She had already captivated her Instagram followers with heartwarming photos of her fairytale engagement to Channing Millerd on the Greek island of Santorini in July.
But Lady Eliza Spencer, 33, has now shared intimate details of exactly how the day unfolded, including how her husband-to-be found the perfect ring to propose with.
In an interview with Hello magazine, Princess Diana’s niece revealed that Channing, 34, scoured diamond merchants across South Africa, trying to find the dream stone.
With the help of his father and brother-in-law, he eventually settled on a 2.5-carat, pear-cut diamond that he found in a bespoke jewellers in Cape Town.
Channing, an entrepreneur and brand chief operating officer, then designed the ring himself after speaking to Eliza about the shapes she loves.
‘It’s perfect – the most beautiful ring ever – and so special that it’s from South Africa,’ said Eliza, who moved to the country in 1995 to avoid the media attention brought by her family’s name.
Once he had secured the ring, Channing then went ahead planning the perfect way to propose.
He explained because they had been together for nine years, the pressure was on to make Eliza, whose father is Earl Spencer – the brother of Diana – ‘feel as special as I possibly could’.
Channing planned the trip to Santorini in great detail, eventually popping the question on the second day of the holiday.
He joked that he was forced to conceal the huge and valuable rock in his shoe as they walked to a beautiful spot by the sea to watch the sunset before dinner.
‘That’s what really threw me off,’ said Eliza, referring to how she had no idea he had a ring with him before he got down on one knee.
‘I had no idea he’d propose. I knew it was coming, but I certainly didn’t know that it was happening on that trip.’
The couple explained that Channing, who is a keen photographer, had set up a camera on a tripod to capture the moment.
He then carried Eliza up to a balcony overlooking the sea, which he had decorated with flowers and candles.
Eliza told Hello magazine she almost went through an ‘out of body’ experience when Channing went down on one knee and that she both ‘laughed and cried’.
The couple, who now live in London, said that they didn’t tell anyone about their engagement for the first hour or so as they just wanted to take it all in.
However, they revealed that they are now hosting an engagement party in Cape Town with 50 of their closest family and friends later this month.
As for the final wedding destination, that is yet to be decided. But both Channing and Eliza have said they are keen on the idea of having a wedding abroad.
They have also dispelled the idea of having an enormous ceremony with hundreds of guests – instead saying it will be ‘intimate’ with just their nearest and dearest.
Eliza and Channing are equally aligned on their plans to start a family one day.
Both said ‘absolutely, when the time is right’ – but neither is in any rush to become a parent.
In the meantime, the focus for the couple is their wine business Lala V, which they are hoping to launch early next year.
