
Though Princess Diana never had the chance to meet any of her grandchildren, her presence still lingers — not only in the stories Prince William and Prince Harry share, but also in the little moments and expressions seen in their children. From the way Princess Charlotte glances upward through her lashes, to the way Prince William speaks to his children at bedtime, Diana’s legacy continues to find its way into the next generation.
Diana passed away in 1997, leaving her two teenage sons behind and the world in mourning. Decades later, the memory of the “people’s princess” remains vivid. Today, William and Kate’s children — Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis — live in the UK and have become familiar public faces. Meanwhile, Prince Harry’s children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, are growing up in the U.S., away from the royal spotlight. Though none of them ever met their grandmother, she is still a central figure in their family story.

Among Diana’s grandchildren, it’s Princess Charlotte who seems to remind people most of her late grandmother. Social media users have often pointed out the way Charlotte looks up from beneath her lashes with a slight head tilt — a gaze Diana was known for and which fans have dubbed the “Spencer Stare.” At the coronation of King Charles, one photo of Charlotte captured this expression perfectly, leaving viewers both charmed and emotional.
Yet Diana’s legacy isn’t only carried through facial expressions or inherited features — it’s also in the values William and Harry try to pass down to their children. Prince William, in particular, has made it a point to keep Diana’s memory alive in his household. In a 2017 documentary, he shared that he often tells George and Charlotte stories about their grandmother during bedtime, and that photos of her hang around their home. “It’s important that they know who she was and that she existed,” he said.