Lady Kitty: I’m happy that my younger brother gets Althorp
Primogeniture is needed to keep things in the family name, says Princess Diana’s niece, Lady Kitty Spencer
MEN should inherit Britain’s stately homes in order to keep them in the family name, Princess Diana’s niece has argued.
Lady Kitty Spencer believes primogeniture is the “correct way”, and that her viscount brother Louis, 21, should inherit Althorp, despite being three years her junior.
She said: “In general, I’m totally pro gender equality. But I’m quite happy that that’s [going to be] my brother’s responsibility. I just think it’s the correct way. I like that the house stays within the same family with the same surname. I wouldn’t want it any other way for the Spencers. And I just know my brother is going to do an impeccable job”.
Lady Kitty’s views on who should inherit the Spencer family estate in Northamptonshire appear to echo those of her father, Charles.
In May, Earl Spencer said he was “totally relaxed” about his eldest daughter inheriting Althorp but added: “If I chose Kitty it would be against all the tradition that goes with Althorp. It’s just the way it is. I get the problems with it as a concept. I also get the strengths of it having worked to date.”
The issue of primogeniture has caused controversy in recent times, with aristocratic women protesting that they are no less capable of managing the family’s fortune than their younger brothers.
Lady Kinvara Balfour called the system “archaic, mad, absolutely mad”, earlier this year, arguing it sent a message that a “daughter is a disappointment” and women are “second best”.
Lady Kitty, who has two younger sisters, Lady Eliza and Lady Amelia from her father’s marriage to former fashion model Victoria Lockwood, was speaking to Tatler magazine.
Asked if her family’s decision to move to South Africa in the mid-Nineties was to escape public duty and scrutiny, she replied: “I am sure that was a factor, but it was more that we went for my birthday for a holiday and we ended up sort of staying. We just all really suited that lifestyle and my parents wanted the opportunity for a really healthy childhood for us.”
On the subject of Diana, Princess of Wales, who was killed in 1997 when Kitty was six years old, she said “Sadly, I have very few memories of my aunt. I was so young when she died”.
On her mother, who was divorced from Earl Spencer the same year, and was treated for drug addiction and alcoholism when Kitty was very young, she said: “Obviously I’m aware of the facts but I just don’t remember. My mother has been a counsellor for 15 years and she has really educated us all about addiction and self-worth.
“We can tell her anything. And as a result, I’ve never even touched a cigarette”.
Lady Kitty, whom Tatler previously named as one of the “most eligible girls” in Britain, also spoke of the “joy” she feels doing work on behalf of the charity Give Us Time, which organises holidays for soldiers who are struggling to reconnect with their families after active service.
She also revealed she has had only “a couple” of boyfriends, “and they are still two of my best friends.” “I’m very sentimental”, she added. “I think good people are hard to find and opening up to someone completely is a hard thing to do, so even if things don’t work romantically, you should still see the benefit of having a good soul in your life who knows you.”
The full article is published in
Tatler’s December issue, on sale from Thursday.
‘I like that the house stays within the same family with the same surname. I wouldn’t want it any other way’