It’s always a treat when somebody in the royal family (or someone who is royally adjacent) shares a rare photo we’ve never seen before.
This go-round, it’s Princess Diana’s brother Charles Spencer, who shared a portrait of their great-great-grandfather Frederick Spencer, who, dare I say, shares a strong resemblance to Charles.
The late princess's brother also shared a bit of history about his grandfather, writing, "My great-great-grandfather, Frederick Spencer: he was the fourth son, but inherited @althorphouse in 1845 after the death without children of the third of his three elder brothers. (One died as a child; another of disease off the Egyptian coast; the other of oldish age.) Born in 1798, Frederick joined the Royal Navy as a 13-year-old midshipman during the Napoleonic Wars. He rose to become a vice-admiral and fought at the Battle of Navarino in 1827, an engagement which helped to gain Greek independence. He was the Whig MP for Worcestershire and for Midhurst; then he became a senior courtier. Queen Victoria favoured him and remarked that he had the finest legs in Britain."
He continued: "Frederick married his second cousin, Georgiana Poyntz, in 1830 and was widowed 21 years later. He married again in 1854 - his second wife was Adelaide Seymour. There were three children from the first marriage - none of whom had children of their own. His son from his second marriage, Bobby, was my great-grandfather. Sadly, Frederick brought strict naval discipline into the home, supposedly locking any of his children who he judged to have badly misbehaved in the cavity below Althorp’s main staircase. In turn, one of his children recorded with glee Frederick trying their pogo stick - and being flung by it into a ditch. He died in 1857, soon after hosting a magnificent ball for Queen Victoria at @spencer.house in London."
“Thank you for letting us share in some more of your family history,” wrote one fan, with others chiming in, “I love these little stories you tell about your ancestors. I can’t imagine being locked under that staircase,” and “I love history reels!”
In August, Charles also commemorated the anniversary of Princess Diana’s passing with a touching message alongside photos from the family estate, Althorp House in West Northamptonshire—Diana’s childhood home and her final resting place.
“Beautiful flowers, left yesterday by Althorp’s visitors,” Spencer captioned the post, which featured a photo of the Princess Diana memorial bench, which was covered in blooms. He added, “We are open for July and August each year, by an arrangement reached with the UK Government in 1992. Strange to think that that summer season is bookended by 1 July—Diana’s birthday—and 31 August—the day she died.”
One thing’s for sure, Charles always honors his family.
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