Seen for the f irst time, bikini-clad Diana on Italy boat trip two years before marriage split
LOOKING tanned and relaxed, this was Princess Diana holidaying on a yacht with friends two years before her separation from Prince Charles became official.
The photographs, never seen before, were taken in Italy in September 1 0. Despite the strain of her crumbling marriage, Diana – in a colourful bikini and purple shirt tied at the waist, her wet hair slicked back – looks body confident and carefree.
She is pictured with the designer Valentino and Prince Kyril of Bulgaria, with Stromboli, a volcano off Sicily, in the background. The images were posted on Instagram yesterday by Giancarlo Giammetti, co-founder of the Valentino label.
They are believed to have been taken aboard Valentino’s yacht, TM Blue One.
Giammetti also shared a photo of himself and Valentino greeting the princess at a formal event He captioned the images: ‘And here two moments of friendship.’
The pictures came as it emerged a film about Diana is looking for a young actor to play Prince William aged nine – but British hopefuls have been told not to apply, due to Brexit. A casting director says she cannot consider ‘British Europeans’ because of new rules from January 1.
Amy Hubbard put out an open call for actors ‘with a playing age of nine to 12 years’ on social media but said that they must have a European passport. The call is thought to be for Spencer, a biopic of Diana set in the early 1 0s as her separation from Charles was being announced.
It will star US actress Kristen Stewart, 30, in the lead role and be directed by Chilean filmmaker Pablo Larrain. Although set at Sandringham, it will be shot in Germany early next year. Miss Hubbard said it was common in the film industry that ‘the passport for significant characters needs to match that of the financiers’.