Princess Diana’s Mother Looks Just Like Her in Never-Before-Seen Photo
It’s clear where the Princess of Wales got her excellent taste in clothing.
Tim Graham/Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images
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Earl Charles Spencer, the brother of the late Diana, Princess of Wales, posted a rare snapshot of their mother on his Instagram in honor of her birthday.
In the undated black-and-white portrait, Frances Shand Kydd, who passed away in 2004 at age 68, poses in a sleeveless striped top against a backdrop of rock and sand. Her shiny hair is teased up and pulled away from her face, and covered with a dark, sheer scarf.
Shand Kydd shared the same downturned eyes and coy, close-mouthed smile as her daughter Diana, who tragically died in 1997 at just 36 years old.
Spencer, 61, posted the photo in remembrance of Shand Kydd’s birthday on January 20. Shand Kydd, who passed away in 2004 after a prolonged battle with a degenerative illness, would have turned 90 this year.
He wrote, “I gave the eulogy at her funeral - recalling all the joy she brought and gave; as well as reflecting on the terrible ordeal she had to endure, burying two of her children.”
“During her last years, she found great comfort after converting to Roman Catholicism. Until her health gave out, she would help take very unwell children on pilgrimage to Lourdes,” he wrote, referring to the famous Catholic pilgrimage site in the French countryside.
Spencer noted in the photo’s caption that it was “taken by my father, when she was young and happy, and glamorous in a very understated way.”
People were quick to point out the similarity between Shand Kydd and the late Princess. One of the top comments reads, “I see so much of Diana...2 beautiful women ❤️❤️"
Princess Diana and her mother, Frances Shand Kydd, attend the Wimbledon Tennis Final in 1993.
Mirrorpix/Getty Images
Shand Kydd’s pose, too, feels familiar to many famous images of the late Princess: Her chin points slightly down, giving the appearance of demure, doe-like eyes, and her face gently tilts to the side, subtly defining the jawline, nose, and chin.
While this type of flattering facial positioning has since become synonymous with Diana, this portrait suggests she may have learned it from her mother.
Frances Shand Kydd in 1982 and Princess Diana in 1988.
Getty
Others commented on how strong Shand Kydd’s genes were. “I can see a bit of Princess Charlotte here. Beautiful lady,” wrote one user.
Born Frances Ruth Roche, Diana’s mother was married twice. Her first marriage, to John Spencer, the 8th Earl of Spencer, lasted from 1954 to 1969. She married her second husband, wallpaper heir Peter Shand Kydd, in 1969. The pair separated in 1988 and finalized their divorce in 1990.
Frances Shand Kydd at her 1954 wedding to John Spencer.
Terry Disney/Getty Images
She had five children with John Spencer: Lady Sarah McCorquodale, 70; Baroness Jane Fellowes, 68; John Spencer, who died at birth in 1960; Diana, Princess of Wales; and Earl Charles Spencer, 61.
Shand Kydd’s relationship with her famous daughter was rumored to be fraught with tension: In its 2004 obituary for Shand Kydd, British newspaper The Telegraph reported that the mother and daughter “were tragically not on speaking terms” when Diana passed away.