5 Times Princess Charlotte Reminded Royal Watchers Of Princess Diana

The royal family's genes are certainly strong. It's easy to see the resemblance between many royals and their relatives from today and decades ago. So, it should probably come as no surprise that the late Princess Diana's genes are showing up in her lineage. Diana was called the People's Princess for good reason — she was beloved by royal fans and folks who didn't follow the royal family, alike. For that reason, many people are thrilled to see some of her most-loved traits in her granddaughter, Princess Charlotte.
William, Prince of Wales, has carried on his late mother's memory in many ways. His wife, Catherine, Princess of Wales inherited Diana's title, as well as her iconic engagement ring. William and Kate also passed Diana's name down to their daughter, whose full name is Charlotte Elizabeth Diana. And it seems that Charlotte got more from Diana than her name. From her looks to her love of sports and even the way she gives the classic royal wave to fans, while Charlotte was never able to meet Diana, it is widely believed that she is the spitting image of her. Many times over the years, people have been amazed by the grandmother and granddaughter's similarities, and we've got the five most memorable moments in which these similarities shined.

As Princess Charlotte grows up before our eyes, it becomes increasingly easy to see not only how she resembles her late grandmother, but also the ways their personalities are alike. This became particularly apparent to folks at a somber occasion: Prince Philip's memorial service in 2022. On their official Instagram account, the Prince and Princess of Wales shared a photo of themselves walking hand-in-hand with Prince George and Charlotte, respectively. Like in the comment section of most photos of Charlotte, some folks pointed out her physical resemblance to Diana. "Charlotte looks like Diana," one commenter wrote with heart emojis. Yet, other folks were impressed with her poise, which seemed beyond her years. One noted, "Incredible [behavior] from George and Charlotte given they are so young." This may have something to do with how Charlotte deals with events in the public eye, as her grandmother did. 

Body language expert Judi James told Express that Charlotte's body language at the event took after Diana. "Like Diana, she gives the initial impression of shyness, but beneath that appears to be an outgoing, fun personality," James explained. She also picked up on some similarities in how Charlotte dealt with being in front of all those cameras, mentioning, "She also picked out several of the cameras with her eyes, as Diana always remembered to do." 

King Charles III's coronation, which took place in 2023, was a major event in royal history. Princess Charlotte was, of course, in attendance to watch her grandfather officially take over as king. The young princess looked particularly grown up and sophisticated, dressed in all white and a very sparkly tiara. Over the course of Princess Diana's time in the spotlight, we saw her in a tiara on several occasions. Perhaps the eye-catching accessory is part of what reminded folks of Diana when photographers captured photos of Charlotte at the special occasion. For others, though, it was her poise and one particular expression that was reminiscent of her grandmother.

Princess Diana, Princess of Wales and Princess Charlotte 👑♥️

Princess Diana poses for an official portrait in February 1990.

The Princess of Wales and Princess Charlotte of Wales attend the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla on May 6th 2023 at Westminster pic.twitter.com/4Uyo9529bM

— Maciej Talarczyk (@TalarczykMaciej) August 31, 2024

"Princess Charlotte with her best Diana gaze," one coronation-watcher wrote on X, formerly Twitter, with a photo of Charlotte. Diana certainly had a few memorable facial expressions. The look she often gave with her chin pointed down, but her eyes looking upward was the ultimate classic Diana expression, and it's one that Charlotte also showed off at the coronation.

It's easy to see how Princess Charlotte inherited some aspects of Princess Diana's appearance without ever meeting her. That is how genetics work, after all. But, the pair also share hobbies and interests. Diana was very active; she loved to play tennis and ski, and she wasn't one to stand on the sidelines. Over the years, Charlotte has proven on multiple occasions that she, too, loves to get active. Charlotte is said to be a talented soccer player who also plays rugby, among other sports. Her mom, Kate Middleton, appeared on the podcast, "The Good, The Bad & The Rugby," in 2023, where she said, "Charlotte's playing both the sports now, and it's really good to see youngsters, particularly girls, playing these types of sports now."

Beyond playing and watching sports, Diana and Charlotte have one specific active hobby in common: dance. Diana loved dancing throughout her life. When she was a child, she even hoped to be a professional ballerina when she grew up. Charlotte is apparently following in her grandmother's ballet slipper-clad footsteps, enjoying both ballet and tap dancing.

The similarities between Princess Diana and Princess Charlotte's love of sports go beyond their love of being active; they've both enjoyed watching professional sports from the stands, too. Charlotte attended Wimbledon with her mom in 2024. This was just shy of 30 years after Diana was photographed court-side at the same event in 1995. Quite a bit changed in three decades, but it seems the trend cycles for sunglasses were a constant. Nine-year-old Charlotte sported pink Ray Ban sunnies at Wimbledon 2024. Their round shape was perfectly reminiscent of the black pair that Diana sported to the event.

"Another version of me, I was in it"

July 1991: Prince William stands with his mother in the Royal Box on Centre Court at Wimbledon

July 2024: Princess Charlotte stands with her mother in the Royal Box on Centre Court at Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/rrcdpGnlnG

— 𓆩Mrs.W𓆪 (@Katrnish) July 16, 2024

In addition to Diana and Charlotte's shared love of sports and the perfect accessory, another moment from Wimbledon 2024 stuck out to fans. A viral tweet pointed out the similarities between Kate Middleton talking to Charlotte while watching the match and a similar photo of Diana speaking to Prince William at the same sporting event in 1991. The matching body language between mother and child so many years apart shows the striking family resemblance. And, it's easy to imagine a future Charlotte taking her own child to Wimbledon many years from now, carrying on a family tradition that her late grandmother clearly loved.

Princess Diana spent her adult years in the public eye. Consequently, it's easy for folks to spot even the slightest resemblance to her in her surviving family members. Yet, the tables turned in April 2024, and folks found themselves seeing Princess Charlotte in an old photo of Diana rather than the other way around. Diana's brother, Charles Spencer, shared a photo of his first day of school in 1968 on Instagram. In the image, a very young Spencer and Diana are standing next to each other in their school uniforms. Interestingly, though, the name that took the post's comment section by storm was Charlotte. 

When the photo was taken, Diana would have been seven years old, just a year younger than Charlotte was when her great-uncle posted the photo. Seeing the two princesses around the same age made their uncanny resemblance even clearer than it usually is. "Princess Charlotte is Diana's copy," one commenter noted. Another said, "Princess Diana lives on in Princess Charlotte."