On the anniversary of one of the most high-profile weddings of the 20th century, Earl Charles Spencer shared a previously unseen childhood photo of himself with his sister, Princess Diana, on social media.
Rather than a wedding photo, Charles shared a black-and-white image showing the two children standing by the pool at Park House in Sandringham, wearing swimsuits adorned with swimming badges.
“Diana and I both proudly showing off our swimming badges (sewn onto our swimming costumes),” he wrote, evoking the summers they shared under the terrifying—but talented—gaze of their instructor, Mrs. Lansdowne.
The post coincided with July 29, the date on which Diana married the then Prince of Wales in 1981.
Although Charles did not directly mention the anniversary of that wedding that captivated the world, the choice of day to share such an intimate memory does not seem coincidental.
Instead of evoking the splendor of the televised wedding watched by millions, he preferred to remember his sister as she was before she became a global figure, a cheerful, determined girl who spent her days in the water without ever losing sight of her goals.
Spencer, who lives in Althorp, the family residence where they moved in 1975 and where Diana is buried, has maintained a very present relationship with his sister’s memory.
In recent years, he has used his Instagram account to share personal moments that speak to their bond as siblings.