Remembering Diana
In the last 12 months of her life Diana, Princess of Wales, came to Australia. She was only here for three days, but her impact was significant. Despite no longer being a working member of the royal family, Diana was at the height of her star power, spreading her wings to support life-saving initiatives around the world. The People’s Princess was in Sydney to open the new Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, and true to form spent time at the bedsides of seriously ill patients in St Vincent’s Hospital.
“I remember I said to her, ‘Don’t people get intimidated, Princess, when you go and talk to them?’” recalls Professor Bob Graham, the former Executive Director of the Institute. “She said to me, ‘If I stand on the edge of the bed or stand next to them, they never relax. But if I sit down and hold their hand, within five minutes they’ve forgotten who I am and they start to talk.’”
Diana famously attended a dinner dance on that visit which raised more than a million dollars for the Institute. She dazzled in a blue Versace gown teamed with an eyecatching aquamarine cocktail ring since worn by her daughter-in-law Meghan on her wedding day. Through her iconic jewellery, Diana’s sons share her with the women they love – William, of course, proposed with Diana’s engagement ring – and even though neither Meghan nor Catherine knew their mother-in-law, she will undoubtedly always be a huge presence in their lives.
On July 1 Diana would have been
60, and while it feels rather odd to be marking the former Princess of Wales’ birthday 24 years after her death, that is exactly what the world will be doing.
Many will be paying homage at the tantalising new exhibition at Kensington Palace, where the star
“It is historically the longest royal wedding dress train ever.”
attraction of Royal Style in the Making is that iconic fairytale wedding dress.
Alas, very few of us are likely to be able to visit in the current COVIDrestricted climate, but I would urge you to take a virtual walk through the exhibition online at the Historic Royal Palaces website: hrp.org.uk. The David and Elizabeth Emanuel creation had a tiny waist, which the designers reveal had to be reduced as the big day approached, and a sumptuous 25-foot sequin-encrusted train. Historically the longest royal wedding dress train ever, it is on display thanks to William and Harry, to whom Diana bequeathed the gown.