death, the twins grew up away from the U.K. in South Africa. Regardless, the twins told Tatler in 2021—in a rare joint interview—that they remembered their “incredibly warm, maternal, and loving” aunt.

“As a child, I realized the enormity of the loss for my father and family,” Eliza said of Diana’s death in 1997 in a Parisian car accident. “It was only later that I came to understand the significance of the loss of her as a figure in the world.”

Amelia Spencer at the London Air Ambulance gala

Amelia and Eliza often coordinate their outfits, as they did last night

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Eliza Spencer at the London Air Ambulance gala

The gala was black and white themed, so Eliza took white, and Amelia took black

(Image credit: Getty Images)

William spoke of the royal family’s recent health scares at the gala last night, thanking the public for their “kind messages of support” since his wife underwent abdominal surgery, and his father King Charles was diagnosed with cancer this past month. “It means a great deal to us all,” he said, then quipped “It’s fair to say the past few weeks have had a rather medical focus, so I thought I’d come to an air ambulance function to get away from it all.”

Yesterday marked William’s return to work following the health scares that have shaken the royal family. (In addition to the gala last night, he also hosted an investiture at Windsor Castle.) Meanwhile, Kate is resting at the family home of Adelaide Cottage in Windsor, and Charles and Queen Camilla have departed for their country home in Norfolk as the King recuperates from outpatient treatment earlier this week.

Amelia Spencer at the London Air Ambulance gala

Amelia and Eliza are the nieces of Princess Diana and were five years old when she died in 1997

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Eliza Spencer at the London Air Ambulance gala

The Spencer twins came out to support their cousin, Prince William, who spoke at the gala last night

(Image credit: Getty Images)

As for the Spencer twins, as with last night, they are often seen in coordinating outfits. (Their go to designers? Versace and Dior, Hello reports.) The two are “very close” and spend ample time together, likely accounting for the—pun totally intended—twinning outfits.

“We’ve always been very close,” Amelia told Tatler. “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.” 

Rachel Burchfield
Rachel Burchfield
Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor

Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more. 

Latest