Victoria Aitken: Life, Modelling Career, and Family

Victoria Aitken is a name that has followed British high society for decades — first as a celebrated 1980s fashion model, and later as a central figure in one of the most talked-about aristocratic marriages of her generation. Best known today as the first wife of Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer, brother of Diana, Princess of Wales, Victoria Aitken has led a life that spans the glamour of the fashion world, the pressures of British aristocracy, and a quieter, more private chapter in more recent years.

This article takes a friendly look at who Victoria Aitken is, her modelling career, her family life, and where she stands today.

Victoria Aitken: Biography

Who Is Victoria Aitken?

Born Catherine Victoria Lockwood on 20 April 1965 in Windsor, England, Victoria Aitken grew up as the only daughter of John Lockwood, an airline executive, and Jean Lockwood (née Holt). She was raised in Barnes, London, alongside her brother Christopher Lockwood, who would go on to become a journalist and later serve in the Number 10 Policy Unit.

Long before she became known through marriage, Victoria Aitken had already built a name for herself in fashion — a career that would define her early adult life and set the stage for everything that followed.

Victoria Aitken’s Modelling Career

Victoria Aitken began modelling at the age of 19, after being discovered by the acclaimed American photographer Bruce Weber. Her first major fashion feature appeared in Tatler in October 1984, and from there her career quickly gathered pace. She went on to model for major names in the fashion industry, including Dior and Levi’s, becoming one of the recognisable faces of British fashion in the mid-1980s.

Her looks and presence didn’t go unnoticed by industry heavyweights either — legendary designer Ralph Lauren once described her as one of the most beautiful women in the world, a comment that only added to her rising profile at the time. It was this modelling career that first brought her into London’s social circles, where she would eventually meet the man who changed the course of her life.

Victoria Aitken Spouse: Marriage to Charles Spencer

Victoria Aitken’s most widely known chapter began on 16 September 1989, when she married Charles Spencer, then Viscount Althorp, at the Church of St Mary in Great Brington. The wedding was a major society event, and Prince Harry — Charles Spencer’s nephew — even served as a pageboy at the ceremony.

Following the marriage, Victoria Aitken took on the titles of Viscountess Althorp and later Countess Spencer. The couple went on to have four children together:

• Lady Kitty Spencer (born 28 December 1990), who has since carved out her own successful modelling career
• Louis, Viscount Althorp (born 14 March 1994), heir-apparent to the earldom
• Lady Eliza Spencer
• Lady Amelia Spencer

In 1995, the family relocated to South Africa, settling at the Tarrystone Estate, partly to step away from the intense media attention surrounding the Spencer name in Britain. It was during this period of her marriage that Victoria Aitken openly struggled with personal challenges, including an eating disorder and issues with substance use — difficulties she has spoken about candidly in the years since, and which are acknowledged simply as part of an honest account of her life rather than a defining label.

The marriage between Victoria Aitken and Charles Spencer ultimately ended in divorce in 1997, closing one significant chapter of her life while opening the door to another.

Victoria Aitken and Jonathan Aitken

In 2005, Victoria Aitken married businessman and former Conservative MP Jonathan Aitken, whom she had met through mutual friends. Jonathan Aitken had previously built a prominent political career, having served as a Member of Parliament before his own life took a very different, well-documented turn away from politics.

Together, Victoria Aitken and Jonathan Aitken welcomed a son, Samuel Aitken, in 2005. The marriage, however, did not last, and the couple divorced in 2009. It’s worth noting, for clarity, that Victoria Aitken is Jonathan Aitken’s second wife and the mother of his son Samuel — not to be confused with Jonathan Aitken’s daughter from an earlier marriage, who also happens to share the name Victoria Aitken and has occasionally appeared in unrelated news stories.

Victoria Aitken Children

Across her two marriages, Victoria Aitken is mother to five children in total: Lady Kitty Spencer, Louis (Viscount Althorp), Lady Eliza Spencer, and Lady Amelia Spencer from her marriage to Charles Spencer, and Samuel Aitken from her marriage to Jonathan Aitken. Her children, particularly Lady Kitty Spencer, have continued to draw public attention in their own right, with Kitty following in her mother’s footsteps as a successful international model.

Victoria Aitken Now: Life in Recent Years

In the years since her second divorce, Victoria Aitken has kept a comparatively low public profile compared to her modelling and society years. She has been linked to South African former army officer James Clinch, and reports over the years have noted her work as an addiction counsellor — a meaningful shift from her earlier career, and one that reflects her own openly discussed personal journey. She has also been credited with screenplay writing work in more recent years, a lesser-known but interesting turn in her post-modelling life.

While detailed public updates on her day-to-day life remain limited, Victoria Aitken’s connection to the public eye has continued indirectly, largely through the ongoing high-profile careers and milestones of her children.

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