Prince Charles betrayed Lady Diana. And she put him to shame with the dress of vengeance
On 29 June 2020 it will be exactly 26 years since the evening when Lady Diana wore the famous "Revenge Dress", in response to the interview in which Prince Charles admitted betrayal with Camilla Parker Bowles
The years of separation and divorce represented for Lady Diana the stage of maturation, a watershed between the dreams (and illusions) of the naive English girl from a good family and the harsh reality of the sad and disappointed love princess. It may seem paradoxical but for Lady Diana the humiliations suffered at court, especially when the marriage began to crack, were a real school of life. Teachings of her that in spite of her the princess had to learn, not without a good dose of suffering. There is, however, one event in particular, an evening 26 years ago, in which Lady Diana definitively abandoned the girl she had been to become a self-confident and glamorous woman. On June 29, 1994, when William and Harry's mother wore the now historic "Revenge Dress", the "dress of revenge" became a symbol of revenge.
That night she Diana hit rock bottom and climbed into a future she hoped would be blazing, proving she had learned well the difficult lessons taught by life within the walls of Buckingham Palace. If a writer wanted to convert the story of the Princess of Wales into a coming-of-age novel, perhaps he would choose as a "moment of rebirth" the very night when Lady Diana broke all the rules of the protocol, choosing a dress that no one would have thought of seeing her wearing. . The princess was fed up with the indifference and betrayal of Prince Charles. She had returned him with the same coin, tried to attract her attention in every way, but there was nothing to be done. The marriage didn't work out. The two were too different and in the heart of the heir to the throne there was only room for Camilla Parker Bowles.
A bulky figure for Diana, an impossible enemy to beat. Not even the birth of William and Harry had managed to give a little oxygen to a shipwrecked union even before setting out to sea. Camilla always well present between Carlo and Diana even when she was physically absent. The situation degenerated, the gossip of the tabloids gave no respite to the royal couple, so Prince Charles decided to put a point on the whole affair. He agreed on an interview with Jonathan Dimbleby on public television for that 29 June and spoke with a proverbial British aplomb the words that would remain etched in the history of the English royal family. Dimbleby asked the heir to the throne if he had always been faithful to his wife. Carlo confessed: “Yes, until everything is irreparably broken”. With this sentence, the prince admitted his sins but, at the same time, indirectly pointed out that he was not the only one responsible for the separation.
Lady Diana knew that June 29 would be the day of reckoning, when the problems of her marriage would become public knowledge. She had two options in front of her: to shut herself up within the walls of Kensington Palace, to cry over a new humiliation, or to gather courage and react immediately, before the fear and new gossip resulting from the interview made her waver. The princess opted for the second path, the most difficult of her, proving both her admirers and her detractors that she had not yet been defeated. But she needed to point out her presence.
Showing herself in public on the very evening when her husband admitted her infidelities, Lady Diana wanted to give an unequivocal message to the royal family, taking revenge for the wrongs suffered with elegance. The former designer of Princess Anna Harvey said that Diana wanted to dazzle the public, amaze them. The occasion had already been served on a silver platter. On 29 June 1994, in fact, a garden party was scheduled at the Serpentine Gallery in London, in Hyde Park. A fundraiser organized by Vanity Fair. A very important event for the British aristocracy and jet set and with guaranteed media coverage. However, the emblem of revenge was missing. According to the Telegraph, the Princess of Wales had already planned to wear a fabulous dress from the Valentino house. The fashion house had even issued the press release relating to the event. The dress was perfect, in tune with the evening, but maybe it wasn't exactly what Lady Diana wanted.
Who knows if Carlo's now ex-wife stopped to reflect on the importance of his image, on the imprint he intended to give to his future from that evening onwards. Probably yes. It is possible that Lady Diana realized how fundamental her look was in defining the woman she would become her. And she acted accordingly. At the last minute, the princess put aside Valentino's dress and chose another one, created by the Greek designer Christina Stambolian. The designer had made that dress three years before the London event. Lady Diana, however, had judged him "too bold" for the role he held at court. Black sheath dress, tight-fitting, short up to the knees, very little princely side slit, décolleté on display thanks to a deep “boat” neckline, bare arms, that dress broke all the rules of royal protocol. Exactly what the princess needed.
The "Revenge Dress" would have shouted to Prince Charles: "Look what you missed" and to the royal family: "I don't need to be a princess, I don't care about being a royal height, I just need to be myself, Diana Spencer ". The newspapers went wild. Kerry Taylor, owner of the auction house that in 2013 sold some of Lady D.'s most iconic dresses explained: "We called it" The Revenge Dress ". She wore it that same evening when Prince Charles confessed his adultery with Camilla. Diana had a public commitment to the Serpentine Gallery and while many might have thought 'I can't deal with this', Diana showed up in that dress and she looked magnificent. " The Huffington Post increased the dose: "It was the first time that people discovered the new Diana, the one who did not need the royal family, in particular Prince Charles. In that minidress she exuded confidence, an air of happiness and independence ".
The Princess of Wales faced the evening as if nothing had happened, as if the world had not collapsed on her. Finally the new Diana had blossomed, her chrysalis had become a beautiful butterfly, a fashion icon. The photos of that evening still speak to us, after 26 years. Lady Diana shows off a calm smile, her air relieved, her shoulders straight, her body leaning forward, towards the audience, her right arm raised to greet the people who were waiting for her, but also a new life that began that very evening. Her pearl necklace brings out her long neck, while the black clutch and the dizzying décolleté of the same color slender Diana's already perfect figure. With that dress, the princess taught women all over the world to be free, sexy, not to fear the judgment of others and not to be overcome by inevitable failures. Useless to throw yourself on the bed to cry submerged in paper handkerchiefs.
That change would have accompanied Diana to her last day. No more princess dresses, just a sophisticated but functional, linear look. Of a glamorous simplicity (it seems a contradiction in terms, yet the princess managed to create this unique style). One of Lady Diana's favorite designers, David Sassoon, declared: "There has been a huge change from the shy girl I originally dressed and this glamorous woman" and added that the credit for the success achieved that night was not just the dress. : “It's her smile, her confidence and her bare shoulders that make these photos so memorable. She is radiant, happy, she had lost the title of His Royal Highness, but she had done very well to leave 'the company' ", then he commented:" That night Diana made a black dress immortal and, wow, she really did. in the best way".
It was with a newfound femininity and with the new determination born on that June evening that in 1996 Lady Diana faced another historic interview, hers, with which in a certain sense she replied to the confession of Prince Charles. She called their wedding "crowded" in front of 22 million viewers and journalist Martin Bashir. She would have paid the consequences. Queen Elizabeth imposed a divorce on her son and daughter-in-law. The Crown had already endured enough scandals. Her Majesty wrote a letter to Lady Diana in which, bluntly, she stated: "I have consulted with the Archbishop of Canterbury, with the Prime Minister and, of course, with Charles. We have decided that the best path for you is a divorce ”.
Diana was now a loose cannon for Buckingham Palace. At court there was no room for two "queens", for two stars who wanted and could shine with their own light. What did the princess think when she read the letter from her mother-in-law? We will never know. Perhaps Lady Diana took note of one of the most bitter failures of her life, but in her own way she knew she had won. She was free and stronger than ever, certain that nothing could stop her anymore.
