There’s no doubt that Princess Charlotte is an adorable kid. While she shares mom Kate Middleton’s darker coloring, her resemblance to her father, Prince William, is sometimes striking. William, of course, has always been compared to his late mother, Princess Diana, so it’s not terribly surprising that little Charlotte tends to give off major Princess Di vibes. She definitely has a ton of personality and seems every bit the nonconformist as her grandmother was. Kate always seems to have her hands full with her middle child, and honestly, it wouldn’t surprise us at all if Diana was also a feisty child.
Darker hair and eyes aside, Charlotte certainly shares some physical characteristics with her late grandmother. Their eye shape and smiles are similar, and they look especially alike when they are in their element and doing their own thing — just being their authentic selves. Charlotte definitely has a spirit about her that is reminiscent of Diana, and we can’t get enough of it. If she grows up to be anything like her grandmother, she will certainly be a force to be reckoned with.
Whether it’s her actual appearance or her persona, Charlotte has looked the spitting image of the Princess of Wales on more than one occasion, and fans of the royals just can’t help drawing comparisons. Check out some of the pics of Princess Charlotte that have made us all feel like she’s a mini Princess Diana.
What Is Happening?
Princess Charlotte is seen here waiting on an airplane and looking a bit like she’s not so sure what’s going on or why. (Either that, or she’s having one big yawn.) That’s probably a normal occurrence for the youngest royals when they’re out on official business. There are always so many moving parts involved when the royals travel.
Shocked & Amused
Lady Diana Spencer wore a similar expression back in 1980, when she apparently stalled out her car a few days before her engagement to Prince Charles was announced. She wasn’t even a royal yet, and the paparazzi were all over her — so we’re not sure if her shocked expression was because of the car trouble, or the fact that someone was actually watching. Either way, there’s a bit of amusement in her eyes, so we don’t think she was bothered too much.
That Smirk …
Charlotte’s sideswept hair and tiny smirk remind us a whole lot of Diana, who was often spotted with a similar expression during her younger years. It’s at once sweet and sassy. It’s like she’s saying, “OK, let’s get on with the picture taking already, guys.” The little princess doesn’t seem to mind posing for the photo, but she looks like she’s hoping it won’t take long.
Runs in the Family
Diana’s smirk, on the other hand, resembles Charlotte’s, but with a bit more of a sardonic edge. The sideswiped hair, the set of the mouth, and the turn of the eyes is the same, but Charlotte’s grandma looks a bit less tolerant than the younger princess — and we can see she wasn’t exactly keen to have that camera pointing at her.
Sweetly Squinting
In this shot from an official royal trip to Canada in 2016, little Charlotte was just 1 year old and looked so much like her grandmother around the same age. The adorable downturned and squinty eyes are almost an exact match to Diana’s as a baby. Despite the color difference, their hair was super similar, too.
Diana’s Baby Face
It’s really quite remarkable how much Charlotte resembles her grandmother as a baby. They both have a flippy wave to their hair, and their eyes look so much alike. If it wasn’t for Diana being so fair-haired, someone might be tricked into thinking this was baby Charlotte, especially because Kate tends to dress her kids in more traditional clothing.
The Transformation Begins
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge shared this beautiful home photo of Charlotte on Instagram in honor of her fourth birthday, and it’s quite obvious that she is maturing beautifully. Her face has changed quite a bit from when she was a baby, although she definitely still has a bit of a mischievous grin — a trait she shares with Diana.
Twinsies
Little Diana is a dead ringer for her own granddaughter in this photo. She was 4 years old here — the same age as Charlotte in the previous photo — and the family resemblance is unreal. There’s definitely something in their facial expressions that makes them look so much alike. We bet they would have had a whole lot of fun together.
Charlotte Is Growing Up
As Charlotte gets older, she is looking more and more like Diana, whose hair got darker throughout her childhood until she eventually lightened it as an adult. Charlotte’s smile is definitely Diana’s, and the royal granddaughter and grandmother even seem to have the same eyebrow shape. William must see his mother in Charlotte all the time.
And the Resemblance Is Growing
Princess Diana — or should we say Lady Diana Spencer — was 10 when this picture was taken, and we can’t help but think Charlotte is going to look a whole lot like her in a few years from now. We can totally see Charlotte’s face morphing into one that is similar to Diana’s, with some slight differences, of course.
Baby Blue
Kate and William seem to dress little Charlotte in the color blue quite often, and whether it’s a coincidence or not, we’ve noticed that Diana also wore blue pretty frequently. Both look quite fetching in the color, and although Charlotte seems to have more of her mother’s coloring, blue clearly works just as well for her as it did for her grandmother. This head-on shot really highlights how similar their features are, and how much blue brings out their eyes.
Lady in Blue
Diana even wore blue the day she and Prince Charles announced their engagement. Of course, she coordinated her outfit with her sapphire and diamond engagement ring which is now worn by daughter-in-law Kate. It wouldn’t surprise us if some day Charlotte inherited Diana’s ring.
The Head Tilt
It’s almost as if little Charlotte has already started studying photos of her grandmother. She totally has Diana’s head tilt down and looks adorable doing it. In this home photo, she posed with her dad and brothers for William’s birthday — and she totally reminded fans of a photo of young Diana. They are both so sassy and confident.
So Sassy
Charlotte absolutely must get some of her sass from her grandmother. We doubt the young Lady Diana was even trying to look so feisty in this photo, but she totally does. We often get the exact same vibe from Charlotte, who has even been caught sticking out her tongue at someone on camera. Royal or not, we are who we are.
The Perfect Shade of Green
For Christmas 2019, Charlotte wore a green wool coat that seemed perfectly coordinated to an outfit that Diana wore in 1982, when she was pregnant with Charlotte’s dad. The green coat looks perfect with Charlotte’s rosy winter cheeks, and her sweet smile. She totally reminds us of a newlywed and glowing Diana.
Works for Both of Them
See how the darker green in Diana’s coat and the green of Charlotte’s would have worked so well together? They both look so sweet and innocent in this color, especially with those joyful smiles. Kate looks great in green, too. We wouldn’t be surprised if Charlotte grows up to favor the color herself.
Happy Together
Charlotte and her brothers, Prince George, and Prince Louis, are growing up very close, just as their dad and uncle Prince Harry did before them — and just as it seems Diana did with her own siblings. Seeing Charlotte with her brothers, we’re sure she has no trouble keeping up with them, but that she’s also an attentive and kind sister.
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Just Like Gram
It’s obvious by the way her younger brother, Charles, looks at her that Lady Diana was also a kind and attentive sister. Both girls appear completely content and happy to be spending time with their brothers, and their soft expressions are quite similar. It will be so much fun to watch Charlotte grow up and to see if she naturally emulates the beloved Diana.
Matching Mannerisms
As this fan on TikTok pointed out, it’s not just that Charlotte and Diana look alike, they act alike, too. In this side-by-side video, we can see Diana pushing Harry’s hand down when he was getting a little too rowdy during a carriage ride, and years later, Charlotte was doing the same thing to her brother.
One Last Look
Yup, there’s no denying that Charlotte and Diana are related. All of Diana’s personality just shines through little Charlotte, just like it did when Diana became a part of the royal family, capturing so many hearts — not just in Britain, but throughout the entire world. From the smile to those twinkling eyes, Charlotte definitely has something of her grandmother in her.
There’s No Denying It
Hopefully, Charlotte will grow up to be her own person (Diana would have surely wanted nothing more), but if she inherits even just a bit of her grandmother’s joie de vivre, she will undoubtedly be a royal to watch. We already adore getting little glimpses of her doll-like face, precocious personality, and silly antics, so we can only imagine what’s ahead.
