Diana, by her sons
Princes loan three of their mother’s iconic outfits for a new exhibition
The image of Diana, Princess of Wales, strolling across a live African minefield is one of the most iconic photographs of her ever taken.
Now the public will be able to recall the moment in person, as Princes William and harry have loaned one of the outfits from their mother’s trip to Angola to an exhibition on her fashion legacy.
The halo-branded flak jacket donned by the princess and a sleeveless blue shirt and Armani chinos worn on the same trip are among three outfits the brothers still own and have lent to Diana: her Fashion Story.
The sell-out exhibition at Kensington Palace was launched last year to mark the 20th anniversary of her death.
Although it is not widely known, the princes have several pieces of clothing belonging to their mother still in their possession.
The other two outfits they are allowing to be displayed are almost as iconic. One is the pretty pink Bellville Sassoon suit Diana wore to board the train for her honeymoon in 1981, the other a stunning purple Versace evening dress worn to a Chicago fundraising gala in 1996.
The outfits are an interesting contrast, one encapsulating the girlish ‘Shy Di’ of the early years of her marriage, the other a sexy and confident post-divorce princess. The three ensembles are among eight new outfits to go on show at Diana’s former home from April 26 in the exhibition organised by the historic Royal Palaces charity.
They include the full-length Yuki blue dress she wore on a trip to Japan in 1986, the red and black gown she wore to a Pavarotti charity concert for the Red Cross in 1995, and a light blue silk day dress first worn on an official tour to New Zealand in 1983 with Prince Charles and a baby Prince William.
Diana loved fashion, and while she sometimes baulked at being seen as a clothes horse, she frequently used her wardrobe to focus media attention on the causes she cared so passionately about – or to send out a message about what was going on in her life.
eleri Lynn, exhibition curator at historic Royal Palaces, said: ‘Diana was one of the most photographed women in the world, and it’s no coincidence that so many of her outfits are now among the most easily recognisable in fashion history. Through Diana: her Fashion Story we explore the evolution of a young woman who had to first learn the rules of royal and diplomatic dressing, then master the art of creating her own signature style.
‘We’re delighted that this year visitors to Kensington Palace will have the chance to see yet more of the Princess’s show-stopping wardrobe for themselves.’
‘Created her own signature style’