Charles Spencer posts rare childhood photo as royal milestone quietly passes
On what would have marked the 44th anniversary of Princess Diana’s wedding to King Charles III, her younger brother, Charles Spencer, shared a deeply personal tribute to his late sister—without ever mentioning the royal milestone by name.
Posting on Instagram, the 9th Earl Spencer offered a rare glimpse into their childhood with a black-and-white photo taken by the pool at their family’s former home, Park House in Sandringham. The image shows a young Diana and Charles proudly displaying their swimming badges, earned under the watchful eye of their formidable instructor, Mrs. Lansdowne.
“A long ago summer, by the swimming pool at our childhood home, Park House, Sandringham – Diana and I both proudly showing off our swimming badges,” Spencer wrote. “These were awarded (sparingly) by Mrs Lansdowne, a fairly terrifying but very gifted swimming instructor who came to stay each year. We were never out of that pool.”
Though he didn’t directly reference the July 29, 1981 wedding that made Diana Princess of Wales, the timing of the post—shared on the anniversary itself—spoke volumes. Notably, Spencer disabled comments on this particular tribute, a departure from his usual practice on posts about Diana.
Diana and Charles, then the Prince of Wales, had two sons—William and Harry—before their marriage came to a highly publicised end in the 1990s. Her untimely death in 1997 stunned the world, and her brother’s eulogy at her funeral remains one of the most poignant moments in modern royal history.
Charles Spencer continues to honor Diana’s memory through personal tributes, including another heartfelt post shared earlier this month on what would have been her birthday.
