Princess Diana’s Brother Shared Rare Photos Of Her As An Infant & The Resemblance To Their Mother Is Uncanny

Mar 15, 2024 by apost team

The life of Princess Diana has been a topic of conversation ever since she first entered the limelight when she began dating then-Prince Charles decades ago. Since her passing, details about Princess Diana’s personal life have been scrutinized to the minutest detail, but one thing that is consistently overlooked is her relationship with her family, specifically her siblings.

The princess was born Diana Frances Spencer on July 1, 1961, at Park House, Sandringham, Norfolk. Her parents, John and Frances Spencer, were the Viscount and Viscountess of the family estate Althorp. Diana has two older sisters, Lady Sarah McCorquodale and Jane Fellowes, and a younger brother named Charles. A year before Diana was born, her infant brother John passed away. 

John and Frances divorced when Princess Diana was 7 years old. In 1975, John Spencer inherited the title Earl Spencer, and from then on, Diana was known as Lady Diana until she married then-Prince Charles in 1981 and became a princess.

Diana was homeschooled until age 9 when she left for boarding school. She said her childhood was very unhappy and unstable, which is also the way her brother Charles described it in an interview with the Times in 2020. Being close in age, Diana had a great relationship with her younger brother and became closer with her sisters as she got older, although there were rough patches along the way. Sarah was six years older than her, and Jane was four years older. Charles is the youngest of the siblings and is three years younger than Diana.

In celebrating what could have been their mother Frances’ 88th birthday, Charles shared a collection of mementos of his mother, which included a photo of his sister, Diana, that had fans of the late royal talking.

After Diana’s tragic death in Paris in 1997, Sarah and her sister Jane traveled to France to collect her remains. Sarah recited a poem at her sister’s funeral and was co-executor of her will. She also served as president of the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund, but after being plagued by criticism and scandal, it was closed in 2012.

After Diana’s passing, Sarah mourned her sister alongside the entire world. She recounted in the BBC documentary “Diana: 7 Days:” 

“I think I felt shock, but I don’t think I felt anything else. Just love and shock,” she recalled. 

In the same documentary, Sarah also shared one thought that had plagued her since her sister’s death.

“She was religious in putting on her seatbelt. Why didn’t she put it on that night? I’ll never know.”

Since the tragic incident, Sarah has remained close to Diana’s sons Prince William and Prince Harry. She attended both William’s marriage to Kate Middleton in 2011 and Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding in 2018. She was also present for the christening of Harry and Meghan’s son Archie in July 2019.

Meanwhile, Charles has also spoken extensively about his older sister, Diana, in the past. During an appearance on "Good Morning Britain" in 2021, Charles recalled the day his sister was born, as per People Magazine.

"I remember my father always used to talk about the day Diana was born, 1st July 1961, and it was a sweltering hot day and this wonderful daughter appeared."

He went on to describe the feeling of his beloved but long-gone older sister turning 60:

"It's so funny to be of an age now where your slightly older sister's 60. It will be an emotional day, but it will be a tribute to a much missed and much-loved sister, mother."

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Charles also commemorated his sister by posting a throwback photo of her on Instagram on what would have been her 60th birthday in 2021. 

Posting to the Althorp House Instagram account, Charles's birthday tribute to his older sister Diana, Princess of Wales was touching for many. In the black-and-white photo, Diana was seen standing in front of a stately ivy-covered house. The young girl looked incredibly sweet as she wore a white sweater, dark skirt, white knee-high socks and loafers. With her hair in pigtails, she looked straight into the camera, as she smiled ever so slightly. Charles captioned the image:

"Today is the 60th Birthday of Diana, Princess of Wales. 1 July 1961 was an exceptionally hot English summer's day, Diana's parents always remembered."

He went on to add a little more information about the house in the background, which happened to be the same one in which Diana was born:

"She was born in Park House, on the Queen's Sandringham Estate in Norfolk. Park House is seen in the background of this family photograph taken by Diana's father, the 8th Earl Spencer."

Sometime in 2018, Charles revealed to People Magazine that when he learned of his sister’s tragic demise while on a plane from London to Cape Town, he was sobbing. Thankfully, a stewardess had comforted him as he mustered all the courage and strength he needed to deal with the aftermath of her sister’s passing. 

"The first thing that needed to be done was to find somebody to write and deliver the eulogy,” he told the publication. 

Finding someone to write the eulogy was challenging for Charles. Ultimately, he concluded that it should be him to write and deliver the eulogy for Diana. 

"I had this awful feeling that it's gonna have to be me," he recalled. 

According to Charles, he tried to put off the writing for a few days, but when he started writing it, everything came out “naturally.” 

“Actually it’s interesting you know, sounds rather bizarre but I did go to Diana’s coffin the day after I’ve written it and I read it to her. I did sort of feel a positive energy come through that somehow she approved of what I’m going to say,” he told People Magazine. 

Charles’ eulogy for Diana was a controversial one as many perceived it to be a criticism of the royal family’s treatment of his sister. 

In 2024, the love for Diana persists and many people wonder what could have happened if Diana were still alive. Charles yet again commemorated the life of his sister, and their mother, Frances, in an Instagram post. 

“Remembering my mother, with love and gratitude, on what would have been her 88th birthday,” he captioned in the post. 

The photo was composed of newspaper clippings and photographs of his late mother and sister – in two of the photos, their mother cradled Diana as an infant, while in another photo a toddler Diana played on their lawn. 

Fans saw the similarities between Diana, her mother and even Princess Charlotte. 

"Wow, Diana looks like her mum & I see Charlotte resembles her as well," a fan pointed out. Another said: "She was very beautiful. Diana (looked so) much like her."

"Beautiful...🔥❤️ and Princess Diana looks like her,” a third person said, while another gushed at the sight of a baby Diana: "Awww 🥰 baby Diana 💕."

What can you say about the photos of Princess Diana? Doesn’t she look similar to her mother? Let us know, and pass this on to your family, friends and other Princess Diana fans out there!