Who Is Lady Amelia Windsor? What Life Is Like For The Royal Fashion Model

It's safe to say that the world remains obsessed with the British royal family. From the enduring adoration people feel for the late Princess Diana to the constant tabloid interest in Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle, British royals are continually in the spotlight. While those closest to King Charles III feel the glare of the media spotlight the strongest, there are many other members of the British royal family who are carving out careers of their own in the public eye. And while you may not have heard much about Lady Amelia Windsor to date, the young royal has been building an empire of her own in multiple industries.

Speaking to French Fries in 2023, Lady Amelia emphasized the importance of self-love, saying, "I believe that beauty is being able to love and believe in yourself and in your own beauty, if you allow me to play on words. Everyone is beautiful in their own way, you just have to learn to recognize it." With a passion for beauty, and an aptitude for fashion, Lady Amelia has been making a statement in recent years, on and off the runway. Here's what you need to know about royal fashion model Lady Amelia Windsor.

Most people are familiar with the key players in the royal family, and those closest to the throne, like Prince William, Prince Harry, and Prince George. However, not everyone will realize that a huge number of royal family members are in line for the British throne, ranked according to their lineage, parentage, age, and even gender. A 2013 law ended the sexist policy whereby male heirs were placed above female heirs in the line of succession. This means, for instance, that Kate Middleton and Prince William's daughter, Princess Charlotte, remains higher than her younger brother Prince Louis in line to the throne, which wouldn't have been the case before the new law came into action. Further down the line of succession, a number of royal family members could technically become the British monarch if everyone ahead of them on the list died or stepped down.

As of April 2023, Lady Amelia Windsor is 42rd in the line of succession to the British throne. Amelia is the youngest daughter of George Windsor, Earl of St Andrews, and the granddaughter of Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, who was Queen Elizabeth II's first cousin. Having grown up as a member of the royal family, Lady Amelia is likely used to the rigors of royal life. However, as she's not in King Charles III's immediate family, she's also far enough removed from the crown to have lived a relatively normal life.

While Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle are probably the most photographed women in the royal family right now, Lady Amelia Windsor has been making waves since she started stepping out in public. In fact, in 2016, she received an extremely complimentary title from Tatler, who called her "the most beautiful member of the royal family." It would seem that the publication wanted to introduce the younger royal to a worldwide audience, while also highlighting her fashion sense and natural beauty. In a family filled with fashion icons, being dubbed "the most beautiful" is quite the accolade.

To date, Lady Amelia has graced the cover of Tatler on three occasions, and in April 2022, she even reported on Paris Couture Fashion Week for the publication. Lady Amelia immersed herself in the assignment, visiting Dior Maison at 30 Avenue Montaigne in Paris, and writing for Tatler, "I took off my scruffy jeans and tried on a few pieces. It was surreal — I became a different character with each look. It was an epic game of dressing up, a chance to experience a different time, when having your clothes made to measure was the only way." She continued, "I stepped into each piece with the utmost care, so as not to damage it, and was blown away when I gazed into the boudoir's long mirrors — as I imagine anyone would be when wearing such beauty."

Lady Amelia Windsor didn't grow up in the spotlight in the way that royal peers like Prince William and Prince Harry did. In a 2019 interview with House & Garden, Lady Amelia revealed that she grew up in Cambridge in the United Kingdom. As a child, she attended St Mary's School Ascot, a girls-only boarding school with an extremely steep price tag, per the Express. The school is for girls between the ages of 11 and 18, with only a small cohort of approximately 380 students being accepted into the educational establishment each year. 

"We went to a really lovely day school where we had a lovely group of friends," Lady Amelia told W magazine in 2018. "Everyone cycled everywhere, and all used to play musical instruments that never lasted very long. There is just so much beauty in Cambridge. It's wonderful."

Per the school's official website, parents can expect to pay £15,190 (approximately $19,000) per term for the 2022-23 school year for full boarding, making it an exclusive institution for the very wealthy. To gain a place at St Mary's School Ascot, students are required to take an entrance exam and attend an interview, meaning that only the elite are granted a place. Being educated in this way likely prepared Lady Amelia for the very public-facing life she now leads, and put her in contact with the children of some very powerful people.

After graduating from the University of Edinburgh, Lady Amelia Windsor moved to the Notting Hill neighborhood of London with her sister, Lady Marina Charlotte Windsor. In an interview with House & Garden in 2019, Lady Amelia revealed, "[T]his is my first ever place of my own in London — it's extremely exciting for me!" The young royals shared photos taken in their apartment, revealing their unique style. Lady Amelia also explained what she liked about Notting Hill, telling the publication, "I love the buzz here ... there's a happy atmosphere in the market every weekend, wonderful music and delicious smells of food. The flat itself is small and cosy." 

While speaking with House & Garden, Lady Amelia took the opportunity to demonstrate her love of decorating and design. "I love bold patterns and bright colours mixed in with older vintage pieces," she told the magazine. "We have things that we've collected over the years and beautiful trinkets alongside treasures which I've found in Portobello and Golbourne markets." The Windsor sisters clearly have a shared aesthetic which they used to create their first home together without their parents. And clearly, the home they created served them well straight away. "We aim to make it a little sanctuary amidst the busy-ness of London life," Lady Amelia. 

Having been dubbed "the most beautiful member of the royal family" by Tatler, it makes sense that Lady Amelia Windsor would pursue a modeling career. While she was still at university, Lady Amelia launched a career in the fashion industry, and was signed to the prestigious Storm modeling agency in 2017. While the royal certainly looks comfortable on the runway, she didn't necessarily plan to pursue a career in modeling. "It was never really something I thought I'd go into," she told W magazine in 2018. "I don't take myself too seriously and just have fun with it. It's a great opportunity to meet incredible, epic photographers and stylists and get to wear beautiful clothes that you'd never get to wear ever again. You feel super lucky."

Lady Amelia's impressive modeling career has seen her walk the runway for the likes of Dolce & Gabbana and model for footwear designer Penelope Chilvers. Her biography on the Storm website also notes that the royal has worked with everyone from Chanel to Bvlgari, which has seen her be invited to sit in the front row at iconic fashion shows for brands like Dior and Armani. It seems as though the most decadent fashion houses in the world take Lady Amelia very seriously indeed.

Aside from being a model and walking the runway for a slew of successful fashion brands, Lady Amelia Windsor is passionate about developing a career in fashion that will take her behind-the-scenes. In an interview with British Vogue in January 2017, Lady Amelia revealed, "I would love to make a contribution to any aspect behind the creative process. On my year abroad I want to really further my understanding of every aspect of a fashion house: from the making of the fabrics to the production of a catwalk show." Lady Amelia's ambitions have only grown in the years since, with the model telling W magazine in 2018, "I would love to join a team and to collaborate on a creative team, and give my input." 

As a model, Lady Amelia has been an ambassador for a multitude of successful brands, but her aim is to be immersed in the design process, bringing all of her previous fashion experience to the table. While speaking with W magazine, Lady Amelia flagged Grace Coddington, who started her career as a model and went on to become the creative director of Vogue, as a key inspiration. "[S]he had such an amazing journey to get where she was," the royal explained. "She's been in so many parts of the creative process, from being a model to working at Calvin Klein and then British and American Vogue. She's worked in all the parts of the industry. She's a real inspiration for what I'd eventually like to do."

While Lady Amelia Windsor grew up in Cambridge, England, before studying at Edinburgh in Scotland, she's actually a big fan of traveling the world. Speaking to British Vogue in January 2017, Lady Amelia revealed, "I would love to visit my sister in New York when she moves at the end of the month. I've never been to America before so now I have the perfect excuse to go." She elaborated on some of the other places she hoped to visit one day, saying, "I'm also keen to go to Jamaica and visit Golden Eye where Ian Fleming wrote 'James Bond' and 'Strawberry Hill.'" The model also provided some advice to British Vogue readers who might want to travel alone, saying, "Always tell your family and friends everywhere you're going, send number plates of taxis and make sure to send a photocopy of your passport details and visas."

Lady Amelia's love of traveling seems to have ignited when she took a gap year in 2014, during which she worked with the charity Veterans Aid, per Tatler. A quick glance at her Instagram account reveals that in recent years she's visited Paris, France, Panama, Greece, and Malta. It would seem that the royal has no intention of stopping her adventures anytime soon, as she told French Fries in 2023, "Traveling, seeing new places, in general knowing new contexts and people, serves to open the mind, to broaden perspectives."

Lady Amelia Windsor comes from a wealthy, regal background, but she's dedicated herself to a number of causes that she holds dear. In May 2018, Lady Amelia discussed her passion for sustainability during an interview with The Telegraph. "We're all aware of the huge plastic crisis and the effect it's having on our planet," she explained. "Fashion has a key role in that, but then also there are ways we can deal with it. Stella McCartney is someone to look up to in that sense, she makes the bigger point in her collection that you can be sustainable and stylish. That should be something that everyone really looks for when they shop now." It would seem that the young Windsor wants to use her platform to advance the sustainability movement, and the same goes for the charities she supports.

Lady Amelia demonstrated her devotion to philanthropy when she collaborated on a collection of footwear and accessories with designer Penelope Chilvers, by donating 20% of proceeds to the charity War Child, via The Telegraph. "We need to ensure there's the right support to these poor innocent children who have no choice in the matter, after and during the war," the royal explained to the publication. While she could easily sit back on her laurels, Lady Amelia seems determined to make a difference in the world in any way she can. According to Tatler, Lady Amelia has also lent her name to the non-profit organisation No More Plastic.

Lady Amelia Windsor is firmly pursuing a career in fashion now, but the royal actually studied something quite different at university. In fact, Lady Amelia ended up studying French and Italian at Edinburgh University, meaning that she's developed some solid language skills. "I originally went to Edinburgh for Latin, which I love and the literature is incredible, but then I suddenly realized that languages are so crucial for working in the fashion industry and it is wonderful when you can communicate with everyone," she told W magazine in 2018.

As well as realizing that studying languages would serve her well within the fashion industry, Lady Amelia actually had a rather personal reason for selecting to study French and Italian at university. "French is my mother's language and I was very sorry not to have been able to learn it as I grew up: I owed her a debt of affection," she told French Fries in 2023. "And Italian... how can you not love it?" It would seem that what started as a personal decision turned out to be a very practical one.

While developing her career in the fashion industry, Lady Amelia Windsor had the incredible privilege of working with Azzedine Alaïa before his death in 2017 at the age of 82, via The New York Times. His work was known the world over, and continues to be worn by everyone from Lady Gaga to Kim Kardashian. During her 2018 interview with W magazine, Lady Amelia opened up about her internship at the legendary fashion house in Paris, saying, "I worked with him for a few weeks, and it is a time of my life that I'd never forget. I mean, he really was just so welcoming. I was like, 'You are a legend, and yet you are still so kind to everyone.' He had lunch for his team every day and we sat in the kitchen."

Unfortunately, Alaïa died while Lady Amelia was interning in Paris, which was shocking for her and his entire staff. "I take my hat off to [the team] for carrying on," she told W magazine. "I really was in admiration with how they dealt with it and knew that they wanted to carry on his amazing work in his memory because that is what he would have wanted." Having gotten the chance to learn from a master before he died is quite simply unbelievable, and likely had a huge impact on Lady Amelia's trajectory in the world of fashion.

To outsiders, it may seem as though Lady Amelia has everything. However, the road to becoming a model and fashionista wasn't always easy for the young royal. "At first when I started [modelling], it could be a bit nerve-racking," she told Who What Wear in 2023. "You do feel a bit nervous and lack the self-confidence to really feel like you can be yourself." Lady Amelia eventually found her footing, and embraced the opportunities available to her within the fashion industry, but the path was far from smooth. "With time, it is amazing because you find yourself in situations where you might not know anyone, but that's such good life training because it just shows you to just go for it," she told Who What Wear. 

As for how she overcame her nerves, the model said in Who What Wear, "Just as long as you're kind, friendly and open to people, then you're not doing anything wrong." She continued, "People can always not accept you, but that's fine as long as you're a good person." While Lady Amelia didn't always have the confidence needed to be a model, she threw herself into the career until she made a success of it. Basically, fake it 'til you make it.

Amelia Windsor may carry the coveted title of Lady, but that's not necessarily who she is in her day to day life. Despite being related to King Charles himself, Lady Amelia is actually pretty down to earth, actually. "I am very happy for anyone to call me Mel," she explained in an interview with Who What Wear in 2023. "It's a nice way of breaking down [barriers] when you meet someone." She elaborated, "You're automatically just on a nice, friendly basis with everyone you meet. I'm not really someone who thinks that only my favourite people can call me my [shortened] name." So if you ever happen to meet Lady Amelia Windsor, rest assured that it's not a social faux pas to call her simply "Mel."

While the royal may favor informality when it comes to her name, it's clear that her star is on the rise. From her modeling career to her design aspirations and passion for sustainability, Lady Amelia appears to have a multitude of ambitions. Discussing her approach to finding herself in the public eye due to her extremely famous family, Lady Amelia told Who What Wear, "It's important to just take a step back, just realise what actually matters and not be too self-critical of what your appearance looks like because that's not what matters at the end of the day. Everyone is beautiful in their own unique way." We can't wait to see what she does next.