Lady Kitty Spencer, 33, has shared her first Christmas photos with her daughter Athena after announcing she had secretly become a mother on Mother's Day 2024.
Protecting her daughter's privacy has been a top priority for Princess Diana's niece and her husband Michael Lewis, 65, so family photos have been few and far between over the past nine months. During a family trip to Monaco, Kitty shared rare pictures of herself enjoying some quality time with Athena, who bore an uncanny resemblance to her second cousin Princess Charlotte.
© InstagramGazing up at a towering Christmas tree, Kitty looked elegant in a camel midi coat and long straight hair with her daughter perched on her hip. Dressed in a festive red buttoned jacket, white tights and berry Mary Jane shoes, Athena channelled Prince William's daughter on her first day of nursery.
© InstagramBack in 2018, Charlotte made the case for regal red jackets, matching shoes and knitted tights as she posed on the steps of Kensington Palace, where she previously lived at Apartment 1A with her parents the Prince and Princess of Wales and brothers Prince George and Prince Louis.
She accessorised with a pink backpack and styled her light brunette hair in loose waves with the front section tied back with a bow.
Athena, meanwhile, sports the same dark blonde curls today – so she not only has the same fashion sense but also the same inherited looks.
"The most wonderful time of the year made even more magical seeing it through Athena’s eyes," Kitty captioned the Instagram post, which was met by many comments calling her daughter "adorable" and "cute."
Charlotte recycling red
© GettyCharlotte has often followed in her mother Kate's elegant footsteps and favoured a smart jacket for Christmas outings. Since 2022, the young royal has recycled the same crimson peacoat at Kate's 'Together At Christmas' carol service at Westminster Abbey.
It is normally paired with navy tights and black patent heels, proving Charlotte's timeless sense of style that Athena has now adopted.
She is not the only royal to love the regal colour, and there could be a special reason the likes of Charlotte and Kate regularly don cherries and scarlets.
Colour psychology
© Samir HusseinColour Psychologist Tash Bradley and Director of Interior Design at Lick suggested that Kate's fashionable ensembles aim to evoke specific feelings. Red is not just reserved for the festive season; "if a royal is wearing red they are commanding attention, straight away."
Tash explained: "If I saw a royal in a red outfit, they're wanting to stand out amongst the other royals.
"The colour red is the shortest wavelength to hit our eye so it's the first colour that we notice in the colour spectrum."
The late Queen Elizabeth II was known to choose bold neon lime green, lemon yellow and even punchy orange colours that made her stand out in a crowd, so perhaps this is a trick used by several royal ladies.
PHOTOS: Princess Kate glows in figure-cinching Christmas Day outfits
