Thirty years after Princess Diana dazzled at the 1985 Melbourne Cup alongside Prince Charles as part of their royal tour of Australia, the late royal's niece Lady Kitty Spencer followed in her footsteps as a special guest at this year's Melbourne Cup.The 24-year-old arrived in very royal style by helicopter, and embraced local fashion in a fitted dress by renowned Australian designer Alex Perry. The young royal teamed her diamond-cut dress with a sparkling fascinator by London milliner Stephen Jones.
Kitty made sure she made the most of her time Down Under. As well as taking helicopter rides, she got to see plenty of Australia's wildlife. She rubbed noses with a koala bear, fed a pygmy possum, and held hands with a kangaroo.
The eldest daughter of Diana's brother Earl Spencer also got up close with dingoes and cradled a baby wombat in her arms at a sanctuary specialising in native Australian animals.
As well as sharing snaps of herself in front of colourful graphitised walls, and mid-photoshoot, the pretty blonde posted aerial shots as she approached the racecourse where the horse races are held.
Having taken a walk on the wild side in Australia's rural Victoria, Kitty headed for the state's capital, Melbourne, where she soaked up the buzz of the thriving city.
Upon arrival at the swanky event, she told Daily Mail Australia it was her first time visiting the country. "Its absolutely incredible, I can't believe this whole thing is put together every year," she said of the races. "It's such a lovely tradition, you come here and see the effort people make and the fun that people are having."
According to reports, she was so struck with Oz that she changed her return flight, to stay on for another week.