Who is Louis Spencer? Princess Diana’s nephew celebrates his 30th birthday today. He has three older sisters, but it is Louis who will inherit the beautiful Althorp estate

He is a little-known actor, with few major roles to his name.

And as for the media profile, it’s virtually non-existent, and he even deleted his Instagram account.

Yet he has been named one of the world’s most eligible bachelors by society bible Tatler, and will one day inherit the entire 13,500-acre Althorp estate, where Diana, Princess of Wales, grew up.

When his father – Diana’s brother Charles – dies, Louis Spencer will assume his title and become the 10th Earl Spencer.

Added to this is the stunning Grade II listed Georgian house and land estimated to be worth more than £100 million.

With its 90 rooms, extensive collection of valuable art and furniture – and 28 listed buildings and structures within the grounds – Althorp, in Northamptonshire, has been the family seat of the Spencer family for more than 500 years.

Today Louis, who lives in London, turns 30. Although he has three older sisters, male primogeniture means he will be the sole heir to this fortune.

Louis, who already holds the title of Viscount Althorp, is the youngest child and only son his father had with his first wife, Victoria Aitken (née Lockwood).

Born on March 14, 1994 at St Mary’s Hospital, London, he was raised by his mother in South Africa after his parents’ divorce. While living in Cape Town, he studied at the city’s most expensive private school, Diocesan College, where fees amount to the equivalent of £13,955 per year.

He later returned to Britain to study at the University of Edinburgh.

Like his cousins ​​Princes William and Harry, Louis went on to study acting at the ArtsEd drama school in Chiswick, London. He performs under the stage name Louis John Lyons and signs with the talent agency Tavistock Wood, whose stars include Dominic West and Lily James.

Unlike his older sisters, Lady Kitty, 33 – who has also modeled for Dolce & Gabbana – and twins Lady Amelia and Lady Eliza, 31, who were Tatler cover stars, Louis avoids social media and high-profile events.

Tatler described the strawberry blonde heir as “tall, warm-hearted and very handsome, but ‘super private’.”

And the Daily Telegraph last year went so far as to call Louis the ‘reluctant poster boy of male primogeniture’.

Earl Spencer, 59, has spoken out to say he will stick to tradition and choose Louis as his heir.

In 2015 he said: ‘If I were to choose Kitty it would be against the tradition that is part of Althorp. It’s just the way it is. I understand the problems with it as a concept.

“I also understand the strengths of the fact that it has worked so far. It is still intact. If you walk around the Loire castles or whatever, they’re empty.

‘Everything is distributed equally throughout the generations and you get a beautiful building with one beautiful tapestry in it. The whole point of the birthright was to keep it together.”

Louis has a close bond with his sisters.

He walked his eldest sister Kitty down the aisle at her Italian wedding, in place of their father, who was controversially not present.

As children they had a privileged but private upbringing in Cape Town, where Earl Spencer and Victoria moved in 1995 to raise their children away from the public eye.

The couple divorced in December 1997, months after Diana’s death, and Charles moved back to Britain shortly afterwards.

Aside from a handful of photo calls with his father, Louis was largely kept out of the spotlight.

His first high-profile appearance was at Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding in April 2011, although the 17-year-old was outshined by his glamorous blonde older sisters.

Four years later, Louis unexpectedly appeared on rapper Nicki Minaj’s Instagram feed.

He was seen with his arm around the American star, with the singer cheekily captioning it ‘check out our wedding photo’.

Louis first came into the spotlight at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding in 2018, when he accompanied his mother and sisters.

Dapper in a morning suit, Louis became one of the unlikely stars of the day, receiving dozens of playful marriage proposals from smitten social media users.

His appearance and strong family resemblance also earned him the nickname ‘Harry Lite’.

His family ties and appearance will undoubtedly come in handy when Louis decides to pursue his dream of becoming an actor.

In 2019, his father Charles Spencer revealed: ‘Louis lives in London. He is an actor at drama school and works very hard and I want him to be able to realize his dreams in that direction. It’s full speed: he works fourteen-hour days.’

However, it remains to be seen how he can balance a burgeoning career with the extensive responsibility of managing Althorp when the day comes.