It's not too often that we're treated to an unseen photo of Princess Diana, but last week, the late royal's brother, Charles Spencer, shared a rare family snapshot on Instagram.
In the black-and-white photo—captioned "Family photograph, 1972"— the future princess poses with her dad, John Spencer, who sports a suit and tie as he sits in front of a window with his son and three daughters.
Diana, who was 11 at the time, wears a skirt and a short-sleeved black top worn over a white blouse in the pic as she grasps the curtain with one hand. She also shows off a rather serious expression as she looks straight at the camera.
It's a steely face that differs from her iconic "Spencer Stare," a term royal fans have used to describe her signature facial tilt while looking up through her lashes—and it lives on in Prince William, Prince George and Princess Charlotte's facial expressions.
Along with her brother, Charles, who looks dapper in a tiny suit, Diana poses with her two sisters in the pic. Lady Sarah kneels on a window seat in the picture in a dark skirt set, while Lady Jane—wearing a floral frock—smiles next to their dad.
"Minus the mother 😥 Every picture tells a story..." one fan commented on the pic, referencing Diana's mom, Frances Shand Kydd, who divorced the then-Earl Spencer in 1969 (Charles is the current Earl Spencer). Diana's father was awarded full custody of their three children after Shand Kydd left to purse another relationship.
"Our father was a quiet and constant source of love, but our mother wasn't cut out for maternity, Charles Spencer told the Sunday Times in 2020. "Not her fault, she couldn't do it. She was in love with someone else — infatuated, really."
Charles Spencer's Instagram followers left plenty of comments on the rare photo, like one who wrote, "Diana, always with the gift of an expression that spoke more than words! 👏🏻🥰," and another who commented, "Diana looks so ethereal like in another world like Camelot ❤️bless her."
A third Instagram user pointed out Prince Harry and Prince William's resemblance to the Spencers, writing, "Your nephews look a lot like your family. Xx WE sure do miss Diana. Xx❤️."
Perhaps with Christmas coming up, Earl Spencer will share some holiday memories, too.
