Charles Spencer Shares Rare Childhood Photo with Sister Princess Diana and Their Mom

Charles Spencer shares a rare glimpse into his childhood with Princess Diana.

In an Instagram post on Saturday, the 9th, Earl Spencer, 59, shared a black-and-white snap of himself and Diana smiling together in their late 60s.

The photograph shows a young Charles posing on a swing next to Diana as their mother, Frances Shand Kydd, holds him from behind.

“My mother, Diana and I, in c. 1967,” Charles — who has a new memoir about his childhood and boarding school experience called A very private school, will be released on March 12 – they wrote in the description. “I would have been 3 years old and Diana 5 or 6.”

“I love how happy each of us looks,” he added of the sweet family shot.

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Also in the caption, Charles shared a tidbit about his childhood nickname.

“At this stage in my life, my mother nicknamed me ‘Buzz’ – because she saw that I had the endless energy of a pretty happy – and busy – bee,” he wrote, adding several hashtags, including “#Family” and ” #SpencerFamily.”

Charles Spencer and Princess Diana in 1968.

PA images via Getty

Diana and Charles were two of Frances and John Spencer’s five children. They grew up with two older sisters, Lady Sarah McCorquodale and Lady Jane Fellowes, and had an older brother, John Spencer, who died shortly after birth in 1960.

Sarah and Jane have lived relatively private lives since Diana’s death in 1997, while Charles, a writer, historian and podcast host, has been a vocal defender of Diana’s legacy.

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Speaking to PEOPLE in 2017, two decades after Diana’s death, he revealed that there were “many myths” about his and his siblings’ upbringing — including that his sister was never called “Di” and that the royal family was never particularly shy .

Charles Spencer in 2020; Princess Diana.

David M. Bennett/Dave Bennett/Getty; Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty

“First of all, none of us ever called her ‘Di’ at home. In fact, there are so many myths from our childhood that are just ridiculous. That’s one of them,” he told PEOPLE at the time.

“I just think she was never shy, but she was tricky with people and reserved at first,” he added. “And she would judge someone before reacting to them. So it’s not shy… it’s actually quite clever.”

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In the same interview, Charles also told PEOPLE that he always felt “intensely protective” of Diana and wished he could have saved her from her tragic accident.

“I was furious, I wasn’t just angry,” he recalled at the time. “[I thought] what could i do. It was just… it was devastating.”

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Source: HIS Education