Charles Spencer marked a bittersweet milestone with a rare throwback of his late sister, Princess Diana.
On Wednesday, the 9th Earl Spencer posted a nostalgic photo of the siblings from their childhood, taken poolside at their former home, Park House in Sandringham. The poignant post was made on July 29, i.e., what would have been the 44th anniversary of her royal wedding to the future King Charles, then the Prince of Wales.
“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,” he wrote on Instagram.
“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.”
The black-and-white photo shows a young Diana and Charles standing by the water, their swimsuits adorned with hard-earned badges.
Though Spencer didn’t reference the royal wedding in his caption, he notably did turn off the comments under this post, even though he usually leaves the comments on in other posts featuring Diana.
Diana and Charles had two sons, Princes William and Prince Harry — now the Prince of Wales and the Duke of Sussex respectively — before their high-profile split in the '90s. She died tragically in 1997, and Charles Spencer delivered an unforgettable eulogy at her funeral.
Spencer often pays tribute to his sister on social media, including on her birthday earlier this month.
