Lady Di: We tell you 15 curious facts about her fascinating life
There is no doubt that the life of Princess Diana was truly fascinating. We summarize some of her most special moments in these 15 fun facts.
Diana of Wales, also known as Lady Di, mother of Princes William and Harry, definitely lived an unusual life. In addition to having won the hearts of all England and part of the world, she had a personality full of secrets, as well as aspirations that took her away from aristocratic life. She showed a sense of humor and a passion for her dreams; But above all, she was a woman who faced risky decisions and who proved her courage.
Currently, the furor for Princess Diana has not died down, on the contrary, her story remains more fascinating than ever as she is considered one of the most authentic royals of the British crown. Her style of clothing continues to inspire us and her rebellious and charming attitude does so in more ways than one.
Here we present the curious facts that you probably did not know about Lady Di, whom many decided to call "The princess of the people."
1. She studied at home until she was 9 years old
In her time, it was common for children who came from an aristocratic family to receive their education from the hand of a tutor. However, after her parents' divorce, Princess Diana attended a school in Norfolk, where she resided. At age 12 she was sent to the West Heath School boarding school.
2. As a child, she did not like visiting Buckingham Palace
Remember that Princess Diana's father was Earl of Spencer, so her family had a relationship with the British crown. Lady Di confessed that the atmosphere at Buckingham Palace was 'strange' and she cried every time her father took her and her sister to visit, but it was a social obligation they had to fulfill.
3. She was a kindergarten teacher
After finishing their studies in Sweden, William and Harry's mother worked part-time in the cleaning area and the other half of the day was a babysitter. All of this was before I got a permanent position at Young England School. In fact, when she started dating Prince Charles, a photographer came to look for her at work to ask for a photo, which, at that time, caused controversy due to the transparency of the skirt she was wearing. That was just the beginning of the Princess Diana phenomenon.
4. I wanted to be a dancer
As a child, Diana of Wales took ballet classes, however, her height prevented her from standing out in this discipline. For her, this art was a true escape from reality, as portrayed in the documentary The Story of Diana, she turned to ballet to forget everything. Although she was too tall to become a professional, this did not prevent her from always being related to this artistic expression and she supported the National Dance Company of England until the day of her death.
5. Her older sister dated Prince Charles first
Yes, before the heir to the throne met his future wife, he was romantically related to Sarah Spencer, Lady Di's sister. Another of the experiences that Princess Diana told that it seemed impossible for someone like Prince Charles to notice her, remember that, at that time, the son of Queen Elizabeth II was one of the most coveted singles in the United Kingdom and was he listed more than one conquest during his youth.
6. She met Prince Charles when she was 19 and they were married when she was 20
Charles was the Lady Di's first boyfriend. They met when she was 16 while her sister was dating the prince; Diana of Wales said in an interview that she tried to stay away from Carlos, but that it attracted him even more. In 1980, she was invited to spend a day with him during the summer and it was there that they began to go out more and more in the following two years, they did not wait long to consolidate their union.
7. Chose your engagement ring from a catalog
Although such significant jewelry tends to be custom-made, Diana of Wales chose her ring from a catalog of Garrard's jewelry collection. It was a Ceylon sapphire mounted on a white gold band surrounded by 14 solitaire diamonds, valued at $ 60,000. It was the same ring with which Prince William proposed to his wife, Kate Middleton.
8. The seven-and-a-half-meter train that adorned her wedding dress has been the longest in royal history
Princess Diana had to take several lessons before walking down the aisle in order to master such a heavy outfit designed by emerging dressmakers - another way to break the traditions of royalty - it was David and Elizabeth Emmanuel, who commented that they wanted to do something. 'dramatic' and, indeed, they succeeded. In addition to the seven-meter train, it was a wedding dress made with satin taffeta, lace imported from France, and 10,000 pearls.
9. You used flats on your wedding day
As for her footwear, Princess Diana did not wear stilettos like Kate Middleton or Meghan Markle did, instead, she wore flats fit for a princess. Completely made to measure, with hand brushstrokes on the soles, pearls, satin and lace; dressmaker Clive Shilton created two identical models: the one he used to walk around and a replacement for any unforeseen events that arose.
10. Contrary to royal tradition, he decided not to pronounce the word ‘obey’ in his wedding vows.
With that simple fact, Princess Diana sealed a royal tradition, because years later, Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle followed her example and did not include her in their respective vows. But not only that, Prince Charles forgot to seal her vows with a kiss, instead, they also established another tradition of royalty: that of sharing a kiss on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.
11. Her heels began to rise as she parted with Prince Charles
It is well known that Princess Diana's separation from Prince Charles was gradual until concluding with her official divorce in 1996. In the process, the royal changed her way of dressing little by little: wearing shorter dresses, more daring colors, a much freer and more modern style but, above all, his shoes were the ones that rose higher and higher until he ended up making Jimmy Choo his favorite stiletto brand.
12. The favorite color was pink
Besides that it went very well with her skin tone and Lady Di's eye color, it made her look more feminine and jovial. There are endless photos of Princess Diana in this color: from gingham print pants, tailored suits, dresses (many dresses) and skirts. Today her looks have inspired thousands, including her own daughters-in-law.
13. It was a 'cool mom'
Princess Diana wanted her children to have as normal a life as their social status and royalty allowed them. Not only did she conceive them in a public hospital, as they grew, she encouraged them to do the activities that any child does growing up: from eating at McDonalds to going skiing.
But, of course, Princess Diana also took advantage of her connections and influences. On Prince William's 13th birthday, Princess Diana invited supermodels Claudia Schiffer, Christy Turlington and Naomi Campbell to Buckingham Palace to surprise her oldest son.
14. There was a before and after her in the history of the British press
In the documentary The Story Of Diana, they talk about the repercussion that the invasion of the privacy of Princess Diana and how it changed forever the way in which the pink press was perceived by readers, and it is that they not only got intercepted Calls from Lady Di, she was literally followed everywhere, a fact that really shortened her last years of life and for which she brought lawsuits against British tabloids.
15. Appeared on the cover of Vogue four times
Princess Diana appeared four times on the cover of the British edition of Vogue. The first occurred in 1984, with a discreet portrait by Lord Snowdon. The following two covers were portrayed by Patrick Demarchelier and occurred at peak moments in his life: before the final announcement of his separation from Prince Charles and after he made public his infidelity with Camila Parker Bowles.
The last one was a celebration of her life, in the year that Princess Diana passed away in a tragic accident. It was a portrait in an iconic red dress, taken by Patrick Demarchelier.
Discover the best looks of Lady Di:
