Meet Michael Lewis, SA-born billionaire who married Princess Diana’s niece

Turning heads just like her aunt Princess Diana, Lady Kitty Spencer married South African-born billionaire Michael Lewis over the weekend, with many people curious to know more about the businessman.

Dressed in custom Dolce Gabbana, Spencer’s dress was a Victorian-inspired lace bridal gown that took six months to make. It could be compared to the iconic dress Diana wore for her wedding to Prince Charles in 1980 and her mother Victoria Aitken’s as well.

The 30 year old married the South African-born business tycoon in front of family and friends at Villa Aldo Brandini in Italy, People magazine reported.

So who is Michael Lewis?

South African-born

He was born in 1959 in SA but exact date and location is unclear. He obtained his bachelor and masters degrees at the University of Cape Town.

His family has a history of entrepreneurship.

His grandfather is Meyer Lewis, who founded the Lewis furniture retail chain, and his father, Stanley Lewis, acquired a controlling stake in fashion and accessories company Foschini Group in the 1980s.

Chairman at Foschini

Michael became chairman of Foschini Group in 2015. He also founded Oceana Investment Partners LLP and ProChon Biotech Ltd, and has been at the helm of six different companies, according to Market Screener.

Michael is also chairman of the Institute for Strategic Dialogue and is on the board of five other companies.

He was estimated to be worth £80 million in 2020 or approximately R1.6 billion. During his career, he also occupied the position of chairman of ProChon Biotech Ltd.

Michael Lewis private life

He was married before in the late 1980s and has three children with an ex-wife named Leola. The Daily Mail reported that Lewis is Jewish, pledging roughly R61 million to Oxford University to fund the appointment of a professor of Israel studies in 2011.

Spencer and Lewis met in 2018 and the first public pictures of them as a couple, in New York, were released in 2019. They announced their engagement in January 2020 and both families were reportedly very happy for them despite the 32-year age gap.

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Their wedding was attended by Diana’s brother Charles Spencer, including other family members. Lady Spencer is connected to the British royal family as she is the eldest daughter of the 9th Earl Spencer and Victoria Lockwood.

Kitty actually divided her time between South African and the UK after her parents’ divorce in 1997. She is first cousins to princes William and Harry, who reportedly did not attend the wedding.

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