When it comes to family archives, Princess Diana's brother isn't afraid to share. The Earl Spencer regularly posts archival family photos on his social media accounts, from tributes to their mother to historical tidbits about the family. The latest photo the Earl has dug up features not his famous sister but their father, playing host to a very special visitor.
Princess Diana's Brother Posts Major Throwback Photo & He's a Carbon Copy of Their Dad
See it to believe it
Published Aug 18, 2026
•4:57pm
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The black-and-white image, dating from 1936, shows the late John Spencer, 8th Earl Spencer, seated on a footstool cradling the family border terrier. Behind him sits his father, Albert, Viscount Althorp. The duo were playing host to a very important guest: Queen Mary. Mary of Tek was the wife of King George V; her son, King George VI, was the father of Queen Elizabeth II. Charles did not provide further details about the visit, only noting that the trio was sitting in front of Althorp House for the portrait. Looking at John, I couldn't help but see Charles in his younger face. The sweep of the hair, the cheekbones, the eyes. It's uncanny.
But further proof I'm not seeing things: earlier in the year, Charles shared more images of his father, at this point a young man in the 1950s, on holiday in the Scottish Highlands. This is where the resemblance feels like I'm looking at a doppelgänger. If this photo was in color it might feel like the present day. But the best thing is that the feature Charles and his father most share is their smile.
While he's fond of reminiscing, Charles is also looking ahead. On September 22, the Earl will publish Swan Song: Diana, My Sister with Penguin Random House.
"In Swan Song, Charles Spencer provides the most intimate, loving, and honest portrait yet of his sister," the publisher shares. "In September 1997, Charles Spencer stood in Westminster Abbey before a watching world and shared his grief at losing his beloved sister, Diana. Now, nearly thirty years later, he tells the astonishing story of his life with Diana and the tragic week of her death."
