Princess Diana’s niece Lady Kitty Spencer married her fiance, the South African multimillionaire Michael Lewis, in a lavish ceremony in Italy at the weekend.
The model and philanthropist, 30, is the eldest daughter of Charles Spencer, the 9th Earl Spencer, and Princess Diana’s brother. She and Lewis, 62, had reportedly been dating for two years, before their engagement was announced in January 2020.
The ceremony, held at Villa Aldobrandini in Frascati, was attended by the couple’s close friends and family, including Lady Kitty's sisters, twins Eliza and Amelia, and Viscountess Emma Weymouth and her husband Ceawlin Thynn, the Marquess of Bath.
Lady Kitty's brothers Louis Spencer, Viscount Althorp and Samuel Aitken walked her down the aisle, according to the Daily Mail.
Celebrity friends in attendance included singer Pixie Lott, Idris Elba's wife Sabrina Dhowre Elba, and Made In Chelsea star Mark Francis Vandelli, People reports. Elon Musk’s mother, Maye Musk, was also spotted at the wedding.
Cousins Prince Harry and Prince William did not attend.
For her big day, Lady Kitty wore five Alta Moda dresses specially designed by the Italian duo Dolce & Gabbana, for whom she is the brand ambassador.
The brand posted a behind-the-scenes video on their social media.
"@kitty.spencer chose to wear Dolce&Gabbana on the most important day of her life. For this unique event, #DolceGabbana created a number of exclusive handmade gowns, each celebrating the beauty of the bride, the passion for #AltaModa and the absolute joy of the occasion," it said.
The wedding gown, a Victorian-inspired piece, featured a high neck, puff sleeves and a cinched waist, which the bride paired with a lengthy train and hoop earrings.
She later changed into a baby blue tulle gown for the reception, complete with a cape embroidered with cross-stitched flowers.
Among the five dresses was also a double organza hand-painted silk gown embellished with flowers and crystals.
"Once she had received the proposal, she told us she had thought of us immediately, and we were very happy of that," designer Domenico Dolce told Tatler.
"One of the inspirations is definitely her love for Italy. Kitty is in love with our beautiful country and its rich history, art and culture. But she is also a girl who is very attached to her origins, to England; to her heritage of the great Victorian era. And like all the English people, she has a great passion for all kinds of flowers."
Stefano Gabbana added: "Lady Kitty Spencer is a girl who is very respectful of her origins, so she certainly started from her Englishness, her memories, her childhood and the traditions of her country. Then, she also let herself be carried away by her passions and her refined and elegant taste. We accompanied her on this journey full of emotions and it was a real honour for us."
Lady Kitty has a special relationship with Italy, having studied Italian and art in Florence for three years. She first walked for Dolce & Gabbana at their show in Milan in 2017 and has also worked with other brands including Bulgari and Alberta Ferretti.
According to the Daily Mail, guests were treated to a feast and dancing followed by a fireworks display after the ceremony.
While the couple have been linked for a couple of years, Lady Kitty has been guarded about her relationship with Lewis, the fashion tycoon and chairman of South Africa’s Foschini Group.
“I feel less vulnerable when I don’t discuss things like my love life. I just think, ‘Really, what’s that got to do with anyone else?’,” she told Town & Country in May. “It shouldn’t make a difference to anyone’s day. Who I love or don’t love, or have a crush on or don’t have a crush on, or go on a date with, I don’t know why that should be what somebody reads over their cornflakes."
Mica
Director: Ismael Ferroukhi
Stars: Zakaria Inan, Sabrina Ouazani
3 stars
'The Sky is Everywhere'
Director:Josephine Decker
Stars:Grace Kaufman, Pico Alexander, Jacques Colimon
Rating:2/5
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
Tightening the screw on rogue recruiters
The UAE overhauled the procedure to recruit housemaids and domestic workers with a law in 2017 to protect low-income labour from being exploited.
Only recruitment companies authorised by the government are permitted as part of Tadbeer, a network of labour ministry-regulated centres.
A contract must be drawn up for domestic workers, the wages and job offer clearly stating the nature of work.
The contract stating the wages, work entailed and accommodation must be sent to the employee in their home country before they depart for the UAE.
The contract will be signed by the employer and employee when the domestic worker arrives in the UAE.
Only recruitment agencies registered with the ministry can undertake recruitment and employment applications for domestic workers.
Penalties for illegal recruitment in the UAE include fines of up to Dh100,000 and imprisonment
But agents not authorised by the government sidestep the law by illegally getting women into the country on visit visas.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick
Hometown: Cologne, Germany
Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)
Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes
Favourite hobby: Football
Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk
Golden Shoe top five (as of March 1):
Harry Kane, Tottenham, Premier League, 24 goals, 48 points
Edinson Cavani, PSG, Ligue 1, 24 goals, 48 points
Ciro Immobile, Lazio, Serie A, 23 goals, 46 points
Mohamed Salah, Liverpool, Premier League, 23 goals, 46 points
Lionel Messi, Barcelona, La Liga, 22 goals, 44 points
Five personal finance podcasts from The National
To help you get started, tune into these Pocketful of Dirham episodes
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Balance is essential to happiness, health and wealth
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What is a portfolio stress test?
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What are NFTs and why are auction houses interested?
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How gamers are getting rich by earning cryptocurrencies
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Should you buy or rent a home in the UAE?
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Company name: Play:Date
Launched: March 2017 on UAE Mother’s Day
Founder: Shamim Kassibawi
Based: Dubai with operations in the UAE and US
Sector: Tech
Size: 20 employees
Stage of funding: Seed
Investors: Three founders (two silent co-founders) and one venture capital fund
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
UAE rugby in numbers
5 - Year sponsorship deal between Hesco and Jebel Ali Dragons
700 - Dubai Hurricanes had more than 700 playing members last season between their mini and youth, men's and women's teams
Dh600,000 - Dubai Exiles' budget for pitch and court hire next season, for their rugby, netball and cricket teams
Dh1.8m - Dubai Hurricanes' overall budget for next season
Dh2.8m - Dubai Exiles’ overall budget for next season
At a glance - Zayed Sustainability Prize 2020
Launched: 2008
Categories: Health, energy, water, food, global high schools
Prize: Dh2.2 million (Dh360,000 for global high schools category)
Winners’ announcement: Monday, January 13
Impact in numbers
335 million people positively impacted by projects
430,000 jobs created
10 million people given access to clean and affordable drinking water
50 million homes powered by renewable energy
6.5 billion litres of water saved
26 million school children given solar lighting
