Princess Diana's nieces reveal how 'loving' royal once 'protected' them from paparazzi at the beach

Twins Lady Amelia and Lady Eliza Spencer were five years old when their aunt Princess Diana passed away, but the late royal left a lasting mark on the sisters.

The twins are the daughters of Diana’s brother, Charles, 9th Earl Spencer. They are the newest cover girls for Tatler’s March 2021 issue.

"We always just knew her as our aunt," Eliza told the outlet. "Growing up in South Africa, I really had very little idea of how significant she was in the world until I was much older."

The 28-year-old described the Princess of Wales as "incredibly warm, maternal and loving."

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"She always made an effort to connect with us as children and had a talent for reading children’s hearts," Eliza added.

And the mother of Princes William and Harry was protective of her nieces. Eliza recalled the time when she and her sister were approached by a photographer during a beach outing with their aunt.

"Obviously it could have been quite terrifying for us, being so young and not understanding what was happening," Eliza explained. "But she turned it into a game of who could get us back to the car first. It was amazing how she protected us in a way that made us feel safe and not frightened. We had no idea what she was doing at the time."

"As a child, I realized the enormity of the loss for my father and family," Eliza continued. "It was only later that I came to understand the significance of the loss of her as a figure in the world."

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Eliza and Amelia grew up in South Africa with their mother Victoria Aitken. The British fashion model, 55, and the earl, 56, were married from 1989 until 1997.

Still, the siblings have vivid memories of Althorp, the Spencer family home in England where Diana grew up. According to the outlet, the twins spent their early years there and would visit their father during school holidays.

"It is truly a special and beautiful place," said Eliza. "Having spent the first three years of our lives at Althorp, exploring and discovering it as children, and being part of a long heritage of Spencers that have lived there, it has always felt like another home. And of course, it conjures up memories of family Christmases as children, with our extended family all together."

Charles even wants Amelia, who is engaged to Greg Mallet, to have her wedding at Althorp.

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"It’s our family home, it’s beautiful,’ said Amelia. "We would be very lucky to get married there, but Cape Town is where we grew up and there is a possibility that we might do it here too."

Diana passed away in 1997 at age 36 from injuries she sustained in a Paris car crash.