Princess Charlotte is the spitting image of this royal relative in never-seen-before childhood photo

When Earl Charles Spencer revealed a never-seen-before photo from his childhood, royal fans were quick to point out the striking resemblance between Princess Charlotte and this famed Spencer relative. 

It's not unusual for children to look similar to their relatives, in fact, it's more common than not. But the children in the royal family have inherited some incredibly strong genes from the Spencer side of their heritage. 

Earl Charles Spencer, the late Princess Diana's brother, is a keen Instagrammer and often takes to the social media site to share unreleased family photos and the sweet stories behind them. This is where we recently got some insight into where Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, get their red hair from as he shared a throwback photo of him and his sister in their childhood garden, both sporting stunning auburn hair.  

And now it's Princess Charlotte's turn to be in the spotlight. Her great-uncle has shared yet another picture from his childhood, this time of him with his mother, Frances Kydd, and his sister, Princess Diana, from 1967, and the resemblance between the young Diana and her grandchild Charlotte today is uncanny. 

The photo's caption read, "My mother, Diana and I, in c. 1967. I would have been 3, and Diana 5 or 6. I love how happy each of us looks. At this stage of my life, my mother nicknamed me 'Buzz' - because she saw me as having the endless energy of a rather happy - and busy - bee."

The comments section quickly filled with quips about how similar Diana and Charlotte look. One fan wrote, "You can really see Princess Charlotte in Diana in this photo," while another added, "Princess Charlotte is the spitting image of Lady Diana. The memory of your wonderful sister lives on!"

But it wasn't just Diana's resemblance to Charlotte that caught attention. One royal fan pointed out, "For me Prince George looks like Earl Spencer!" Another made a different connection altogether, commenting, "Harry looked so much like you Charles at that same age."

Whoever you see in the faces of the young Spencers, it's clear that the family genes are strong. 

In other royal news, King Charles and Prince William have united in refusing to admit to one very relatable thing and King Charles is keeping busy as he reportedly writes up his ‘succession plans’. Royal fans are also worried over reports that Princess Charlotte could 'lose her title' when her father becomes king while the internet is asking Where is Kate Middleton?