Members of the royal family often have to dress, walk, and talk a certain way. They also spend a lot of their time traveling — be it for work or charity purposes. Princess Diana was no stranger to all these aspects of her duties. But, this did not mean that she would not take the time to unwind, relax, and spend some quality time with her boys.

One such vacation was her trip to the British Virgin Isles in 1990. The Princess of Wales made the summer trip with her two sons Prince Charles and Harry to the private tropical island of Necker. The Royal family often vacationed here. The Island is owned by British business tycoon Sir Richard Branson. It offers privacy, top-notch security, and even your own butler and private chef. Princess Diana would go on to visit this secluded and expensive location many times during her lifetime. She also visited the place with her mother, sisters, and their children.

In 1991, the Duchess of Wales made her first trip to Swadlincote, Leicestershire. This trip included a tour of the district wherein she visited multiple centers and had the opportunity to meet well-wishers along the way. She first visited the pottery barn, then the indoor bowling center where she unveiled a plaque and took a tour of the center. She also made a visit to the Granville Court Sheltered Housing Scheme in Swadlincote where she chatted with the residents for a while. The last stop on her tour was Grove Hall where she planted an English Oak.

While this trip marked her first visit to the district, her Royal Highness had already visited the county of Leicestershire multiple times over the years. Her first visit to the place was in March 1984 when she was pregnant with Prince Harry. She last visited the beautiful locale just three months before her untimely demise.

Princess Diana was also often known as “Princess Di” or the “People’s Princess” as she charmed the audiences with her grace, elegance, and kindness. She was also an avid sports enthusiast and attended tons of sporting events. This probably stemmed from her playful and mischievous nature that has been mentioned by her sons. Both Princes Harry and William have gone on record to talk about how fondly they remember their mother and how she would fill them up with joy and shower them with love.

Harry mentioned remembering the sound of his mother’s laughter and how he thinks of her pretty much every day. Even Prince William mentioned her jolly and infectious nature that was filled with mischief. The two have often expressed their discontentment with how their mother was treated by the British tabloids of the past. The siblings have also kept her memory and legacy alive by working on charity projects she held close to her heart.

The wedding of Princess Diana and Prince Charles has often been hailed as the wedding of the century. But, their wedding made headlines for more reasons than one. The first being Princess Diana’s dress that became the epitome of style and grace for decades to come. The second being the couple’s iconic kiss on the Buckingham Palace Balcony that sparked a new royal tradition.

Unlike other royal traditions, the kiss shared on the balcony does not have a rather meaningful or sentimental backstory. Instead, it stems from the fact that the duo did not share a kiss at St. Paul’s cathedral right after the wedding ceremony. Other royals have since followed in their footsteps, with Prince Andrew and Sarah doing it next at their royal wedding. Prince William and Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton also followed suit after their wedding ceremony in 2011. While Harry and Megan did not follow the balcony kiss tradition, they honored the late Princess in other ways.

Once she assumed the role of a working royal member, Princess Diana would be chauffeured to and from the places she would visit. But, before that, the Princess of Wales was gifted a 1981 Ford Escort Ghia Saloon by her then husband-to-be Prince Charles. It was an engagement present in May 1981, just two months before the royal wedding. The Ford was Princess Diana’s personal mode of transport until August of 1982. The car featured a replica of the royal mascot on the bonnet, which was gifted by Diana’s sister Lady Sarah Spencer.

The almost 40-year old car had completely disappeared from the public eye for almost 20 years and only resurfaced at an auction in 2021. It was previously owned by a big fan of the princess who even kept its origins from their friends and family. The car still boasted of its original upholstery and paintwork and sold for more than £47,000.

In 1983, the Prince and Princess of Wales made their way to Australia. which is part of the British Commonwealth. This trip though was not for personal reasons but rather as part of their first official tour together. A royal couple’s official first tour is a major milestone in their relationship and the newlywed duo made their way to the land down under in 1983. Their tour involved a six-week exploration of Australia and New Zealand.

Unlike the usual protocol, the Prince and Princess traveled with their then 10-month old son Prince Willian. It was this tour that allowed Lady Diana to gain global recognition and officially made her the “People’s Princess.” The picture here is from their first stop on the tour when the duo stopped by Ayers Park in Alice Springs. It was in this period that the couple also attended a charity ball in Sydney which saw them share a rare romantic moment.

Princess Diana had and fulfilled lots of engagements throughout her life as a member of the royal family. She would do charitable work, attend meetings, and even advocate for many causes. One of the other responsibilities that came with being royalty was attending the session of Parliament. The parliamentary session starts with the Queen delivering a speech in a very formal setting. The event holds a lot of value to the institute of British democracy as a whole and is an extremely solemn occasion.

A year after Diana’s marriage to Prince Charles, in 1981, the Princess of Wales was invited by the Queen to attend the ceremony. This would mark her first attendance and she looked absolutely stunning, sporting longer hair than she’d ever been seen in. However, that was all the media focused on, resulting in her allegedly facing a lot of flak from older members of the royal family, who believed she was undermining the event itself.

The Braemar Games held in Scotland is one of the most popular, famous, and best-attended highland games across the globe. The competition is held on the first Saturday of September in The Princess Royal and Duke of Fife Memorial Park in Braemar. The games have been taking place for over nine hundred years and have been attended by and presided over by the royal family since 1848. A year after her wedding to Prince Charles, Princess Diana visited the games. The royal family often also visits other sporting events but more on that later!

Here you can see the couple spending their time chatting together and watching the players. The Princess of Wales was often spotted wearing weather-appropriate outfits to suit the occasion and did so even while attending the Braemar games. This outing took place before the birth of Prince William, who was born at 9:03 pm on June 21st, 1982 at St. Mary’s Hospital in London.

Post the fairytale wedding ceremony, the royal couple flitted off to spend time together on their honeymoon. They jetted off to Gibraltar and spent their time aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia. But, before that, the couple posed up a storm for the paparazzi who often hounded them and the crowds that gathered to cheer them on.

Princess Diana would then go on to have many trips across the globe in the Concorde, which was termed the fastest plane in the world at one point. The Concorde was popular for its immense speed (Twice as fast as the speed of sound) and flying height (Almost five miles above the average 747 airplanes). Not to mention, the airplane had some of the best luxuries that money could offer. While the princess often flew solo, she would also make trips with Prince Charles. One of the most famous trips of the duo was their 1986 trip to Vienna, Austria.

The married royal couple spent their honeymoon aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia and their 14-day long trip started at Gibraltar in the Mediterranean. Imagine getting to spend your days basking in the sun and staring out into the ocean, what a blissful fortnight must it have been! They also stopped at Greek Islands for pictures and beach picnics.

The Royal Yacht Britannia is one of the UK’s best attractions and has often been hailed as The Queen’s Floating Palace. Between 1954 to 1997, the ship had sailed almost 1,000,000 miles around the world. It has taken almost 696 foreign trips and 272 trips in British waters. Its guests have been wide and varied and it has also been a great mode of transport for members of the royal family and other dignitaries. In fact, the yacht has also hosted other members of the royal family during their honeymoon.

Continuing with news about their honeymoon, the newlyweds also chose to stop by mansions, manors, and castles in the South. (Oh to be young and rich and beautiful!) Their first three days were spent at Broadlands, an 18th-century mansion in the South of England. They ended their trip with a stay at the royal family’s Scottish summer holiday home Balmoral Castle.

The castle has been in the royal family for generations and was first purchased by Prince Albert for Queen Victoria in 1852. As of now, the castle is under the care of The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh, and The Prince of Wales. The castle, the grounds, as well as the exhibitions, have been open to the public in the months that the royal family is not in attendance. The general populace can also take advantage of the holiday cottages available for those interested in spending their time exploring the castle and its grounds.

The royal family has a longstanding connection to the world-famous tennis tournament that is Wimbledon. To top it off, their members have an open invitation to sit at the Royal Box every year. The vantage point is the most exclusive of enclosures and, to sit here, you need a just as exclusive invitation from the Chairman of the All England Club.

In recent years, we’ve seen the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in the box quite frequently, cheering for their favorites. But, back in the 80s, you’d catch a glimpse of a smiling Princess Diana. The Princes of Wales, who had a passion for the game made her first Wimbledon attendance in 1981. This was less than a month before she was about to marry Prince Charles. She then returned to the royal box three years later when she was pregnant with her second son Harry. Over the years, the princess has made many appearances at the games, and each time she aced the dress code and managed to wow the rest of the audience.

Princess Diana was a shining beacon of hope for many women across the globe. She used her power and social standing to make a difference and to advocate for those who did not have a platform. But, aside from her charitable work, Diana was also known as a global trendsetter. Her wedding with Prince Charles, dubbed as the Royal Wedding of the Century, set the standards for wedding gowns across the world.

Even her hairstyle and day-to-day clothing became the talk of the tabloids, and people wanted to dress up and look like her. Her hairstyles were also often part of style and fashion magazines, and the princess kept it fresh paving the way for some of the biggest trends in the 80s and 90s. She mostly kept her hair short and her fluffy yet suave hairstyle came to be known as the Diana Cut. She would often add a dash of glam to her haircuts by adding headbands, flowers, hats, tiaras, and more.

This rare picture of the duo was taken at Claridges Hotel, London on May 8, 1996. The two are seen leaving the hotel after having had lunch together. The Princess of Wales and Raine Spencer, a socialite and the youngest person to ever be a part of Westminster City Council, shared a special bond and were often seen together after Diana had to experience the heartbreak of a broken marriage.

It wasn’t all unicorns and daisies as the women had their differences when Raine married John Spencer, 8th Earl of Spencer, and Diana’s father. However, they grew closer eventually and in fact Raine became Princess Diana’s most trusted confidante. They spoke almost every day and they were spotted having meals together quite often. This bond lasted up until the princess’ untimely demise. Raine died at 87 after a short illness in the year 2016. A year before that she gave an interview with “Gentlewoman” magazine, where she shared things about the beautiful bond she shared with her stepdaughter.

Besides being a gorgeous woman, Diana was also known for being extremely kind-hearted. The royal family had always been admired by most commoners but after Diana became the Princess of Wales, things leveled up many folds. Princess Diana was liked and followed by the general populace on a whole new level and this was largely due to the fact that she greeted people of all backgrounds with equal respect.

Contrary to her confident personality that most of us have either witnessed or read about, she was a very shy person when she first got engaged to Prince Charles. She came into her own under the public eye and they responded with affection and devotion. Even now, decades from when she was 19 and newly dealing with the pressures of adjusting to her duties as the to-be Princess of Wales, she is spoken of fondly. Here, Princess Diana is seen wearing an elegant patterned dress with her classic pearls donning her ears and a chic black purse to complete the outfit.

This was indeed the wedding of the century! Nearly 750 million people across the globe tuned in to watch Prince Charles bring home Lady Diana Spencer. All eyes were on the bride — her wedding dress, the jewelry, and of course the tiara. The soon-to-be-married couple were being followed by paparazzi well before the day, of course to get a sneak-peek of their attire and preparation.

Did you know Diana and her designers David and Elizabeth Emanuel had to strategically mislead the media to keep the dress and its details a secret? It was one of the most guarded dresses in fashion history. The stunning wedding gown featured sequins, embroidery, frilled lace, and 10,000 pearls. It indeed remains one of the iconic royal gowns that will never be replicated with the same grandiosity. The trail of the dress was so long it had to be folded just so Lady Diana could fit in the royal coach. Fun fact: the young princess lost a few inches before the big day and the designers saw last-minute alterations coming with her waistline transforming from 26 inches to 23 inches.

This stunning picture of Princess Diana is from a charity event hosted at Serpentine Gallery, Hyde Park, London. It was in 1994 June when Lady Di wore this black silk dress that didn’t agree with the royal family’s sense of style. Not only did the people acknowledge that the off-shoulder dress broke the protocol, they named it the revenge dress! It was the same night that Prince Charles’s all-tell documentary was going to drop on national TV.

Though the royal couple had been separated in 1991, it was on this fateful night that the Prince of Wales confessed that their marriage had finally ended. The documentary was made with an intention to propagate the belief that the divorce was due to no particular fault of Charles and that they both tried to save the marriage. However, no news, interview, or documentary film has been released to date, which sees Charles in an entirely sympathetic light. People knew of his ongoing affair and a subtle allusion to it in the interview basically landed him in hot water again.

This picture is believed to be from Prince William and Prince Harry’s first ski trip in Austria in 1991. The royal brothers enjoy this winter sport to date, and the credit for their skills goes to their beloved mother. It was Princess Diana who urged her boys into learning this activity, and their first ever ski trip had them staying at the chic resort of Lech. The young princes are seen wearing identical ski suits in the color combination of purple and turquoise, and Lady Diana looks elegant in her red ski suit.

Needless to say, the now-former princess spent a lot of her time with her boys and she took her role of being a mother seriously. They went on many adventure trips and Princess Diana made sure they had enough outdoor activities to do. While she had been denied any possibility of normalcy post marriage, she wanted her children to experience as normal a childhood as possible. Although the media hounded her and the boys everywhere they went, it didn’t stop this fierce mother one bit.

This beautiful snap was taken in November 1982, a year after Princess Diana’s wedding and months after delivering her firstborn, Prince William. The drop-waist gown was perfect for the baby weight she was yet to lose. The midnight blue ruffled off-shoulder neckline looked elegant as always on Princess Diana. We’d admit we’ve never seen her wearing something like this in the past, but that was her indeed, full of surprises. Her beauty and slender frame made anything and everything look fabulous on her.

She paired the Bruce Oldfield gown with her iconic pearl choker and drop earrings, matching her almond toe stilettos with a silver clutch to complete her look. During her pregnancy, the Princess chose to not abide by strict royal protocol and donned comfortable, graceful, and breezy numbers that were in contrast to the restrictive style of clothing recommended. She carried every single one of those dresses with panache, as expected of her!

This snap takes us back to their holiday in Scilly Isles, Britain from 1989. What we absolutely admire about this picture is how the royal family looks absolutely down-to-earth and like any couple next door (albeit an extremely good looking one), with their children in their lap. A royal family holiday does not always have to be about taking portraits in a palace. It can be something as simple, and endearing as this photo. And of course, the credit for normalizing such pictures goes to none other than Lady Diana. Queen Elizabeth and her family liked to keep their lives private and only always appeared in formal attire, contrary to, well, this picture right here. Isn’t this so much more relatable? Talking about Lady Di’s casual attire, this embroidered pink sweater and beige pants are #goals even after over three decades! Her regular wear inspired tons of fashion-forward women in the eighties and continues to do so till today.

Don’t we just love how Lady Diana makes a sweater look this stylish! Those pearls and neck-tie are what make this simple outfit look classy. This picture dates back to 1980, before Lady Diana became the Princess of Wales. In this picture, she’s seen leaving her flat of Coleherne Court, a place that she shared with her girlfriends Carolyn Bartholomew, Virginia Pitman, and Ann Bolton, among others. The three-bedroom flat belonged in a mansion block in Knightsbridge, London, and was gifted to Diana by her parents on her 18th birthday.

Despite being the sole owner, dear Diana chose to live with her friends who had to only pay £18 a week for the luxe space. Did you know this home is now officially a heritage site, which means it’s open for people to visit? The charitable organization that takes care of over 400 heritage sites, English Heritage, commemorated the place with a blue plaque, making it an official memorial site.

Lady Diana has been titled the “People’s Princess” for a reason. It was her endearing personality, which leaned her into greeting common people with utmost respect and love. Her affection and appreciation for the general populace showed in her behavior towards them, her body-language, and her deeds. It wasn’t just for the cameras. We can tell! There are umpteen pictures of Princess Diana with children from different countries, and she paid close attention to where her help was needed the most.

In 1997, just a year before her tragic demise, Lady Di visited Angola, a country in Central Africa to protest against landmines. For this project, the Princess worked closely with the HALO Trust, which her son Prince Harry visited in the year 2013. The visit was mostly spent at a de-mining camp organized by the Trust, as the Prince takes after his late mother and champions several worthwhile causes.

Late Princess Diana was pictured at the now Richard Branson-owned Necker Island in 1990. She was on a holiday with her mother Frances Shand Kydd, her two older sisters Jane Fellowes and Lady Sarah McCorquodale and their children. From this picture gallery of Lady Di, and the others floating on the internet, it’s quite evident that she enjoyed taking time out for her family, especially her children. We absolutely are in awe of the sheer love she had in her heart for her boys!

The young princes are heaping sand on her lower body as part of their play and the very fact that she’s calmly letting them do it is what tickles her funny bone endlessly. This sure doesn’t check any box for the royal family protocol but it does check all boxes for being a mother of two. Coming to the fashion icon’s statement beachwear, she is seen in an animal print bodysuit that is actually still trendy two decades into the 21st century.

In this picture, the duo was just engaged and set to be married in a few weeks. Taken in May 1981, the shutterbugs captured it during the couple’s visit to the royal family’s Scotland property Balmoral Estate. If you have watched The Crown, you’d know that visiting the Balmoral Estate every summer indeed is a tradition for the royal family. With the visit comes the infamous “Balmoral test,” where the family allegedly gauges if the guests can follow an unspoken test of code of conduct.

This includes them carrying outdoor shoes for hunting activities (and of course part-taking in hunting), appropriate dresses for cocktail, dinner, lunch, and other meals, and a couple of such other rules that guests must abide by when in the royal estate. Interestingly, Lady Diana was put to the test like any other guest and she nailed it. As we can see, the outdoor shoes are on-point! As seen in an episode of The Crown, the then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who had visited the estate with her husband Denis in 1981, did not pass the test as gracefully.

This rare picture of Princess Diana and Mother Teresa dates back to June 1997, two months before the untimely death of the Princess of Wales. The snap was taken at a charity event hosted at the Missionaries of Charity convent in Bronx, New York, and by this time the two beautiful souls had nurtured a special bond. Known to each other for five long years, they first met in Rome in 1992, when Princess Diana decided to pay a visit to Mother Teresa.

The two icons were scheduled to meet in Mother Teresa’s convent home in Calcutta, India, but since that did not work out, Princess Diana took it upon herself to personally see the woman she idolized. They shared the common goal of wanting to help people who did not have the same resources as the privileged part of the world. Along the way, they became close friends and Princess Diana was seen supporting many charities and organizations run by Mother Teresa.

The early ‘90s apparently was the best time for Thorpe Park as it got the royal stamp of approval not just once but for three years consecutively. Princess Diana and her sons had such a great time during their first summer trip to the park, they made it a tradition to visit the spot during the Easter holidays. They were spotted having the time of their lives riding various rides in 1991, 1992, and 1993.

The place obviously drew in a huge crowd afterward and Princess Diana insisted on waiting for their turn on the rides instead of using the privilege she was entitled to. She was insistent on imparting the same traits to her sons, which is seen today in how humble they are. Both Prince William and Prince Harry have been following in their mother’s footsteps for years and choose to take their families out to places frequented by non-royalty. They also support several charities and do their bit whenever they can!

It was the year 1989, when Princess Diana and Prince Charles took a six-day tour of the UAE with the mission to improve relations between Britain and the UAE. And turns out, the Princess of Wales successfully charmed the Middle East and is still remembered with a lot of admiration. She visited the region twice, and was well-versed in all their protocols, never once putting a wrong foot forward.

Like any other country visit, Princess Diana had designers at work crafting pieces that were in line with the region’s culture. This very picture was taken in Dubai, where she’s sporting a white and cobalt blue formal suit designed by Catherine Walker. The formal attire was made with a turban-inspired topper, and just like any other headgear, Lady Diana looked absolutely flawless in this one. She indeed was the epitome of style and a fashion icon, and of course one of the most photographed women across the world.

This iconic moment in the history of Hollywood was courtesy of a gala dinner the Prince and Princess of Wales were invited by the then-President Ronald Reagan. This dance, of course, got the Hollywood heartthrob more attention than any of his hits. The royals shared the dance floor with some A-list celebrities that included Clint Eastwood, Tom Selleck, and the greatest ballet dancer of the time Mikhail Baryshnikov.

While the Grease star was offered the opportunity to ask Lady Diana for a dance, it was indeed an orchestrated move by the president and the first lady. Of course, there wasn’t any hidden agenda other than just drawing in press opportunities. Nonetheless, Lady Di enjoyed her night and it was one of the major highlights from her North American tour. The princess wore a black off-shoulder maxi dress, which was designed to swirl around the dance floor, and she paired it with an iconic pearl choker that had a massive sapphire in the center.

This adorable picture of Princess Diana was taken right outside St.Mary’s Hospital, London in 1982. It is the very spot where Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle made their first appearance to the media with their children. Did you know the women of this royal family only gave birth at home? Yes, no hospitals or nursing homes were trusted for obvious reasons (to avoid any swaps).

Queen Elizabeth was born in her maternal grandparents’ residence and she gave birth to all her children in royal palaces. Prince Charles was born in Buckingham Palace, Princess Anne was born in Clarence House, and Prince Andrew and Prince Edward were born in Buckingham Palace. However, Princess Diana was one of the first royals to have given birth at a hospital. In her first appearance to the world with baby Williams, Lady Di chose this green polka dot dress with a bow-tie at the neckline, which modestly covered her postpartum bump and helped the radiant mother look like a million bucks.