Princess Diana’s Brother Charles Spencer Shares Rare Photo From Their Childhood

Diana, Princess of Wales, wears an outfit in the colors of Canada during a state visit to Edmonton, Alberta, with her husband.

Princess Diana’s brother, Charles Spencer, shared a rare throwback photo online that offered a glimpse into his family’s life long before his older sister joined the royal family.

The 9th Earl Spencer estimates that he was 3 and Diana was either 5 or 6 in the 1967 photo. Their mother, the late Frances Shand Kydd, also appears next to them.

Spencer sits on a swing in the photo as his mother puts her hands on either side of his torso to support him. Diana stands beside the swing on her brother’s left side, one of her legs crossed over the other at the knee and one arm hiding behind her back. Their mother is leaning over slightly so that she can be closer to their faces as the trio smiles for the camera.

"I love how happy each of us looks,” Spencer wrote in his March 2 Instagram caption.

He then revealed the adorable nickname his mother called him when he was that age.

“At this stage of my life, my mother nicknamed me ‘Buzz’ - because she saw me as having the endless energy of a rather happy - and busy - bee,” he wrote.

Spencer’s most recent throwback photo of his older sister was last August as he marked the 26th anniversary of her death. In that Instagram post, Spencer appeared to be about the same age as he was in the March 2 post. He took beside Diana, who had her right arm slung over his shoulder as they both looked into the camera.

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Spencer has likely reflected on his life quite a bit in anticipation of the March 12 release of his memoir, A Very Private School. He posted several images teasing his new book on Instagram over the last several weeks and has occasionally sprinkled in a few old family photographs, including some of his and Diana’s ancestors.

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