Rarely-Seen Picture Of Princess Diana And Brother Charles As Kids

Nov 20, 2020 by apost team

It's been 23 years since Princess Diana tragically passed away, but whenever we see photos of her it's still incredibly moving. That is especially the case when seeing photos of her as a child. This month, Diana's brother Charles Spencer, posted a rare photo of the two of them on Twitter, and it's got everybody talking.

Princess Diana passed away tragically 23 years ago on August 31, but as a testament to how much the public adored her, she's still often talked about and even featured in the media, whether for her charitable deeds or impeccable fashion sense. We've seen thousands of photos of Diana, even some from her youth, but it's always wonderful to come upon a rare one that hasn't often been seen before. 

Earlier this month, Diana's younger brother Charles Spencer shared a moving photo of the two of them when they were children. He posted the vintage photograph to his Twitter account and there was no need for a caption—the image said it all.

In the photograph, Diana and Charles are standing together in a garden, with Diana putting her arm over her younger brother's shoulder. She looks angelic as she wears a lovely pink-and-white striped dress with white socks and red mary-jane shoes. Her gorgeous dark blond hair glistens in the sunlight. Charles is dressed in contrasting blue, with a navy-and-white striped polo shirt, blue shorts, white socks, and tan sandals. His blond hair shines just as bright as his sister's. Charles even looks a little shy in the image, which makes his big sister's embrace even more moving.

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The photo immediately garnered likes and comments from the public. It currently has over 3,000 likes and comments that include:

"A Princess OF and FOR these times. A Princess who knew how to adapt her royalty to the needs and affairs of the peoples. A Princess whose simplicity allowed her to reach people's hearts without losing her royalty. An UNFORGETTABLE Princess."

Another commenter wrote:

"Diana was an amazing person, and she will always be a role-model for many. Such a lovely photo, thanks for sharing it."

The Daily Mail found that the photograph is from summer in 1967, which makes Diana six-years-old in the picture, and Charles aged three. It had previously not been published until it appeared in a limited-edition book of the eulogy that Charles Spencer gave at his sister's funeral in 1997, as reported by People. Now it's finally been posted publicly for everyone to enjoy.

The eulogy that Charles delivered at his sister's funeral in Westminster Abbey in 1997 criticized not only the press for their treatment of the princess but also the royal family.

It's also quite rare that Charles, the 9th Earl Spencer posts personal photos on his social media accounts, but when he does they're always very meaningful. A couple of years ago he posted a stunning sketch of his grandmother, Cynthia Spencer to his Instagram. In it, the beautiful woman bears a striking resemblance to her granddaughter Diana.

Charles has a big family line of his own, with seven children from three different marriages. He even honored Diana when he named his fifth daughter after her, Charlotte Diana Spencer. He spoke of the decision at the time of her birth in 2012 in an interview with The Telegraph, explaining:

“We hadn’t settled on a first name before the birth, but Charlotte is a name we both love, and it really suits her. We knew that as soon as we saw her."

He continued on, discussing the choice to honor Diana:

"And though it’s been 15 years since Diana died, I still miss her every day and I wanted her commemorated in the naming of our daughter."

Charles' love for his sister is evident even after all these years. Recently, as reported by the Daily Mail, he's been calling for an inquiry into false claims made about his sister by BBC Panorama journalist Martin Bashir. The incident relates to a 1995 video interview between Princess Diana and Bashir. Charles is requesting an apology for his sister and to viewers, and that a portion of the money that the BBC made from selling the interview's global rights be donated to Diana's charities. The BBC has said it will reopen its 1996 inquiry into the matter, which had reprimanded Bashir for faking documents but didn't charge him with any serious wrongdoing.

What was your reaction when you saw this rare photo of Princess Diana and her younger brother Charles? We'd love to hear about it, then be sure to send it along to your friends who are royals fans!