Princess Diana's Younger Brother Charles Spencer Remembers Beloved Royal on the 27th Anniversary of Her Untimely Death

The former Princess of Wales was just 36 years old when she passed away.

Earl Charles Spencer, the younger brother of Princess Diana, stands with Prince William, Prince Harry, and Prince Charles at the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, only seven days after she was killed in an automobile accident in Paris.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

The late Princess Diana's younger brother is paying tribute to his beloved sister on the 27th anniversary of her untimely death.

On Saturday, Aug. 11, Charles Spencer posted a picture on Instagram highlighting various newspaper clippings and throwback pictures detailing highlights of the late Princess of Wales' life.

Some of the memorabilia included an article detailing the day of Princess Diana's christening, as well as a photograph of the late royal playing outside as a young child.

The 9th Earl Spencer did not caption the social media post, but many of his followers left sweet sentiments and well-wishes for the Spencer family and the late royal in the comment section.

"Who would’ve thought that baby would go on to be the most loved woman in the world," one Instagram user wrote. "We miss you so much Princess Diana."

"I hope she's dancing away in the sky as she used to love," another commented.

"27 years and feels like yesterday Princess Diana will be forever young. Forever beautiful. Gone way to soon," another posted. "I am 3 years younger than her and she is such an icon in my memory and life. Her legacy will live forever."

On Aug. 31, 1997, Princess Diana sustained mortal injuries from a fatal car crash in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in Paris, France.

Her children, Prince William and Prince Harry, were just 15 and 12 at the time of their mother's passing.

In a 2017 interview with People commemorating the 20th anniversary of the late Princess Diana's death, the youngest of five Spencer children openly wondered if there was something he could have done to protect his older sister and keep her alive.

"You always think, God, I wish I could've protected her," Charles Spencer told the publication at the time. "It was just...it was devastating. I always felt...intensely protective towards her."

In the same interview, the proud younger sibling told the publication that one of the "great tragedies" of his sister's untimely death is that his sister "would have been the best grandmother ever."

“What’s amazing to me is the passing of time,” he added. “Now William and Catherine are nearly the same age as Diana when she died.”

Prince Harry and Princess Diana in the garden of Highgrove House in Gloucestershire on July 18, 1986.

Prince Harry and Princess Diana in the garden of Highgrove House in Gloucestershire on July 18, 1986.

(Image credit: Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)

Richard Kay, editor-at-large for the Daily Mail, said in a recent interview on the Mail+'s weekly talk show that the continued rift between Princess Diana's sons Prince William and Prince Harry "would not exist" if the former Princess of Wales was still alive.

"(Prince Harry and Prince William have) been tussling over Diana's legacy, they've been pulling apart Diana's legacy, (and picking) which part suits them best," Kay said at the time. "I think it's a great tragedy.

"What I knew about Diana was, first and above all, was her love for her sons, that was clear to the whole world, she loved those boys," he continued. "I think she would've been broken-hearted. The big question is, would it have still happened had Diana still been with us?"

Danielle Campoamor
Weekend Editor

Danielle Campoamor is Marie Claire's weekend editor covering all things news, celebrity, politics, culture, live events, and more. In addition, she is an award-winning freelance writer and former NBC journalist with over a decade of digital media experience covering mental health, reproductive justice, abortion access, maternal mortality, gun violence, climate change, politics, celebrity news, culture, online trends, wellness, gender-based violence and other feminist issues. You can find her work in The New York Times, Washington Post, TIME, New York Magazine, CNN, MSNBC, NBC, TODAY, Vogue, Vanity Fair, Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire, InStyle, Playboy, Teen Vogue, Glamour, The Daily Beast, Mother Jones, Prism, Newsweek, Slate, HuffPost and more. She currently lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband and their two feral sons. When she is not writing, editing or doom scrolling she enjoys reading, cooking, debating current events and politics, traveling to Seattle to see her dear friends and losing Pokémon battles against her ruthless offspring. You can find her on X, Instagram, Threads, Facebook and all the places.