Princess Diana's Brother Posts Extremely Rare Pic of Their Great Aunt from 119 Years Ago

Published Aug 5, 2021

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5:25pm

If you're looking for any Princess Diana family history, Charles Spencer is definitely the best source. The younger brother of the late Princess of Wales is an accomplished historian and author, who always seems to be hunting down more pieces of his family's past.

Most recently, the 9th Earl Spencer dug up a photo of his and Princess Diana's great aunt, Lavinia. The photo was posted to Spencer's Instagram Story, where he said: “My great-aunt Lavinia Spencer, in fancy dress 119 years ago.”

The vintage snap shows a small Lavinia, around three or four years of age, standing in front of a door wearing a fancy white dress and bonnet.

Charles Spencer/Instagram

This is not the first time the 9th Earl Spencer has offered a view of his ancestor on Instagram.

Last month, Spencer shared a rare photo of Lavinia with his grandfather and his great uncle (and it was even taken in front of the same door). The historian supplied details of her life, saying, “Lavinia married a local aristocrat, and served the late Queen Mother as a Lady In Waiting, when the Queen Mother was Duchess of York: she and Lavinia were childhood friends. Lavinia’s son Lukie played cricket for England a couple of times. She was a chain smoker, and died in her mid-50s.”

Some have noted how similar the great aunt looks to a young Diana. On the earl's post, one person commented, “To my eye, you and your sisters resemble Lavinia. Your nephew, William appears to resemble Jack. Beautiful photo!” Another person wrote, “Gorgeous! I think Diana at a similar age looked like your great aunt.”

In fact, Spencer shared a rare photo with his sister back in May, and we've got to say, there are definitely some similarities between her and Lavinia Spencer.

Thanks for always giving us these trips back in time, Charles.

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Joel Calfee

Associate Editor, News and Entertainment

Joel is the former Associate Editor for News & Entertainment and has been reporting on all things pop culture for over 5 years. Before working at PureWow, he served as a Features Editor at ROCKET Magazine. When he's not dissecting the latest trends in entertainment (or guiding you on what to watch), he covers all the hottest red carpet looks and fashion movements. When he steps away from the keyboard, you can likely find him at an NYC concert, thrift store or LGBTQ+ bookstore happily perusing the shelves.

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