The legendary star recalled how Princess Diana helped her avoid a wardrobe malfunction in ‘My Name Is Barbra’

Barbra Streisand shared a sweet anecdote about Princess Diana in her new memoir My Name Is Barbra. Photo: Todd Williamson/Getty; Georges De Keerle / FSP / Liaison Agency

Barbra Streisand writes in her new memoir My Name Is Barbra that Princess Diana once had her back — literally!

The singer, actress and EGOT winner reflected in the text, published on Tuesday, about how the late Princess of Wales once helped her avoid a near wardrobe malfunction during a night out at the London premiere of The Prince of Tides in 1992. The opening was held as a benefit for the AIDS Crisis Trust, and Streisand, 81, said that she was “impressed” with how hands-on Diana was with her outreach in hospitals to destigmatize HIV/AIDS.

According to Streisand, Princess Diana was just as lovely in person when they sat together during the film screening at Leicester Square, and the royal urged her to embrace the applause.

Trying to follow royal protocol, which dictated waiting for the princess to stand first, Streisand wrote that she didn’t stand up until Princess Diana insisted she did. She added that Diana gave her a “little push” — and a quick zip!

Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty
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“The zipper on my skirt had come down a bit as I was sitting, and she noticed and quickly started to zip it up for me as I got to my feet,” Streisand wrote, remembering her remarks (with a reference to Yentl) and the cheers of the crowd.

“When I finally sat down, Diana turned to me and asked, ‘Do you know how wonderful you are?’ ” she wrote. Streisand said the comment came as a shock, as longtime songwriter Marilyn Bergman asked her the same thing at Bon Soir, the New York nightclub where she got her start, 30 years before.

“I certainly didn’t know it then. Did I know it now? I’m not sure…maybe a little. I thought Diana was wonderful. I wonder if she knew how wonderful she was,” Streisand said in her memoir.

Princess Diana arrives for the premiere of The Prince of Tides at Odeon Leicester Square, London in February 1992.Chris Grieve/Mirrorpix/Getty

Barbra Streisand Spills the Tea on Prince Charles Sending Her Flowers from Highgrove — ‘Before He Met Diana’

Princess Diana wasn’t the only member of the British royal family who charmed the star — King Charles reportedly had a crush on Streisand before he married Prince Diana in 1981!

In July 2021, The Times reported that then-Prince Charles said he found the American actress “dazzling” when he was a young man. Soon after, Streisand returned the compliment — and spilled the tea on their friendship origin story.

“It was so sweet,” Streisand told U.K. presenter Ross King of the “special memories” Charles had shared with the British outlet.

Prince Charles and Barbra Streisand chat at Warner Bros. studio in California in 1974.Mark Sennet/Getty

“The Way We Were” singer confirmed the prince’s story about how they crossed paths in 1974. Prince Charles was serving in the Royal Navy, which brought him to San Diego, where she was working.

“He asked to meet me. So he came to the recording studio,” she shared, adding a signature quip. “I offered him a sip of tea and I thought, ‘They didn’t have to test me for poison or something? No.’ “

From there, “we became friends, and I loved spending some time at Highgrove for a weekend fundraiser and going through his gardens,” Streisand said.

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Art for the audiobook My Name Is Barbara, written and read by Barbra Streisand.Courtesy of Penguin Random House Audio

Though the performer noted that her closeness with Charles “was before he met Diana,” she did add, “I had a very funny line on stage when he came to see [my] show. I said, ‘You know, if I played my cards right, I could have wound up being the first Jewish princess!'”

My Name Is Barbra is out now.

Celebrate Barbra Streisand’s incredible career with the new PEOPLE Special Edition Barbra Streisand, available on newsstands and Amazon.com.