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From a hands-on approach to parenting to getting real about mental health, the People’s Princess did things her way

PRINCESS DIANA WAS FIRST TO HAVE A PAYING JOB BEFORE HER MARRIAGE

Tim Graham/Getty Images

Despite being Lady Diana Spencer — her father was 8th Earl Spencer —she worked as a nanny and a nursery school teacher in London, making her the first royal bride to have had a paying job before her engagement.

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SHE CHOSE HER OWN ENGAGEMENT RING — FROM A CATALOGUE

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Prince Charles gave Diana perhaps her most iconic piece of jewelry: her sapphire and diamond engagement ring. However, rather than create a custom band for his bride, as is royal tradition, Diana chose stunner from the jeweler Garrard’s catalog.

Of course, the ring still has special significance — which is why Prince William gave it to Kate Middleton when he proposed. Nowadays, Kate is rarely seen without the sweet reminder.

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DIANA CHANGED HER WEDDING VOWS

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Even after Queen Elizabeth insisted on including that she would “obey” Prince Philip in their wedding vows, Diana omitted the line from their 1981 nuptials. Instead, she promised to ”love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health.”

The decision was controversial at the time, and others after her did vow obedience when they married into the royal family, including Sarah Ferguson and Sophie Rhys-Jones in 1986 and 1999, respectively.

Both Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle followed Diana’s lead and kept “obey” out of their wedding vows.

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SHE GAVE BIRTH IN A HOSPITAL

Anwar Hussein/Getty Images

Up until the 1977 birth of the first of Queen Elizabeth’s grandchildren, Peter Phillips, royal births occurred at home (even for the Queen!).

The post-birth appearance outside the Lindo Wing of St. Mary’s Hospital has become something of a royal tradition — started by Diana. She and Prince Charles introduced their sons to the world right outside the hospital, and William and Kate followed in their footsteps with all three of their children.

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DIANA WAS A HANDS-ON PARENT

A.G. Carrick/Diana Memorial Fund/Getty

While raising young royals was often left to nannies while the parents took on their duties, Princess Diana made sure to make being a mother her top priorty.

She and Charles even took then 9-month-year-old William with them on an official visit to Australia and New Zealand in March 1983, a decision that was unprecedented at the time.

Both Prince William and Prince Harry have followed her lead, taking their young children on royal tours with them.

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SHE SENT HER KIDS TO PUBLIC SCHOOL

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No royal tutors and homeschooling for Diana’s son! Prince William became the first heir to the British throne to attend public school at the urging of his mom.

“The decision to have William, 3, develop his finger-painting skills among commoners showed the influence of Diana, Princess of Wales, who had worked in a nursery school herself when she was just a Lady,” George Hackett wrote in Newsweek in 1985 of William going to Jane Mynor’s nursery school.

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SHE GAVE HER KIDS REAL WORLD EXPERIENCES

Julian Parker/UK Press/Getty

In addition to attending school with regular kids, Princess Diana made sure they had experiences that would ensure her boys had a sense of a “normal” childhood. This included trips to theme parks, using public transportation and enjoying hamburgers from McDonald’s.

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THE ROYAL WAS CANDID WITH THE PRESS

Antony Jones/UK Press via Getty

While other royals kept a stiff upper lip, Diana was honest about the less-than-glamorous parts of her life — especially when her marriage fell apart.

Charles and Diana separated in 1992. That same year, Diana gave an explosive interview to BBC’s Panorama, in which she is candid about the affair, saying, “Well, there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded,” referring to Philip’s then-mistress and second wife, Camilla.

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SHE CHOSE NOT TO WEAR HATS OR GLOVES

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The Queen is often seen in one of her signature hats and almost always wears gloves while shaking hands at events. However, Diana dropped the practice.

“She abandoned the royal protocol of wearing gloves because she liked to hold hands when visiting people or shake hands and have direct contact,” Eleri Lynn, the curator of an exhibit on Diana’s style, previously told PEOPLE. “She also stopped wearing hats because she said, ‘You can’t cuddle a child in a hat.’ “

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SHE WORE BLACK

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Diana is known as a fashion icon, and even wearing the most basic colors was a statement. Queen Elizabeth typically wears a rainbow of bright clothes so her royal fans can easily spot her in a crowd, and black is reserved for somber occasions. Diana wore her fair share of bold shades — however, she knew there was nothing quite like a little black dress or a cool neutral.

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DIANA DESTIGMATIZED AIDS

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At the height of the AIDS epidemic in 1987, Princess Diana did something truly remarkable: She shook hands with an AIDS patient in London, a simple act that reverberated around the globe and smashed stigmas at a time when public fears about catching the disease were prevalent.

“She was very real and very about human contact,” her brother Charles, 9th Earl Spencer, previously told PEOPLE. “And what really mattered that day was to get across a very clear message that, ‘I’m going to touch this gentleman — and you can all exist in a community with people who are suffering, and we must help.”

Today, her sons Prince William and Prince Harry have carried on the mantle of her work of breaking down barriers toward public health, with Harry taking an HIV test alongside Grammy winner Rihanna in 2017.

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SHE GOT REAL ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH

Princess Diana. Tim Rooke/REX/Shutterstock

In 1992, Andrew Morton published Diana: Her True Story, which revealed that the princess was living with the eating disorder. In an 1995 interview with BBC, she described bulimia as a “symptom of what was going on in my marriage.”

Her sons have continued her work to destigmatize mental health issues.

“We need to normalize the conversation about mental health,” Prince William said in the documentary Wasting Away: The Truth About Anorexia. “We need to be matter-of-fact about it, and not hide it in the dark where it festers.”

The Spice Girls singer revealed in October 2022 that she and fiancé Rory McPhee had gotten engaged after three years of dating

Mel B and her fiancé Rory McPhee; Prince Charles and Princess Diana on their wedding day in 1981. Photo: Rory McPhee/Instagram, David Levenson/Getty

Melanie “Mel B” Brown is planning a wedding fit for royalty!

The Spice Girls member, 48, has revealed that she and fiancé Rory McPhee are set to tie the knot at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London — the very same church where Princess Diana and then-Prince Charles married in July 1981.

During an appearance on Monday’s episode of Today with Hoda & Jenna, Brown explained that she and McPhee were able to land the coveted venue due to her royal connections. “Cause I have an MBE [Member of the Order of the British Empire],” she explained. “So I got an MBE for all my charity work that I’ve been doing and creating awareness for all that kind of stuff.”

Brown noted that receiving her MBE in 2022 was a pinch-me moment. “It was actually Prince William that gave me my little honorary badge. And it’s quite a big deal. I didn’t realize how much of a big deal it was until I started reading about it and then I started getting very nervous,” she recalled of the ceremony at Buckingham Palace.

Mel B Jokes About Problem with ‘Big Slit’ on Her Dress When Prince William Awarded Her an MBE

Princess Diana and Prince Charles on their wedding day in 1981. Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty

She said William, 41, even took a moment to crack a joke about her pop star past. “So when he handed me my medal, he was like, ‘No Spice Girls?’ ” she recalled him asking of her bandmates, Emma Bunton, Melanie “Mel C” Chisholm and Geri Halliwell-Horner, and former member Victoria Beckham.

“It was really lovely. So because of that, I am going to get married in the same church as Princess Diana,” she added.

Mel B Says She’s Hoping to Get Married in the Same Cathedral Princess Diana Did: ‘Waiting on Them’

Back in September, Brown shared an update on her wedding planning during an appearance on Australian radio station 2DayFM, saying she was “still waiting to hear back from St. Paul’s” about her request to stage her nuptials at the iconic domed cathedral, one of London’s most famous sights.

“Because I’ve got an MBE, I can get married at the same place as Princess Diana got married, so we’ve put all our forms in and we’re waiting on them to give us a date,” she said at the time, explaining why she wanted a traditional setting for her ceremony.

“I’m going to do it properly, by the book, in church,” she continued.

Brown revealed in October 2022 that she and McPhee, a hair stylist, had gotten engaged after three years of dating. She shared the engagement news on the U.K. program Celebrity Gogglebox, recounting how McPhee popped the question during a “romantic” getaway in Berkshire.

“He said, ‘I love you, you’re my best friend and I want to spend the rest of my life with you,’ ” she recalled, adding, “There were rose petals everywhere, a log fire, a hotel — which was Cliveden. It was very romantic. I love flowers.”

Mohamed Al Fayed made an ‘indecent proposal’ to the late Diana, Princess of Wales, her ex-butler Paul Burrell has revealed.

The disgraced ex-Harrods owner is said to have told Diana he wanted to sleep with her, leaving her ‘shaking’ in disgust, it was reported today.

Diana, who died in a Paris car crash with Al Fayed’s son Dodi in August 1997, dubbed the older man a ‘creep’ and also ‘Yoda’, after the Star Wars character, Mr Burrell said.

The former butler. who worked for Diana between 1987 and 1997, told of being ‘disgusted’ by Al Fayed’s behaviour – and said that, if still alive, she would support the women now accusing the late tycoon of sexual assault.

A BBC investigation last week revealed five female ex-employees have accused Al Fayed of raping them – and MailOnline revealed yesterday another 23 women have come forward with allegations about him.

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Mohamed Al Fayed, pictured with Princess Diana at a charity dinner at Harrods in February 1996, has been accused of making an ‘indecent proposal’ towards her

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The late tycoon Mohamed Al Fayed (right) is seen here with the then-Prince Charles and Princess Diana at a Harrods-sponsored polo event in Windsor, Berkshire, in July 1987

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Princess Diana’s former butler Paul Burrell has been speaking about how she was left ‘shaking’ after Al Fayed’s comments towards her

The Egyptian-born businessman – who died in London aged 94 in August last year – is alleged to have carried out the attacks during his time in charge of the outlet between 1984 and its sale in 2010.

The corporation says more than 20 female former workers at Harrods have come forward to accuse him of sexual abuse and presiding over a ‘culture of fear’ at the department store.

Some of those involved claim they were coerced into undergoing invasive medical exams in which they were tested for sexually transmitted diseases, with the results being sent directly to Al Fayed himself.

Harrowing details of the accusations, including vivid descriptions of the alleged rapes by the women, were shown on a new programme called Al Fayed: Predator at Harrods.

The store’s current owners have now told of being ‘utterly appalled’ by the accusations and have apologised to the women affected.

The alleged attacks are said to have happened not only in London including at his Mayfair flat in the capital but also in Paris, at the Ritz hotel which he owned, and St Tropez in France as well as Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.

Now Mr Burrell has shared details about what he says Diana told him of her encounters with Al Fayed, who she first met at a Harrods-sponsored polo match in 1986 when she was married to then-Prince Charles.

The ex-royal butler told the Sun On Sunday: ‘I was in the car when she came running out from his office shaking and told me, and these are her exact words, that he said, “I want you to marry my son because in Egyptian tradition, the father goes first”.

‘He said, “I’m going to sleep with you”. She then said in shock, “Can you imagine making love to Yoda?” That’s what she called him. I was disgusted by his behaviour.

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Mohamed Al Fayed, who died in August last year, has been accused in a new BBC investigation of raping and sexually assaulting female employees

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Former royal butler Paul Burrell says the late Princess Diana (pictured) called Mohamed Al Fayed ‘creepy’ and ‘slimy’

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Diana also likened Al Fayed to Star Wars character Yoda (pictured), according to Mr Burrell

BBC documentary accuses Harrods tycoon Mohamed Al Fayed of rape

‘Diana was repulsed by the thought of having to surrender to him. By making that comment, he was setting the stage for that encounter and he was serious.

‘He thought that was his right and that it would actually happen – that he would actually sleep with the Princess of Wales. And that was always in her mind all through her romance with Dodi.’

Mr Burrell described how Al Fayed lavished Diana with gifts including gadgets and computer games arriving at Kensington Palace only for her to send them back.

He also allowed her to use a secret entrance to his Harrods store in Knightsbridge, west London.

Diana and movie producer Dodi started dating after Al Fayed invited her and her sons William and Harry to his 30-bedroom mansion in 1997.

The couple were photographed kissing that summer on board the luxury yacht owned by Dodi’s father, the Jonikal.

Mr Burrell last night said: ‘We all concentrated on Dodi and the Princess. But, really, the puppet-master was Fayed.

‘What he wanted above everything else was to be related to the Royal Family. Fayed bought the boat before that holiday for Dodi to be able to entertain her in private.

‘He spent millions trying to court her and his son was just a pawn in his game.’

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Princess Diana and Mohamed Al Fayed’s son Dodi are pictured in the French Riviera resort of St Tropez on August 22 1997, nine days before both died in a Paris car crash

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Mohamed Al Fayed (right) with son Dodi at a party for the film Hook in 1992

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Mohamed Al Fayed with the Queen in 1997. His business connections and charity work saw him mixing with high society despite his complaints about what he saw as establishment bias

Mr Burrell also said he witnessed Al Fayed touching women inappropriately, adding: ‘His hands would wander. He would literally put his hands on ladies without asking.

‘With Diana, he couldn’t go too far. She always had the upper hand because he could not afford to lose her. Unfortunately, most of the ladies that worked for him didn’t.

‘She would say how Fayed was always putting his hands on her. People don’t touch members of the Royal Family but I saw him stroke her arm and linger too long, kiss her hand almost like a pet, and put his arm around her waist.‘

Mr Burrell added: ‘I don’t think she would be surprised by these allegations because she knew he was creepy towards women.

‘If Princess Diana was here, she’d have stood with them, united, and said: “Well, it could have happened to me. It didn’t. Thank God. But I’ll be with you all the way.”‘

In the new BBC documentary some women claim they were coerced into undergoing invasive medical exams, in which they were tested for sexually transmitted diseases with the results sent to Al Fayed himself.

The corporation said it heard testimony from 13 women who say they were sexually assaulted at Al Fayed’s 60 Park Lane property in London, four of whom allege they were raped there.

Harrods began settling claims with women who came forward alleging to have been sexually abused at his hands in July last year.

Harrods said in a statement to the BBC: ‘The Harrods of today is a very different organisation to the one owned and controlled by Al Fayed between 1985 and 2010.

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A BBC documentary says the Egyptian-born businessman – who died in London aged 94 in August last year – carried out attacks while Harrods boss between 1984 and its sale in 2010

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The corporation says more than 20 female former workers at Harrods have come forward to accuse Al Fayed (pictured) of sexual abuse

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Current owners of the Harrods department store (pictured) in Knightsbridge, west London, have been settling claims made by women alleging they were assaulted by Al Fayed

‘It is one that seeks to put the welfare of our employees at the heart of everything we do.

‘Since new information came to light in 2023 about historic allegations of sexual abuse by Al Fayed, it has been our priority to settle claims in the quickest way possible. This process is still available for any current or former Harrods employees.

‘While we cannot undo the past, we have been determined to do the right thing as an organisation, driven by the values we hold today, while ensuring that such behaviour can never be repeated in the future.’

The Ritz hotel in Paris, formerly owned by Fayed, told the BBC it ‘strongly condemns all forms of behaviour that do not align with the values of the establishment’.

Buckingham Palace has declined to comment on Mr Burrell’s claims.

King Charles is a keen champion for the environment, wildlife and the outdoors.

And he has long been known to be a fan of picking mushrooms; a hobby he pursued on the day that his mother Queen Elizabeth II passed away.

Now, Queen Camilla‘s son, food writer Tom Parker Bowles, has revealed that his mother also enjoys foraging for mushrooms, and that she and the King are ‘deeply competitive about their hauls’.

Writing in his new book, Cooking and the Crown: Royal Recipes from Queen Victoria to King Charles III, Tom said that wild mushrooms are ‘somewhat of an obsession’ for both the monarch and his mother.

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Charles walking looking for mushrooms near his Birkhall home in Scotland in 2011

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Camilla enjoying the outdoors during a walk around Loch Muick at Balmoral in aid of the National Osteoporosis Society in 2010

He gave the insight into the King and Queen’s passion for food in the introduction to a mushroom and pasta recipe.

Charles turned to his hobby the day his mother passed away on September 8, 2022.

As the Queen’s health dramatically declined that day, he spent an hour at her bedside at Balmoral and then went to nearby Birkhall to gather mushrooms alone.

It was while he was returning to Balmoral by car that he received a phone call telling him that Queen Elizabeth had died.

Charles’s interest in mushrooms seems to go back decades, however.

Armed with a wicker basket and walking stick, Charles embarked on a mushroom foraging trip alone in August 2011.

He walked for miles at Loch Muick, near his Birkhall home, while the rest of his family went grouse shooting.

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Charles, then the Prince of Wales, smelling a mushroom during a visit to Afan Forest in Japan in 2008

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Charles smelling a large mushroom during his visit to the Enmei tea factory in Japan in 2008

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The then Prince of Wales examining a mushroom near Loch Muick in 2011

Tom Parker Bowles, Queen Camilla’s son, is a food writer and critic. His new book, Cooking and the Crown: Royal recipes from Queen Victoria to King Charles III, is out now

The then Prince of Wales foraged Chanterelles and would occasionally stop to stoop down and cut one of the yellow mushrooms.

A group of walkers passed by the royal, but he was so consumed in his activity that he didn’t appear to notice them.

Camilla has also ventured outdoors alone in the search for fungi to forage.

In 2007, while Charles prepared for a service in memory of Princess Diana, Camilla took a trip to Balmoral.

She was spotted picking mushrooms, accompanied by a royal protection officer, and wore a green coat, jumper and trousers.

Charles has explored his hobby during official engagements too.

During his royal tour of the Far East with Camilla in 2008, he visited a Japanese forest.

He explored the Afan woodland with Japanese writer C. W. Nicol and Princess Takamado and was photographed smelling a large mushroom from the area.

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Charles leaning against an ancient oak tree in Windsor Great Park in 2022

He also met Japanese farmers at the Enmei tea factory and made sure to stop and smell a mushroom there too.

In 1992, The Daily Mail wrote how Charles had developed a taste for foraged finds.

Italian chef Antonia Carluccios said at the time: ‘The Prince is very knowledgeable about mushrooms.’

The chef had been foraging in woodland nearby Balmoral and added: ‘I don’t wish to say any more than that I have been assisting the Prince’s chef identify mushrooms for private use.’

They finally separated in 1992 after a tumultuous marriage that saw both engage in adultery.

While Prince Charles was ensconced with the future Queen Camilla (then Mrs Parker Bowles), Diana had several lovers.

One who has never been named was a married politician who was ‘famously’ charming, according to royal expert Tom Quinn.

He revealed in his 2021 book Scandals of the Royal Palaces that the politician, whose identity has never been revealed, was seen late at night in his boxer shorts by a member of Kensington Palace staff.

According to a former member of staff, the lover had ‘wandered off’ without his trousers and then was unable to get back to Diana’s room because a door had closed behind him.

He was left ‘red-faced’ as a staff member said good morning to him, Quinn recounted.

On other occasions, the lover would allegedly be forced to hide behind curtains or in Diana’s en suite bathroom when staff entered her bedroom, because the Princess was ’embarrassed’.

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Princess Diana returning to the Carlyle Hotel in New York after attending several functions, June 1997

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One of Diana’s lovers – a married politician – famously got caught wandering the corridors of Kensington Palace in his underwear

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Charles and Diana in Seoul, South Korea in November 1992

Mr Quinn said he interviewed an unnamed former member of Palace staff, who said of Diana’s politician lover: ‘But he did get caught once – literally with his trousers down.

‘I don’t know how it happened but the staff laughed about it for weeks afterwards.

‘Somehow, he’s got up in the night in his shorts and wandered off until he found a door had closed behind him and he couldn’t open it to get back.

‘Diana quickly realised what had happened, and went to look for him, but he’d been spotted already by a member of staff who just said good morning to him and walked past while he froze, red-faced and trying to pretend nothing was amiss.’

One of Diana’s staff members, Kitty Power, used to help the Princess to stealthily bring her lovers into the palace.

She would use techniques including saying they were there to discuss work-related issues, Mr Quinn wrote.

Some of Diana’s lovers became high-profile. One was Captain James Hewitt, who the princess had a five-year affair with after the pair first met in 1986.

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Princess Diana presenting the Captain and Subalterns Cup to Captain James Hewitt after he led his Army polo team to glory at Tidworth, Wiltshire, in 1989

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A perhaps unlikely suitor was art dealer Oliver Hoare – a friend of Charles. He was married to French woman, Diane de Waldner de Freundstein

Diana confirmed the affair with Hewitt during her now-infamous Panorama interview in 1995 with journalist Martin Bashir.

A photo taken during their secret relationship shows Diana presenting the Captain and Subalterns Cup to Hewitt after he led his Army polo team to glory at Tidworth, Wiltshire, in 1989.

The relationship ended when he went to serve in the Gulf war.

She said at the time: ‘Yes, I adored him. Yes I was in love with him. But I was very let down.’

Another lover was art dealer Oliver Hoare – a friend of Charles. He was married to French woman, Diane de Waldner de Freundstein.

Oliver and Diana met at a Windsor Castle house party during Royal Ascot in 1985, Richard Kay previously reported. 

The princess was said to be infatuated with the father-of-three and was accused of bombarding his family home with more than 300 telephone calls.

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Former lover of Diana, Hasnat Khan, a heart surgeon picturd in 1997

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Princess Diana and film producer Dodi Fayed, the son of now-disgraced Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed, in St Tropez in August 1997. The couple were killed less than a week later

Neither Mr Hoare nor Diana ever publicly acknowledged the relationship and the art dealer passed away in 2019 aged 73.

Another former lover was heart surgeon Hasnat Khan. The couple met at the Royal Brompton Hospital when Diana was visiting a friend who was recovering from a heart operation.

They then pursued a discreet, two-year affair which ended in the early summer of 1997.

Speaking in 2008, Mr Khan broke an 11-year silence about the Princess to say: ‘I found her a very normal person with great qualities.’

Diana’s final relationship was with film producer Dodi Fayed – the eldest son of now-disgraced Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed.

The pair dated for around two months before they were killed in a car accident in Paris in 1997.

When the Duchess of Sussex claimed that she spends her time Googling small and up-and-coming designers to put them in the global spotlight and boost sales, she raised eyebrows amongst royal watchers.

While she undoubtedly can be credited with putting the British brand Strathberry on the map, she often chose to wear high-end – and expensive – designer labels such as Givenchy, Dior and Oscar de la Renta on official engagements.

And, certainly, she is not the only member of the Royal Family to propel British brands to success: many labels attribute their sales boosts to the royal seal of approval.

REISS 

Turnover: £325 million

Royal fans: The Prince and Princess of Wales

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Newly-wed Kate Middleton wore the £175 Shola dress from Reiss for a meeting with Barack and Michelle Obama at Buckingham Palace after returning from her honeymoon in 2011

Since David Reiss set up his eponymous menswear company in 1971, moving into womenswear at the turn of the century, he has gone from strength to strength.

But it was when Kate began wearing the fashion label that sales soared.

She chose their £159 Nanette dress for her engagement photograph, taken by Mario Testino on November 25, 2010, and the dress sold out immediately.

Then, she wore their £175 Shola dress for a meeting with Barack and Michelle Obama, at Buckingham Palace, on May 24, 2011, and the company was made.

‘I have been in the business for 40 years, and I’ve never seen anything like this reaction, and not just in the UK, but overseas,’ Mr Reiss said.

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Prince William wore Reiss’s £285 Parade Green velvet blazer for the Earthshot Prize awards ceremony in 2021

Prince William and Kate arrive at Earthshot Prize ceremony

‘You can’t put a monetary value on this kind of brand awareness and excitement.

‘As a brand we’ve always been understated – maybe even too discreet about who we are.

‘This has given us an incredible platform without straying from who we are as a brand.’

Kate has even recommended the label to her husband, who owns their £285 Parade green velvet blazer.

He wore it for the Earthshot Prize in London on October 17, 2021, and in Singapore, on November 7, 2023.

But Reiss, who is married with three children, has not let success turn his head: his only extravagance – apart from his Hampstead home – is a Bentley.

ME+EM 

Turnover: £120million

Royal fans: The Princess of Wales; the Duchess of Edinburgh; Princess Beatrice; Zara Tindall.

Since it was founded by Clare Hornby in 2009, Me+Em has become the go-to label for royals, celebrities and politicians.

In fact, the label is one of the royals’ favourite brands. Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, wore their £250 Pearl Zip Knitted Pleat Dress for International Nurses Day on May 12, 2021.

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At the Chelsea Flower Show last year, the Princess of Wales took part in the first children’s picnic wearing this stunning colour block pink dress from Me+Em

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Zara Tindall wore Me+Em’s £295 Shadow Berry Print Maxi dress at Wimbledon on June 11 this year

Kate wore their £450 colour block silk shirt dress in bubble gum pink at Holyrood House nine days later, when she met leukaemia sufferer Mila Sneddon – they had both agreed to wear pink as it was Mila’s favourite colour.

The Princess more recently wore the same dress at the Chelsea Flower Show when she visited in 2023.

Meanwhile Beatrice wore the label for her third wedding anniversary on July 17, 2023, and Zara Tindall wore their £295 Shadow Berry Print Maxi dress at Wimbledon on June 11 this year.

SELF-PORTRAIT 

Turnover: £51.6million

Royal fans: The Princess of Wales; Princess Beatrice; The Duchess of Sussex.

Malaysian designer Han Chong has become a favourite of the Royal Family, but it was Kate who discovered him first.

She wore his £320 white lace dress to the premiere of A Street Cat Named Bob on November 3, 2016.

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Kate’s first outing in a Self-Portrait dress was at the premiere of ‘A Street Cat Named Bob’ in aid of Action On Addiction in November 2016

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The Princess wore Self-Portrait for the ladies singles final at Wimbledon last year

Kate Middleton perfectly in sync with crowd in Wimbledon

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Princess Beatrice looked stunning in his Self-Portrait creation when she attended the V&A summer party in 2017

That year, Selfridges sold a Self-Portrait garment every six minutes and the brand has continued to grow.

Chong found out the Princess had worn his dress when someone tagged a blurry photograph on Instagram.

He said: ‘I couldn’t sleep that night. I was too excited. I could always see her wearing Self-Portrait, but I never thought it was going to happen.’

The following year, other royals copied Kate. Princess Beatrice has worn Chong’s designs more than a dozen times, including when she opted for the £300 navy blue lace dress for a visit to the V&A on June 21, 2017.

Meghan nearly broke the internet on April, 21, 2018, when she wore a £300 green floral midi dress to that year’s Invictus Games reception.

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Meghan nearly broke the internet on April, 21, 2018, when she wore Self-Portrait’s £300 green floral midi dress to that year’s Invictus Games reception

CROCKETT & JONES 

Turnover: £36million

Royal fans: King Charles

British shoe brand Crockett & Jones has been a firm favourite of the King for the past 11 years, since he visited their factory in Northampton and was given a guided tour.

He owns both their Connaught lace-ups and Cavendish tassel loafers and has granted the company, which was established in 1879 during the Victorian age, a Royal Warrant.

‘King Charles has exceptional style, excellent taste and an eye for quality,’ director James Fox said afterwards.

‘His support of Made in England brands never goes unnoticed, and we couldn’t be prouder.’

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The King being shown around footwear manufacturers Crockett & Jones, to whom he has granted a Royal Warrant, 2013

ANYA HINDMARCH

Turnover: £20.5 million

Royal fans: Princess Diana: The Princess of Wales; Princess Eugenie

Princess Diana was the first member of the Royal Family to discover quirky bag designer Anya Hindmarch, who set up her eponymous company in 1987 at the age of 19.

She employed Anya, who was created a Dame in the King’s 2024 birthday honours list, to make satin clutch bags she could hold to her chest when she was stepping out of cars.

Anya embroidered the letter D inside the bags. Two decades later, her daughter-in-law Kate discovered the label, which became renowned for its limited-edition tote inscribed ‘I’m Not a Plastic Bag’.

She owns a £350 fan clutch bag, which she has carried three times, on her 2011 Canadian tour, at Wimbledon in 2014, and on her 2022 tour of the Caribbean.

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Diana, Princess of Wales, often referred to her purse by Anya Hindmarch as her ‘cleavage bag’

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Kate also carried this £350 fan clutch bag from Anya Hindmarch in the Caribbean in 2022

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Princess Eugenie holding a £1,300 silver crisp packet clutch at the wedding of Pippa Middleton and James Matthews in 2017

However, it is Princess Eugenie, who owns one of the label’s most iconic designs: a £1,300 silver crisp packet clutch she took to the wedding of Pippa Middleton and James Matthews in 2017.

Meghan is a more recent convert to the brand: she was recently spotted holding a £195 leather matchbook keyring inscribed with the phrase ‘Take What You Need’ when visiting the bookshop Godmothers, in Summerland, California.

The store is owned by her friends, literary agent Jennifer Rudolph Walsh and cosmetics mogul Victoria Jackson.

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Meghan was seen with this £195 leather matchbook keyring from Anya Hindmarch when she visited the Godmothers bookshop in Summerland, California

STRATHBERRY 

Turnover: £17million

Royal fans: The Duchess of Sussex; The Princess of Wales

Strathberry’s £17million turnover can certainly be credited to Meghan, who carried their £495 Tricolour Midi Tote on her debut walkabout with Prince Harry in Nottingham December 2017.

The bag sold out within 24 hours and phones rang off the hook, changing the lives of husband-and-wife team Guy and Leeanne Hundleby overnight and catapulting the fledgling firm into the big league.

But the Kate effect was equally potent.

When she carried out a visit to the closing ceremony of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 2021, the £295 Multrees Chain Wallet she was carrying sold out within hours.

‘Any carry from royals would generate an interest in the brand and a surge in traffic to the site and potential boost to sales,’ Mrs Hundleby said diplomatically.

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Strathberry’s £17million turnover can certainly be credited to Meghan, who carried their £495 Tricolour Midi Tote on her debut walkabout with Prince Harry in Nottingham December 2017

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When Kate carried out a visit to the closing ceremony of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, the £295 Multrees Chain Wallet she was carrying sold out within hours

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The Princess of Wales carried the Mosaic Nano in Vanilla in December at Westminster Abbey, for the Together at Christmas carol service

Kate Middleton meets carol singers ahead of ‘Together at Christmas’

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SOLE BLISS 

Turnover: £10,000,000

Royal fans: Queen Camilla

Camilla, 77, has made no secret of the stress of royal walkabouts.

She once revealed that she used to be ‘screaming in agony at the end of the day’ and desperate to kick her heels off ‘at every opportunity’.

That is until she discovered bunion-busters Sole Bliss.

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Camilla has more than a dozen pairs of ‘miracle’ shoes from bunion-busting firm Sole Bliss. Above: Camilla wearing a pair of the shoes at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in 2021

She has more than a dozen pairs of her ‘miracle shoes’, which she buys online.

Her collection includes the £159 Carmen court shoes and the £159 Ingrid court shoes, which she buys in classic colours.

Camilla first wore a pair of Sole Bliss shoes – the Ingrid Camel leather block heels – at the Royal Cornwall Show in June 2018 and has since bought more than a dozen pairs, creating a ripple Camilla Effect.

‘I was relaxing after a day’s work at my factory in Italy when I first saw a photo online of the Duchess wearing my shoes,’ said founder Lisa Kay, who lives in north London with husband Roger.

‘I was so excited I jumped up and knocked over my Aperol Spritz!

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At the Sandringham Flower Show in 2018, Camilla wore a pair of  her favourite Sole Bliss shoes

‘We immediately received emails from our customers asking if the Duchess was indeed wearing the same shoes as them!

‘I’m delighted and honoured that Her Royal Highness continues to wear Sole Bliss shoes.’

The Queen has even recommended the label to her friends, including TV chef Mary Berry.

She said: ‘I’ve started wearing new high heels recommended to me by the [then] Duchess of Cornwall.

‘I used to buy all my shoes from Russell & Bromley but now I wear these.’

JENNY PACKHAM 

Turnover: £7.6million

Royal fans: The Princess of Wales

The sister of naturalist and TV presenter Chris Packham, Jenny Packham was already an established designer when she was discovered by the Princess of Wales.

She trained at Southampton College of Art and London’s St Martin’s School of Art, before presenting her first collection at the 1988 London Designer Show.

But there is no doubt that Kate has boosted her profile.

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Kate’s first official engagement after her wedding was wearing a Jenny Packham frock at the 10th Annual ARK Gala Dinner in 2011

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The Princess turned up to the premiere of James Bond film No Time To Die at the Royal Albert Hall in 2021 in this spectacular Jenny Packham gold caped dress

Two years after Kate wore her £3,835 rose pink and organza sequinned dress for her first official evening engagement on June 9, 2011, the V&A Museum held a retrospective of her work to celebrate 25 years of her label.

Since then, she has become the Princess’s go-to eveningwear designer and Kate has at least eight of her dresses in her wardrobe.

Who can forget the £4,097 gold embellished evening gown she wore to the James Bond premiere of No Time to Die on September 28, 2021?

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During hers and William’s Caribbean tour in 2022, Kate wore this green Jenny Packham dress for a dinner at King’s House in Jamaica

They say a picture is worth a thousand words – and through her glittering jewellery selection, the Princess of Wales sends hidden but heartfelt messages.

Whether it’s a tribute to her family, a gesture of good fortune, or a symbol of emotional strength, every piece Kate wears is steeped in sentiment.

From the earrings she chose to meet a young cancer patient recently to her beloved necklaces featuring her children’s initials, Kate has turned her accessories into powerful symbols of love and hope.

The Garrard sapphire engagement ring previously worn by Princess Diana is among her most treasured pieces. So too are the simple gold chains decorated with the initials of her three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

Kate’s love for meaningful jewellery also extends to the gemstones she chooses to wear. Whether it is the calming and serene aquamarine which is traditionally thought to bring a sense of peace to its wearer, or the four-leaf clover symbolising good luck, hope and faith on her Van Cleef & Arpels Alhambra necklace, the pieces are often worn during pivotal moments in her royal life.

Earrings with a celestial power

The Princess of Wales wore a pair of her favourite gold drop earrings as she made a surprise appearance to meet a young cancer sufferer, photographer Liz Hatton, at Windsor Castle.

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The gold Cassandra Goad ‘Temple of Heaven’ drop earrings worn by The Princess of Wales when she met young photographer Liz Hatton at Windsor Castle last week

The glittering gold Cassandra Goad ‘Temple of Heaven’ drop earrings are among the oldest in her collection and were first seen in 2010. The earrings have a highly poignant meaning as they are inspired in design by the Emperor of China who was regarded as the son of Heaven, responsible for the celestial power of success or failure for his government.

Emotive Earrings

Kate paid tribute to a teenage girl by wearing the Issy Star earrings, which were created as a tribute to Issy Phipps who took her own life in April 2023 and ‘is now a beautiful star’.

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Just weeks after Issy Phipps’ suicide, her mum Sarah Renton shared a hug with Kate and gifted the Princess some earrings in her daughter’s memory

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Kate honoured the pledge to wear them when she was in Birmingham later that year to mark World Mental Health Day

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The Issy Star earrings were created as a tribute to Issy, who ‘is now a beautiful star’, and some of the money raised from their sales goes towards mental health charity Brave Mind

Since ancient times, stars have represented the idea of for ever, freedom and hope, making them the perfect symbol for the young life that was lost but the hope that was borne out of that tragedy.

Just weeks after her death, the Princess visited Issy’s old rugby club in Maidenhead for a charity appeal and Issy’s mother, Sarah Renton, gifted her the star hoop earrings in memory of her late daughter.

Kate insisted she would wear the jewellery at a later date in Issy’s memory, and she honoured that pledge at a public engagement in Birmingham to mark World Mental Health Day in October 2023

Calming gemstones

Complementing her pastel mint green monochromatic ensemble at the 2022 Buckingham Palace Garen Party, Kate wore aquamarine earrings from Carousel Jewels.

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The Princess of Wales wore these aquamarine earrings, associated with protecting sailors and guaranteeing a safe voyage, at Buckingham Palace in 2022

Spiritually, aquamarine is associated with protecting sailors and guaranteeing a safe voyage. The serene blue-green colour of aquamarine is also said to cool the temper, allowing the wearer to remain calm and level-headed.

Princess Kate wore the earrings to mark a sign of change as she took on more engagements on behalf of the Queen while making the transition into a more senior position.

Family heirloom

All engagement rings are special, but when the Prince of Wales famously proposed to Kate with his late mother’s diamond and sapphire engagement ring, it was already steeped in history.

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The engagement ring worn by Kate was picked out by Princess Diana

The iconic engagement ring is a 12ct oval Ceylon sapphire surrounded by 14 round diamonds set in white gold and was picked out from Garrard by Diana ahead of her marriage to the then Prince Charles in 1981. It also reminded Charles of his mother’s sapphire and diamond brooch, which had originally been a gift to Queen Victoria from Prince Albert.

Prince Charles also thought the ring matched Diana’s blue eyes.

Keeping her children close

Kate paid a sweet tribute to her children during a trip to Scotland in 2021 with a personalised charm necklace bearing their initials.

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The Princess’s children’s initials were on a necklace designed by Daniella Draper when she made a trip to Scotland with Prince William in 2021

The delicate chain by British jewellery designer Daniella Draper features the letters G, C and L, representing her three children George, Charlotte and Louis who did not join their parents on the tour.

The necklace is one of several Kate has in her collection which pay homage to her children, helping her keep them close to her heart, and she has also been spotted in another of Daniella Draper’s designs which is engraved with their initials and a trio of stars.

Timeless pearls

Kate has regularly paid homage to the late Queen through her accessories, so it’s no surprise that on the one-year anniversary of Her Majesty’s passing, the royal once again turned to a sentimental piece of heirloom jewellery.

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For the one-year anniversary of the late Queen’s death Kate attended a private memorial service wearing the Queen’s Silver Jubilee diamond and pearl earrings

For the private memorial service at St David’s Cathedral in September 2023, she opted for the late Queen’s Silver Jubilee diamond and pearl earrings, which the Princess had also worn several times in the week following the monarch’s death, including while greeting well-wishers in Sandringham.

Lucky Symbols

To attend the BAFTAs in February 2020 Kate wore a suite of Van Cleef & Arpels jewellery.

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The Princess wore the Van Cleef & Arpels necklace and earrings to the Baftas in 2020. The four-leaf clover motif is a symbol of luck

In selecting mother of pearl and yellow gold earrings and a matching necklace from the Alhambra collection, Kate was following something of a time-honoured royal tradition, as Princess Grace of Monaco had been a fan. The four-leaf clover motif is a symbol of luck.

Queen Camilla’s gift

Back in 2011, Queen Camilla gifted her daughter-in-law Kate a personalised gold bracelet which Kate was seen wearing at Wimbledon that year.

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Catherine’s charm bracelet (seen here while she was watching Wimbledon with William in 2011) was a wedding gift from Camilla – on one side is the letter C for Catherine with a coronet and the other is a C for Camilla with a crown

The bracelet was both a wedding gift and a welcome gift into the Royal Family. The chain-link bracelet featured one single charm with engravings on either side: on one side is the letter C for Catherine with a coronet and on the other is a C for Camilla with a crown.

Personalised Family Tribute

When visiting families and organisations in Battersea Park to discuss parent wellbeing in 2020, Kate wore a gifted necklace from All the Falling Stars.

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Princess Kate received this gifted necklace from All the Falling Stars when she visited Ireland, It consists of three gold discs each engraved with the initials of each of her children

Princess Kate had received the gift when she was visiting Galway in Ireland earlier in the year, and following her appearance the independent brand received more than 500 orders from around the world.

The necklace consists of three gold discs, each engraved with the first initial of her three children.

The current Princess of Wales has been known to channel her late mother-in-law through her wardrobe, but still mostly adheres to a style guideline that Diana often sidestepped

Kate Middleton and Princess Diana. Photo: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty; Martin Keene – PA Images/PA Images via Getty

Kate Middleton often channels her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana, when it comes to fashion — but there’s one style rule Diana broke frequently that Kate still for the most part strictly follows.

Fashion designer Dame Zandra Rhodes said, per Hello!, that Diana loved little black dresses, but that the former Princess of Wales wasn’t supposed to wear black unless she was in mourning or at a funeral.

“She was very shy,” Rhodes said of Diana. “She would come into my shop in Mayfair and go through the rails. Sometimes she picked something in black, which the royals weren’t allowed to wear except at funerals, so we would make it in her size in a different color.”

While Diana was ever one to go her own way, when it comes to dressing as a member of the royal family, her daughter-in-law Kate “appears to keep to the rules more than her husband’s mother,” the Daily Mirror writes, adding that, when it comes to the color black, the current Princess of Wales mostly only wears the hue “when it mourning and at funerals.” Hello! adds that Princess Kate “has a wardrobe full of rainbow-hued clothing and chic neutrals” and, when it comes to not wearing black except at funerals, she almost “always adheres to the unspoken rule.”

Kate Middleton during a visit to Army Training Centre Pirbright on September 16, 2022.Samir Hussein/WireImage

Kate wore black to the funerals of Prince Philip in April 2021 and Queen Elizabeth in September 2022, and wore the color throughout the mourning period for the latter as it lasted throughout the month. The Princess of Wales also wears the color for annual Remembrance Day events, and though she has worn black outside of somber occasions, it’s rare. Instead, Princess Kate often leans toward the late Queen Elizabeth’s fashion rule of wearing bright colors to stand out in a crowd.

Though Kate hasn’t largely adopted her mother-in-law’s penchant for wearing black, “I think we have seen lots of examples where the reference is very intentional, and I think that Kate uses fashion to pay tribute to Diana in a very positive way,” Bethan Holt, Fashion Director at the Daily Telegraph and the author of The Duchess of Cambridge: A Decade of Modern Royal Style, previously told PEOPLE.

Holt added that “What’s really key about these times when Kate references Diana, it’s not like a costume. She brings it right up to date so she makes it look relevant for now. She’s not doing an ‘80s power shoulder or a puff ball skirt, she’s making it look sleeker and more contemporary. She makes it her own without looking like she’s playing ‘dress up as Diana.’”

Kate Middleton and Princess Diana. Chris Jackson/Getty; Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty
Kate Middleton and Princess Diana: The Two Princess of Wales’ Best Style Twinning Moments

Though Rhodes said royals “weren’t allowed” to wear black unless in mourning, Diana disregarded that rule as early as 1981, back when she was still Lady Diana Spencer and not long after she became engaged to then Prince Charles. Diana wore a black gown by David and Elizabeth Emanuel (who went on to design her wedding gown in July of that same year) to a fundraising concert on March 9, 1981, which marked Charles and Diana’s first public engagement together.

Prince Charles and his fiancee Lady Diana Spencer attend their first public engagement together on March 9, 1981.Getty Images

Upon seeing the off-the-shoulder taffeta look she wore that evening, the former Prince of Wales told his future wife, “Only people in mourning wear black!” She wore the dress anyway and would wear the color many more times throughout her royal life, eschewing protocol — perhaps most memorably in 1994 when she wore what became known as her “revenge dress” at London’s Serpentine Gallery in June of that year.

As PEOPLE reported, the fitted, black, off-the-shoulder Christina Stambolian dress with an asymmetrical hemline and chiffon train was unusual for a member of the typically buttoned-up royal family to wear, and the revealing look was worn on a very poignant evening: the same night Charles confessed on national television that he had been unfaithful to her in their marriage. “It is a deeply regrettable thing to happen, but it does happen, and, unfortunately, in this case, it has happened,” the future king said.

Princess Diana in the “Revenge dress” in 1994. Princess Diana Archives/Getty Images
The Real Story of Princess Diana’s ‘Revenge Dress’

“On a human level, for Diana, you can only imagine how upsetting that would have been, not only to hear that, but to know that now the world has heard it,” PEOPLE’s Executive Editorial Director Michelle Tauber previously said. “Effectively, Charles has aired some serious dirty laundry. Some may have decided this was altogether too much and tried to avoid the cameras, stay out of the limelight — just let the storm pass. That is not what Diana chose to do that night.”

Can’t get enough of PEOPLE’s Royals coverage? Sign up for our free Royals newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!

Kate Middleton waves to fans at Wimbledon on July 14, 2024.Shi Tang/Getty

Kate Middleton Chose to Wear the ‘Color of Courage’ at Wimbledon: ‘A Nod to What She Is Going Through’

Like with Diana, ample thought goes into Kate’s wardrobe, and at her most recent public appearance at Wimbledon last month, she opted for a purple Safiyaa dress, which Holt previously told PEOPLE was “the color of courage”: “I think she looked glowing and radiant, and it was lovely to see her looking so relaxed,” she said. “I’m sure lots of people will have seen how happy she looked and taken reassurance from that. She really is a kind of beacon of hope for many, but that also comes with a lot of pressure.”

Charles Spencer, Princess Diana’s younger brother, delivered her eulogy in 1997

Charles Spencer attends the UK premiere of “Dancing At The Vatican” on February 5, 2020 in London, England. ; Princess Diana in Argentina. . Photo: Tim Graham Photo Library/Getty

Charles Spencer may have been Princess Diana’s younger brother — but the 9th Earl Spencer has always felt “intensely protective” of his late sister.

Though Charles grew up with three older siblings — Lady Sarah McCorquodale, Lady Jane Fellowes and the future people’s princess — he was closest with Diana, who was three years his senior. Sarah and Jane, who were nine and seven years older than Charles, were away at boarding school for most of his childhood. That left Diana and Charles in the care of their father, John Spencer, who received custody of the children following his 1969 divorce from their mother, Frances Shand Kydd.

“Diana and I had two older sisters who were away at school, so she and I were very much in it together and I did talk to her about it,” Charles told The Sunday Times about their parents’ split. “Our father was a quiet and constant source of love, but our mother wasn’t cut out for maternity. Not her fault, she couldn’t do it.”

As a result, the bond between Diana and Charles was strong throughout their childhood — and remained that way as they became adults, despite tabloid rumors to the contrary. When Princess Diana was killed in a car crash on Aug. 31, 1997, it was Charles who stood at the pulpit of Westminster Abbey and delivered her eulogy.

Following her death, Charles revealed to PEOPLE that he was haunted by thoughts that there was something more he could have done to save his older sister.

“You always think, God, I wish I could’ve protected her. It was just … it was devastating,” he told PEOPLE in 2017. “I always felt … intensely protective towards her.”

In the decades since Diana’s tragic death, Charles has continued to protect his older sister’s memory — becoming an outspoken defender of her legacy and champion of her causes.

From his traumatic upbringing to his tireless devotion to Diana, here is everything to know about Princess Diana’s younger brother, Charles Spencer.

He is Princess Diana’s younger sibling

Lady Diana Spencer and her brother Charles Spencer in 1968.PA Images/Getty

Born on May 20, 1964, in London, Charles Edward Maurice Spencer is the youngest of five children born to John Spencer and Frances Shand Kydd. He grew up with his three older sisters: Sarah, the eldest, born in 1955, followed by Jane in 1957 and Diana in 1961. Charles also had an older brother named John, who was born in 1960 but died just hours later — making Charles the only son and the heir to the earldom.

Though Charles never met his late brother, he honored his memory in May 2022 by having his tombstone restored. Charles shared before and after photos of the restoration on Instagram, along with a touching tribute to his older brother.

“Looking as it should, now,” Charles wrote alongside two photos of the grave. “I never knew my older brother, John, and live 100 miles from his grave — but, seeing it last summer, realised serious action was required. Thank you, BB, for making it look as it should.”

His parents divorced when he was a toddler

charles spencer/instagram

Charles’ parents, John and Frances, divorced in 1969 when Charles was just 3 years old. John was awarded full custody of his four children — but while Sarah and Jane attended boarding school, Diana and Charles lived at Althorp (the 500-year-old Spencer family estate) in Northamptonshire, England with their father.

The split was particularly “tough on Diana,” Charles previously told PEOPLE.

“While she [Frances] was packing her stuff to leave, she promised Diana [then aged 5] she’d come back to see her. Diana used to wait on the doorstep for her, but she never came,” he told The Sunday Times.

Charles also had his own issues as a result of his parents’ divorce, telling The Sunday Times that he’d been “in and out of therapy for 20 years” and had done “a lot of very profound work on my unhappy childhood.”

But “coming out the other side has been good,” he shared.

He has said there are “many myths” about his childhood with Diana

Diana Spencer and Charles Spencer.Hulton Archive/Getty

In 2017, Charles shared with PEOPLE that there are “many myths” about his upbringing — especially regarding his late sister, Diana.

“First of all, none of us ever called her ‘Di’ at home. In fact, there are so many myths from our childhood that are just so ridiculous. That’s one of them,” Charles told PEOPLE.

He continued, “I just think she was never shy, but she was canny about people and she was reserved to start with. And she would take a judgment of somebody before reacting to them. So, that’s not shy … that’s actually quite clever.”

Charles also described Princess Diana as “incredibly brave,” sharing an example from their childhood when he and his sisters were catching lobsters while visiting their mother in Scotland.

“We pulled up [a pot] and there was a really massive conger eel,” he said. “It was black and it had teeth was very long and it was flapping around the boat. And Diana just got a pen knife out and just dealt with it. It was hand-to-hand and she just got stuck in. This thing was really a creature from the deep. And she just dealt with it.”

He revealed he was sexually abused as a child while in boarding school

Charles Spencer.Charles Spencer Instagram

In March 2024, Charles revealed that he was sexually abused as a child while a student at Maidwell Hall, one of Britain’s most prestigious boarding schools. He provided more details on the physical, verbal and sexual abuse he experienced at the school in his memoir A Very Private School. He described how, at the age of 11, he was groomed and sexually abused by a 19 or 20-year-old assistant matron at the boarding school.

“[She] seemed to have an unofficial hierarchy among her prey: We learned, from our secret conversations, that she chose one of us each term to share her bed and would use him for intercourse … She added me to the second rank of her victims: those she intimately touched,” Charles wrote.

He added, “The effect of what she did to me was profound and immediate, awakening in me basic desires that had no place in one so young.”

And although Charles was incredibly close with his sister Diana growing up, neither she nor his other sisters knew of the abuse that he endured. When he did finally tell his sisters, Lady Jane and Lady Sarah, it wasn’t until the end of 2022 — and they were both “stunned and appalled,” Charles told PEOPLE.

He is a father of seven — and a grandfather

Earl Spencer with his children Amelia, Eliza, Kitty and Louis at the official opening of the Princess of Wales Memorial Playground and Walk in Kensington Gardens.Ken Goff/Getty

Charles, who has been married and divorced three times, is the father of seven children.

He and his first wife, Victoria Lockwood, share four children: daughters Lady Kitty Eleanor Spencer, Lady Eliza Victoria Spencer and Lady Katya Amelia Spencer and son Louis Spencer, Viscount Althorp.

His second marriage to Caroline Freud resulted in two more children: a son, the Honourable Edmund Spencer, and a daughter, Lady Lara Spencer. But after six years of marriage, Charles and Freud separated in 2007 and eventually divorced.

Charles married for the third time in 2011 to Canadian philanthropist Karen Spencer (née Gordon). His six children were all present at the nuptials, which were held at Althorp Estate. The couple went on to welcome one child together, a daughter named Lady Charlotte Diana Spencer — after Charles’ late sister Princess Diana.

In June 2024, after 13 years of marriage, Charles and Karen announced their decision to divorce.

“It is immensely sad. I wish Karen every happiness in the future,” he told the Mail on Sunday, who also reported that the dad of seven is reportedly “becoming close to” Norwegian archaeologist Dr. Cat Jarman following the split.

Charles’ eldest daughter, Kitty, married Michael Lewis in Italy in 2021. In March 2024, Kitty revealed that she and her husband had welcomed a daughter, making Charles a first-time grandparent. One of his other daughters, Amelia, is also married: She wed Greg Mallett, her boyfriend of 11 years, in March 2023.

He delivered Princess Diana’s eulogy

The funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales at Westminster Abbey in London on September 6, 1997.Colin Davey/Getty

At Princess Diana’s funeral on Sept. 6, 1997, Charles stood in front of the thousands of gathered mourners (and the millions watching on television worldwide) to deliver her heart-wrenching eulogy.

Serving as “the representative of a family in grief, in a country in mourning, before a world in shock,” Charles paid tribute to his late sister as the “very essence of compassion, of duty, of style, of beauty.” But he also took the opportunity to condemn the treatment Diana had received from the tabloid media, describing her as “the most hunted person of the modern age.”

Charles previously told PEOPLE that the now iconic line “summed up so much of the anger I felt toward those who had done that to her.” In addition to the anger he felt, Charles also described the experience as physically and emotionally draining.

“In the final paragraph I had run out of energy, almost out of oxygen,” he shared with PEOPLE. “I had to punch each syllable out of the base of my stomach.”

He has written nine books

Lord Charles Spencer poses with a copy of his book “Killers of the King : The Men Who Dared to Execute Charles I” at the British American Business Council Los Angeles Distinguished Speaker Series special book signing event on March 3, 2015 in Santa Monica, California.Amanda Edwards/WireImage

Charles is a renowned historian and best-selling author who has written nine books over the course of his career. In addition to his 2024 memoir, A Very Private School, Charles is the author of eight other non-fiction books — focusing much of his work on British history. Three of his books were Sunday Times bestsellers: Killers of the King, The White Ship and Blenheim: Battle for Europe (which was also shortlisted for History Book of the Year at the 2005 National Book Awards).

“It is a compulsion,” Charles said in a 2017 interview about his writing. “It’s hard work, it’s solitary, and it’s sometimes exasperating. But, at the end of the day, holding a new book that you’ve written remains one of life’s more thrilling experiences.”

In addition to his writing, Charles, who studied at Oxford, has also worked as a journalist and broadcaster.

He lives at his family’s 500-year-old estate Althorp

Lord Charles Spencer looks on during the Northamptonshire CCC photocall held at Althorp House on March 30, 2011.David Rogers/Getty

When Charles’ father John died in 1992, Charles became the 9th Earl Spencer and inherited Althorp, his family’s 500-year-old estate in Northamptonshire, England. It was built in 1508 and has housed 19 generations of the Spencer family — including Charles and his sister Diana.

Althorp is also the final resting place of Princess Diana, who is buried at Oval Lake Grave — a small, secluded island found on the property’s 550 acres. Charles selected that location, as opposed to the family vault at St. Mary the Virgin church in Great Brington, due to concerns over public safety and privacy. He also oversaw a multimillion-dollar renovation of the burial site in 2016.

“We all agreed that, with its beauty and tranquility, this was the place for Diana to be,” he wrote in his 1998 book, Althorp: The Story of an English House.

He helps keep Diana’s memory and legacy alive

Charles Spencer at the BBC America BAFTA Los Angeles TV Tea Party 2017 on September 16, 2017 in Beverly Hills, California. ; Diana, Princess of Wales during a state visit to Edmonton, Alberta.Amanda Edwards/WireImage ; Bettmann

Charles’ powerful bond with his sister Diana remains strong, even decades after her 1997 death. Though his older sisters rarely speak about Diana publicly, he regularly shares photographs from their childhood and memories of his late sister on his social media, commemorating events like her birthday, All Souls’ Day and the anniversary of her death.

Outside of social media, Charles speaks often about Diana and how her memory lives on today — especially in her two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, with whom he remains close.

“I love seeing the sort of uncomplicated way that they deal with people, and put them at their ease,” he told PEOPLE in 2017. “It’s so easy to connect the dots between them and their mother.

He continued, “I love the fact that there’s still such veneration inside her immediate family for what she was, and what she meant. I think that’s fantastic.”

The Earl Spencer also visits his sister’s grave frequently throughout the year. “Every landmark day, such as birthday, Mother’s Day, I always take flowers,” he told Good Morning Britain in 2021. “I do go a lot, and it’s an oasis of calm, and it’s a lovely place to go.”

The injury occurred in the 64th minute, causing Messi to limp off the field and then could not control his disappointment with tears.

However, his Argentina team still successfully defended the South American throne thanks to Lautaro Martinez’s brilliant goal in the 116th minute.

After the success with the national team, Messi did not return to celebrate the championship title but stayed in the US to treat the injury.

“After a medical assessment, we have determined that Leo Messi has suffered a ligament injury in his right ankle,” Inter Miami’s medical team confirmed.

“The captain’s ability to play will be determined through periodic assessments and his recovery progress.”

Coach Gerardo Martino said: “He has a sprained ankle and the injury is still there so we need to evaluate it.

We will wait for the results. There will be scans to determine the severity of the situation.

We have invited kinesiologist Walter Insaurralde, who is also the kinesiologist of the national team (USA). He is very cautious in making the final diagnosis of Messi’s injury.”

Inter Miami is currently ranked 2nd in the Eastern Conference. They just lost 1-6 to Cicinnati, in a match in which Messi did not play because he was busy playing in the Copa America. This defeat shows how much Miami needs the Argentine superstar.

According to the diagnosis, Messi will have to miss 4 matches, including the MLS All-Star match on July 24 as well as the League Cup match against Puebla Mexico (July 27). In addition, there are 2 matches against Toronto (July 18) and Chicago Fire (July 21).

Messi has scored 12 goals and contributed 13 assists in 12 MLS games this season. He set a record as the fastest player to reach 25 goals in MLS history.