Kate Middleton's Photo Fail on Mother’s Day Yesterday Actually Wasn’t the Only Surprise We Got from the Royal Family

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published 11 March 2024

Since it was so slow on the royal news front this weekend (she wrote, sarcastically) we have failed to mention heretofore today that there was actually another surprise yesterday when it comes to the royal family and Mother’s Day in the U.K.

In addition to the Princess of Wales’ unexpected photo release (and unexpected photo controversy), we learned that Lady Kitty Spencer—the eldest daughter of Charles Spencer, brother of Princess Diana, who, upon getting married in 2021, casually wore five Dolce & Gabbana wedding dresses—was not only pregnant, but gave birth to her first child with husband Michael Lewis.

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“It’s the joy of my life to be your mummy, little one,” Kitty wrote on Instagram. “I love you unconditionally. Happy Mother’s Day to those who celebrate today.”

The surprise announcement featured a video compilation of photos, “beginning with two pictures of Kitty holding her baby on the beach while wearing a white swimsuit and a white shirt draped off her shoulders,” People reports. “Meanwhile, another sweet snap showed Kitty holding her little one’s hand in the palm of her own.”

Kitty’s younger sister Lady Amelia Spencer commented “The most perfect angel in the world,” while Amelia’s twin sister Lady Eliza Spencer added—confirming the baby’s gender in the process—“My perfect little Niece.”

Kitty married Lewis on July 24, 2021, in Italy; she never publicly announced that she was expecting, nor did she reveal the baby’s name or birthdate.

Tatler writes that “The low-key approach to publicity is a far cry from the seemingly endless articles and social media posts that were shared over summer three years ago, when Lady Kitty Spencer married South African businessman Michael Lewis in an extravagant wedding in Rome.” Kitty, who today is 33, and Lewis, 65, went public with their relationship in 2019, and Lewis proposed that Christmas. Their wedding was initially delayed because of the pandemic and, in addition to her array of Dolce & Gabbana looks, Kitty “decided not to wear the family heirloom, the Spencer Tiara, for her wedding day,” Tatler reports. “Her sensational haute couture wardrobe was eye-catching enough in its own right.”

After the wedding, the newlyweds also honeymooned in Italy, a country that holds a special place in Kitty’s heart, she told The London Evening Standard in 2021. She studied in Florence for three years and said of the country that “the love and passion I feel for life is ignited in Italy. I hope to have a proper base there someday and it is certainly where I would like to retire.”

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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.