Princess Charlotte never had the chance to meet her grandmother Princess Diana, but the young royal has more than a few things in common with the late Princess of Wales.
From their love of dance to comparisons between their appearances, Prince William’s daughter has drawn sweet connections to his late mother over the years.
But one of the more unexpected similarities between the grandmother and granddaughter comes from their childhoods: both had hamsters in their lives.
Princess Charlotte’s furry friend:
Back in 2016, when Charlotte had just turned one, her mother, Catherine, revealed that the family had welcomed a hamster named Marvin into their home.
© Max Mumby/IndigoThe then-Duchess of Cambridge shared the detail while speaking with schoolchildren during the opening of the Magic Garden at Hampton Court Palace.
A nine-year-old girl named Darcey later recalled Kate telling her that Charlotte particularly liked Marvin because his whiskers would tickle her face. Kensington Palace officials subsequently confirmed the account.
© princeandprincessofwalesThe hamster was one of several pets that have been part of William and Kate’s family life over the years. At the time, the family also had their beloved English Cocker Spaniel, Lupo.
Princess Diana shared the same childhood experience:
Decades before Charlotte’s adorable encounters with Marvin, Diana also grew up surrounded by animals, including hamsters.
© MirrorpixAndrew Morton’s biography Diana: Her True Story in Her Own Words details the future Princess of Wales’ early passion for animals. Diana had pet hamsters, rabbits, guinea pigs and a cat named Marmalade during her childhood.
Her mother, Frances Shand Kydd, recalled that Diana was particularly fond of small animals.
© Anwar HusseinDiana’s love of pets was also evident during her school years. One of her best-known childhood companions was a guinea pig, which she took with her to boarding school. Photographs from her younger years even show the future royal proudly holding a guinea pig at a pet show.
It makes Charlotte’s experience with Marvin an especially sweet coincidence. Growing up generations apart and under very different circumstances, both grandmother and granddaughter experienced the very ordinary childhood joy of having a tiny furry friend.
Charlotte’s other connections to her grandmother:
Their shared experience with hamsters isn’t the only connection between Charlotte and Diana.
© Karwai TangBoth developed a love of dance from an early age. Kate previously revealed that her daughter enjoys ballet and tap, while Diana famously loved dancing and studied ballet as a child.
Diana’s passion continued into adulthood. In 1985, she famously surprised an audience at London’s Royal Opera House by taking to the stage with dancer Wayne Sleep for a performance set to Billy Joel’s “Uptown Girl.”
© Ken R. GoffCharlotte has also drawn comparisons to her grandmother through her appearance. Childhood photographs of Diana have been compared with pictures of the young princess, with royal watchers pointing out similarities in their expressions and distinctive eyes.
Although Diana died nearly two decades before Charlotte was born, William has made sure his children know about their grandmother.
© WireImageSpeaking in the 2017 documentary Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy, William revealed that he regularly talks about “Granny Diana” with his children and had put more photographs of his mother around their home.
“I talk about her,” William said, explaining that he wanted his children to understand that they have two grandmothers and know “who she was and that she existed.”
© Karwai TangYears later, new connections between Charlotte and the grandmother she never met continue to emerge, including something as simple and relatable as growing up with a pet hamster.
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