Princess Diana’s niece, Lady Amelia Spencer, is getting married to fiancé and former South African rugby coach, Greg Mallett. Lady Amelia is the daughter of Charles Spencer, Princess Diana’s brother. And it appears that he will not be attending the wedding.
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Another family feud?
The couple kicked off their wedding celebrations with a pool party at a luxury villa overlooking the ocean in Cape Town, South Africa, over the weekend.
Lady Amelia wore an ivory silk halter neck dress which has drawn comparisons with the reception dress that Meghan Markle wore for her wedding to Prince Harry in 2018.
Amelia's twin sister, Lady Eliza Spencer, can be seen in pictures posted to social media, however their father, Charles Spencer, is notably absent.
Instead, Charles Spencer posted a video of a group of lambs at his Althorp Estate home yesterday 20 March, writing:
Lambs, recently born, settling in to life in the Park at Althorp House.
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Charles Spencer also didn’t attend the wedding of his eldest daughter Lady Kitty Spencer, sparking speculation of bad blood between him and his daughters from his first marriage.
Lady Kitty was instead walked down the aisle by her brother Louis Spencer, Viscount Althorp, and her half brother Samuel Aitken.
A source told MailOnline at the time:
Kitty and Charles were very close when she was growing up, but their relationship has cooled and been more distant since his marriage to his third wife Karen in 2011.
Charles recently suffered an injury and perhaps that will be the reason for him not travelling, but it is just easier for everyone that he is not there.
The four children are all close to their mother Victoria and get on well with their step siblings, and their Spencer aunts and have forged their own relationships with one another without needing Charles to bind them together.
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Charles and Victoria's relationship
Charles Spencer was married to Lady Amelia's mother, Victoria Aitken, for eight years. After marrying, the couple moved to Cape Town to escape the press. Their marriage ended in a very public and messy divorce, with Aitken being awarded a settlement worth over $3 million.
Lawyers for Aitken claimed Charles Spencer was a serial adulterer who had 12 mistresses, beginning soon after they were married.
He, on the other hand, claimed Aitken is mentally unstable, incapable of managing a large amount of money, and that she would return to the alcohol abuse and eating disorders she had suffered from in the past.
After their divorce, Charles Spencer returned to the UK while Aitken remained in South Africa. Their four children grew up living in Cape Town for most of the time with their mother.
Sources used:
Daily Mail: 'Princess Diana's niece Lady Amelia kicks off her South Africa wedding celebrations with a glamorous pool party - but will her father Earl Spencer attend after missing her sister Kitty's wedding?'
Daily Mail: 'Proof Charles Spencer ISN'T attending his daughter's wedding? Diana's brother shares a clip of sheep frolicking at Althorp - while Lady Amelia prepares to tie-the-knot in South Africa'
Hello!: 'Lady Amelia Spencer just twinned with Meghan Markle in her first wedding dress and you might have missed it'
AP News: 'Earl Spencer gets divorce, ex-wife gets $3 million'