Charles Spencer is missing the waves—and his sister, Princess Diana.
On July 29, which also marks the late royal’s 44th wedding anniversary to ex-husband,King Charles III, the 9th Earl Spencer shared a throwback photo of him and Diana as kids.
“A long ago summer, by the swimming pool at our childhood home, Park House, Sandringham,” Charles, 61, wrote on his Instagram post, which sees the Spencer siblings posed in their bathing suits. “Diana and I both proudly showing off our swimming badges (sewn onto our swimming costumes).”
Indeed, the badges had a special meaning to him and Diana, who died at age 36 after a car crash in Paris on August 31, 1997.
“These were awarded (sparingly) by Mrs. Lansdowne, a fairly terrifying but very gifted swimming instructor, who came to stay each year,” Charles explained of the trinket. “We were never out of that pool.”
Though the photo’s backstory is touching, their familial expressions are even more notable. Diana bears a sweet resemblance to her youngest son Prince Harry, 40, in the vintage shot. (She also shares Prince Williams, 43, with Charles III.) Meanwhile, her younger brother looks just like Williams’ oldest son, 12-year-old Prince George.
This isn’t the first time Charles—who shares Lady Kitty Spencer, 34, twins Lady Eliza Spencer and Lady Amelia Spencer, 33, and Louis Spencer, Viscount Althorp, 31, with ex-wife Victoria Lockwood—has reflected on a childhood memory with Diana. In fact, he posted an Instagram tribute to his older sister in August 2023, which marked the 26th anniversary of her death.
At the time, the British aristocrat—also dad to Honourable Edmund Spencer, 21, and Lady Lara Spencer, 19, with ex Caroline Feud, and Lady Charlotte Diana Spencer, 12,with Karen Spencer—shared a sweet shot of him and Diana in their younger years.
Then two years earlier, he reflected on Diana’s impactful legacy.
“Every day, people tell me what an inspiration she was,” Charles explained during his appearance on Good Morning Britain in June 2021, “how much they miss her, and what they did the day she died. It’s extraordinary.”
Keep reading to see more moments in Diana’s iconic evolution…
Off-the-Shoulder
PrincessDiana wore a range of styles during her lifetime. And when it came to gowns specifically, she played with different necklines and cuts, including off-the-shoulder.
Consider the chiffon David Sassoon gown she picked for a trip to London’s Victoria and Albert Museum in 1981, which featured a pink and blue pattern, sparkly embellishments and ribbon detailing. To complete her look, she accessorized with a pearl choker, matching bracelet, diamond drop earrings and a clutch purse.
The princess also wore a lavender off-the-shoulder gown with bow detailing by Donald Campbell while attending the ballet in Auckland, New Zealand, with her then-husband King Charles (formerly Prince Charles) in 1983. For her jewelry, she opted for the Prince of Wales Feathers necklace and pearl drop earrings.
And of course, fans can’t forget about her famous “revenge dress,” which was designed by Christina Stambolian and Diana wore to a Vanity Fair party at London’s Serpentine Gallery in 1994. She donned the dress on the same night ITN’s interview with her estranged husband Charles aired and he admitted he was faithful to Diana in their marriage “until it became irretrievably broken down.”
Another famous example? The midnight blue velvet Victor Edelstein gown Diana wore to the White House nearly a decade before in 1985, where she shared a dance with John Travolta (leading to the dress being dubbed the “Travolta dress”).
Pop of Pink
When it came to her wardrobe, Diana also sported a rainbow of colors. Among her often-wore hues? Pink. During a 1985 visit to Sicily, for instance, Diana wore a pink Catherine Walker dress featuring voluminous sleeves and a pleated skirt. To finish the ensemble, she added a matching hat by milliner John Boyd, a white clutch and pearls.
Diana suited up in a similar hue, this time a Versace number, during a 1995 trip to Argentina—adding gold knot earrings, a black bag and matching heels.
Chokers
Diana also rocked bold accessories, including choker necklaces. Like this sparkly one she wore to complement her purple Versace dress for a gala dinner at Chicago’s Field Museum in 1996.
Similarly, Diana wore a pearl choker necklace while visiting a Commonwealth War Graves ceremony in Anzio on her 1985 Royal Tour of Italy with Charles. The statement piece matched her pearl earrings. However, these weren’t her only accessories. Diana also donned a red and white hat, which coordinated with her red striped Catherine Walker dress, and a gold watch.
Color Blocking
You’ll want to bow down to her use of color blocking, too. Take, for instance, the blue and white seen in Diana’s Catherine Walker suit and Philip Somerville hat during her visit to Dubai in 1989.
Or her use of pink and red in her suit and hat by the designers during the same visit.
Puffed Sleeves
While there are several examples of Diana wearing puffed sleeves (a popular style in the ’80s), perhaps the most famous is the dress she wore for her wedding to Charles in 1981. Designed by David and ElizabethEmanuel, the gown also featured a scooped neckline adorned with ruffles and bows, bodice overlaid with lace, full skirt and 25-foot train.
Diana and Charles split in 1992 before finalizing their divorce four years later.
One-Shoulder
Another style Diana occasionally sported was the one-shoulder gown. In 1985, she wore a white, crystal-beaded silk chiffon dress by Hachi for a visit to the National Gallery in Washington D.C.
There was also the blue asymmetrical dress by Bruce Oldfield featuring ruffles and a circular pattern that she wore to a fashion show benefitting Birthright, an organization of which she was patron. Diana added her signature pearl choker necklace, matching bracelet, earrings and a clutch.
Jacket Draping
When it came to outerwear, Diana would also sport a variety of options—including varsity jackets, wool coats and puffers. And sometimes, she would simply drape her jackets over her shoulders—as she did with her white coat, using it to top the floral Donald Campbell dress that she wore to the airport in Hampshire at the start of her 1981 honeymoon with Charles.
Along the same lines, Diana threw a black blazer over the shoulders of her matching dress for a trip to the Alfred Dunhill shop in London in 1994. She finished the look with pearls, a dainty bracelet and black purse with gold chain.
Corset Belts
Big bold belts were popular in the ’80s, and Diana appeared to be a fan of the trend. She wore a turquoise one that divided her patterned blouse from her white pencil skirt during her visit to Bangkok, Thailand, in 1988.
The princess also paired a silver belt with the blue, ruffle-sleeved Bruce Oldfield dress she wore to a state dinner in New Brunswick during her 1983 Royal Tour of Canada. The belt matched her silver clutch, and there was plenty of sparkle thanks to her Spencer tiara and drop earrings.
Backward Necklaces
Who said there’s only one way to wear a necklace? Diana displayed her pearls by stringing them backward over her backless, burgundy velvet Catherine Walker dress for the London premiere of Back to the Future in 1985.
Tuxedo Dresses
The royal also had an array of stunning suits in her wardrobe. Take this pinstriped look she wore to a 1996 Christmas event for the nonprofit Centrepoint in London.
Diana also wore a white Catherine Walker coat dress and matching Graham Smith hat during her visit to the Isle of Wight in 1985.
Overalls
Even when going with a more casual ensemble, PrinceWilliam and Prince Harry‘s mother kept it stylish. Like when she rocked denim overalls over a classic white T-shirt at a 1987 polo match with her eldest in Windsor.
And in 1981, she rocked a yellow pair of overalls with a bright floral top during a walk with Sarah Ferguson at Cowdray Park Polo Club in Gloucestershire.
Comfy and Chic
Yes, princesses love a good sweatshirt too—as Diana proved while leaving her London health club in her Fly Virgin Atlantic crewneck, orange bike shorts and black and white sneakers in 1995. Her controversial BBC Panorama interview would air that evening.
Diana even used her fashion to support the causes close to her heart. Take, for instance, how she wore a sweatshirt featuring the logo of the British Lung Foundation, of which she was patron, to the Guards Polo Club in Windsor in 1988, pairing it with a black blazer and blue jeans and accessorizing with a baseball cap, hoop earrings and brown boots.
Diana also displayed her effortlessly cool style while leaving her London gym in a Harvard sweatshirt, black Nike bike shorts and sneakers in August 1997. The princess, who was often hounded by paparazzi, tragically died later that month after a car crash in Paris.
