Charles Spencer Receives Gorgeous Birthday Gift Connected to Older Sister Princess Diana

Some people get a cheeky card or a cake with their name on it for their birthday. But Charles Spencer (aka Princess Diana’s younger brother) received quite a bit more on his 60th birthday (which was on May 20).

Earlier this week on Instagram, the 9th Earl Spencer revealed that a close friend gifted him with a beautifully crafted canoe. Along with photos taken of his birthday present, Spencer detailed how his friend surprised him with the present.

“Today I turn 60. I had 30 friends and family to stay over the weekend. The speech at dinner on Saturday was given by ‘William Purefoy’, who was a fellow new boy at Maidwell—those who’ve read A Very Private School [his memoir] will know him,” he wrote.

I was brought down to the lake at Althorp by a friend, on Saturday. Her husband handmade this astonishingly beautiful canoe for me, as a surprise, over many months. I cried on seeing it. It’s almost too exquisite to paddle,” Spencer continued. “The husband said: ‘I just thought it’d be useful, when you visit your sister.’ Such an overwhelmingly beautiful thought. #canoe #friendship #thoughtfulgifts #generosity #althorp.” If that isn’t the sweetest gift, I don’t know what is.