Princess Diana's nephew is set to tread the boards: Louis, Viscount Althorp, 28, graduates from drama school with an agent - and will perform under the stage name 'Louis John Lyons'

  •  Princess Diana's nephew Viscount Althorp, 28, graduated from drama school
  •  The aristocrat graduated with a First from ArtsEd an independent school
  •  He has signed with a talent agency and will act under the name Louis John Lyons

By Ellen Coughlan For Mailonline

Published: | Updated:

Princess Diana's nephew Louis Spencer, Viscount Althorp is headed for a career in acting after graduating from drama school.

The 28-year-old aristocrat is the youngest child and only son of Dian's brother Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer, 58, and his first wife, Victoria Aitken.

The cousin to Prince William and Harry graduated with a First from ArtsEd, an independent performing arts school based in Chiswick. 

Louis has already signed by the Tavistock Wood talent agency, whose stars include Dominic West and Lily James. Hwill act under the name Louis John Lyons.

Princess Diana's nephew Louis Spencer, Viscount Althorp, 28, graduated from drama school ArtsEd on Tuesday. Pictured, with his principal

Princess Diana's nephew Louis Spencer, Viscount Althorp, 28, graduated from drama school ArtsEd on Tuesday. Pictured, with his principal 

Louis was kept largely out of the spotlight as a child, was raised by his mother in South Africa where he attended Cape Town's most expensive private school (Pictured, with his father and sisters at the opening of the Princess of Wales Memorial Playground in Kensington Palace Gardens in 2000)

Louis was kept largely out of the spotlight as a child, was raised by his mother in South Africa where he attended Cape Town's most expensive private school (Pictured, with his father and sisters at the opening of the Princess of Wales Memorial Playground in Kensington Palace Gardens in 2000)

His proud father Earl shared a snap of Louis in his graduation gown on Instagram and said his valedictorian speech was 'perfectly-delivered.' 

He wrote: 'My son, Louis, graduated today from @artsedlondon with a First-class degree. 

'He was selected as his year’s valedictorian, and it was an absolutely beautiful speech - perfectly-delivered, touchingly generous, hugely grateful, and including references to so many of his 80 classmates. 

'A final farewell hug to his brilliant principal here, and then on to his career. I couldn’t be prouder of him - so much hard work, to add to a very rare gift. Congratulations, Louis!' 

Earl Spencer shared a snap of Louis in his graduation gown on Instagram and said his valedictorian speech was 'perfectly-delivered'

Earl Spencer shared a snap of Louis in his graduation gown on Instagram and said his valedictorian speech was 'perfectly-delivered'

The cousin to Prince William and Harry graduated with a First from the independent performing arts school based in Chiswick (pictured with his class mates)

The cousin to Prince William and Harry graduated with a First from the independent performing arts school based in Chiswick (pictured with his class mates) 

His proud father Charles shared a snap of Louis in his graduation gown on Instagram and said his valedictorian speech was 'perfectly-delivered'

His proud father Charles shared a snap of Louis in his graduation gown on Instagram and said his valedictorian speech was 'perfectly-delivered'

Louis was raised by his mother in South Africa where he attended Cape Town's most expensive private school before returning to the UK to study.

Unlike his older sisters, D&G model Lady Kitty, 31, and twin Tatler cover stars Lady Amelia and Lady Eliza, 29, Louis shuns social media and avoids high profile events.

Thanks to the centuries-old practice of male primogeniture, by which an aristocrat's title and estate passes to the eldest son, rather than the eldest child, Louis will also one day inherit Althorp House and its accompanying 13,500-acre estate in Northamptonshire. 

Thanks to the centuries-old practice of male primogeniture, by which an aristocrat's title and estate passes to the eldest son, rather than the eldest child, Louis will also one day inherit Althorp House and its accompanying 13,500-acre estate in Northamptonshire. Pictured, Earl Spencer and Victoria with newborn son Louis in 1994

Thanks to the centuries-old practice of male primogeniture, by which an aristocrat's title and estate passes to the eldest son, rather than the eldest child, Louis will also one day inherit Althorp House and its accompanying 13,500-acre estate in Northamptonshire. Pictured, Earl Spencer and Victoria with newborn son Louis in 1994 

Althorp  House, in Northamptonshire, which has been in the Spencer family for more than 500 years. It will one day be inherited by Earl Spencer's son, Louis

Althorp  House, in Northamptonshire, which has been in the Spencer family for more than 500 years. It will one day be inherited by Earl Spencer's son, Louis

Louis with his mother Victoria and sisters Eliza (left) and Kitty at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in May 2018

Louis with his mother Victoria and sisters Eliza (left) and Kitty at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in May 2018

His eldest sister Lady Kitty, who is engaged to a fashion tycoon 30 years her senior, discussed being overlooked in the order of inheritance in an interview with Town & Country magazine.

What is male primogeniture?

Primogeniture is preference in inheritance that is given by law, custom, or usage to the eldest son and his issue. 

In exceptional cases, primogeniture may prescribe such preferential inheritance to the line of the eldest daughter. 

The motivation for such a practice has usually been to keep the estate of the deceased, or some part of it, whole and intact.   

The Royal Family brought to an end the system of primogeniture that had dictated the line of succession since 1701. 

Under the Succession to the Crown Act 2013, princes no longer take precedence over their sisters. 

It means Princess Charlotte, five, is ahead of her brother Prince Louis, two, in the line of succession.  

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'Primogeniture can be a tricky topic, because as times are changing, attitudes are as well,' she said. 'We've grown up understanding that it’s Louis to inherit, and Louis will do an incredible job.'  

It has also piqued the interest of politicians. Then Prime Minister David Cameron said the 'idea that a younger son should become monarch instead of an elder daughter, simply because he is a man, just isn’t acceptable any more' while Boris Johnson reportedly ordered the issue of male primogeniture be looked into as part of plans to make Parliament more welcoming to women.

Earl Spencer, however, is not inclined to embrace the 'changing attitudes' and has spoken out to say he will keep to tradition and choose Louis as his heir.  

'If I chose Kitty it would be against all the tradition that goes with Althorp. It’s just the way it is. I get the problems with it as a concept,' he said in 2015.

'I also get the strengths of it having worked to date. It is still intact. If you go around the chateaux of the Loire or whatever, they are empty.

'Everything gets split equally through the generations and you end up with a beautiful building with one nice tapestry in it. The whole idea of primogeniture was to keep it together.'

Certainly there would be considerable difficulty if the thrice-married Earl tried to divide his estate between his seven children.

Earl Spencer shares Kitty, Louis and 28-year-old twins Amelia and Eliza - who recently covered Tatler together - with Victoria; son Edmund, 17, and daughter Lara, 15, with second wife Caroline Freud; and youngest daughter Charlotte, eight, with his current wife Karen.

Despite their complicated family dynamic, Louis enjoys a close relationship with his sisters.

Lily JamesPrince WilliamPrincess Diana

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