Royal fans are stunned spotting striking resemblance between Prince Harry & rarely-seen cousin who turns 31 today
ROYAL fans have been left amazed at the striking resemblance between Prince Harry and his rarely-seen first cousin Louis Spencer.
Louis, whose title is Viscount Althorp, turns 31 today and largely shuns the spotlight.
Louis is the son of Princess Diana’s brother Charles, the 9th Earl Spencer, and his first wife, Victoria Lockwood – and has three glamorous older sisters, Lady Kitty, 34, and twins Lady Eliza and Lady Amelia, 32.
This makes him Princess Diana’s nephew and a cousin of Prince William, 42, and Prince Harry, 40.
Due to his fair hair and Spencer features, he’s even been given the nickname “Harry Lite” in the past.
One of his first major appearances came at the 2011 wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton when he was 17 years old.
Meanwhile, at Prince Harry’s 2018 nuptials to Meghan Markle he also turned heads and is said to have received numerous marriage proposals from smitten fans.
In 2019, he was named one of Britain’s most eligible bachelors by Tatler, who called him “tall, debonair and very handsome.”
He is expected to later inherit his father’s title and will become the 10th Earl Spencer, a British peerage title dating back to 1765.
He is also set to get the Spencer family home, the Althorp Estate, which is estimated to be worth a staggering £100m.
It comes with 13,000 acres of land and a treasure trove of art and historical artifacts.
The Grade I listed Georgian mansion has been in the Spencer family for over 500 years and boasts 90 rooms and 28-listed buildings.
Despite being the youngest of the Spencer kids, Louis is first in line for the estate due to the traditional primogeniture system, which favours male heirs.
Elder sister Kitty spoke about the tradition to Town & Country, saying: “Primogeniture can be a tricky topic because, as times are changing, so are attitudes.
“We’ve grown up understanding that it’s Louis who will inherit, and Louis will do an incredible job.”
The spectacular country estate is also the final resting place of Princess Diana, whose grave is nestled on an island in the beautiful Oval Lake.
While his three stylish sisters have modelled for magazine covers and run charity events, Louis is said to be “super private.”
Following the huge amount of exposure which came with Princess Diana’s marriage and separation to the now-King Charles, the Spencer family relocated to Cape Town in 1995.
After attending the £13,955 a year Diocesan College, he came back to the UK to attend the University of Edinburgh, before pursuing acting at the ArtsEd drama school in Chiswick.
He now performs under the stage name Louis John Lyons and is even managed by the same talent agency – Tavistock Wood – who represent Lily James and Dominic West.
Louis is said to be close to his family and walked his eldest sister Kitty down the aisle at her extravagant Italian wedding, with Charles Spencer controversially not attending.
Where is Princess Diana's final resting place?
THE People’s Princess tragically died in a car crash on August 31, 1997, and her peaceful final resting place is at her childhood home.
Her grave is nestled on an island in the beautiful Oval Lake at Althorp House, Northampton.
Understandably, the grave holds great significance for her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry.
Thousands of fans flock to the location each year to pay their respects to the late royal, and Meghan Markle has also visited.
Harry revealed in his memoir Spare that he took his wife to his mother’s final resting place in 2022, where they each had a private moment.
He wrote: “I was finally bringing the girl of my dreams home so she would meet my mother.”