Princess Diana's niece Lady Kitty Spencer hosts London event

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Lady Kitty, 23, made speech at Give Us Time Gala
Works for charity, which was founded by Dr Liam Fox MP
Kitty looked glamorous in red dress and her mother was on crutches
Kitty is Prince William and Harry's cousin

Published: 04:30 EST, 23 October 2014 | Updated: 10:44 EST, 23 October 2014

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With her perfectly tousled blonde hair, demure smile and outgoing personality, Lady Kitty Spencer bears more than a passing resemblance to her late aunt, Princess Diana.

And last night Earl Spencer's daughter followed in her relative's charitable footsteps by supporting a high-profile event in London in aid of servicemen.

Dressed in an eye-catching floor-length red gown, Lady Kitty arrived at the Corinthia Hotel London for the Give Us Time Gala with her mother, Victoria Aitken.

Glamorous: Lady Kitty Spencer, niece of Diana Princess of Wales and cousin of Prince William and Prince Harry, arrived at the Corinthia Hotel London for the Give Us Time Gala last night in a dazzling red evening gown

Give Us Time is a small charity founded by Dr Liam Fox MP that takes one-week holidays donated by owners of holiday homes and timeshares and matches them with British soldiers in need of rest rehabilitation and reconnection with their families.

Lady Kitty, who works for the charity, made a speech to guests including Chancellor George Osborne.

The charity launched in 2012 with the help of a close-knit team of volunteers. A few months later, Kitty met one of them through a mutual friend. She offered to help out doing administrative tasks and liaising with families and it wasn’t long before everybody recognised the profile-raising potential of having her on board.

Still looking glamorous: Her mother Victoria Aitken, nee Lockwood, joined her on crutches at the Give Us Time event, which is a small charity founded by Dr Liam Fox MP that takes one-week holidays donated by owners of holiday homes and timeshares and matches them with British soldiers in need of rest rehabilitation and reconnection with their families

Charitable: Lady Kitty, who works for the charity, made a speech to guests including Chancellor George Osborne

Helping hand: The 23-year-old helped her mother hobble into the event on crutches

Kitty’s role with the charity, for which she takes no salary, involves marketing and matching service personnel with suitable holiday homes. Much of the work is done via email and over the phone, but she also meets soldiers at fundraising events

She was joined by her mother, Victoria Aitken, née Lockwood, who was a fashion model and the first wife of Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer, the younger brother of Diana.

Victoria, who married ex-model Jonathan Aitken in 2005 and divorced him in 2009, appeared to have broken her leg and was using crutches.

Kitty was styled for last night's event by Micheljohn's Nariman Pouranpir (Anna Wintour's make-up artists) and her hair was coiffed to perfection by Jay Rapata.

Kitty, the 23-year-old who boasts a lineage dating from pre-Tudor times and a family fortune of more than £100million, was named the most eligible girl in Britain by Tatler magazine in 2007.

Kitty grew up away from the media spotlight in South Africa with her mother. She also attended William and Kate's wedding in 2011 but her parents have deliberately tried to keep her out of the media spotlight.

Famed guests: Kitty's role with the charity, for which she takes no salary, involves marketing and matching service personnel with suitable holiday homes. George Osborne showed his support at the event last night

Support: Her mother, Victoria Aitken, née Lockwood, who was model and the first wife of Charles Spencer, 9th Earl Spencer, the younger brother of Diana, joined her, left, as did George Osborne

Rarely seen out on the party scene, Kitty was a straight-A student at Reddam House, a private school for South Africa's elite.

She then went on to study psychology, politics and English literature at the University of Cape Town and was selected from a roll call of 800 students to be awarded the gold medal prize for psychology - the subject that is her passion.

It was widely reported in April this year that she was dating England cricket star, Nick Compton.

Asked at the time whether her son was ‘keen on Kitty’, Mrs Compton said with the kind of toe-curling candour only a mother can: ‘Of course he is keen on her! He hasn’t had many girlfriends because he’s always been really focussed on his cricket and hasn’t had time for relationships. But he is still with Kitty… ‘

The pair have not been seen together for some months, and it is not known whether they are still dating.