The Princess of Wales, who was mother to Prince William and Prince Harry, had a habit of incorporating little nods and hints into her style choices, so even now—20 years after her tragic passing—we’re still discovering new things.
In an effort to dig deeper into the details of Princess Diana’s incredible (and still-inspiring) style, we’ve taken a look at the meaning behind some of the finer facets of her legendary style.
She sometimes wore two watches
It sometimes baffled royal-watchers when Diana would be pictured at the Polo wearing two watches on one wrist. It was later divulged that one of the watches was Charles', and that Diana wore it for him while he played as a good luck charm.
Her charm bracelet
Diana might have been better known for her tiaras and rings, but her charm bracelet was also a special piece. It was reportedly given to her by Prince Charles and carried charms that were personal to her, including a 'W,' 'H,' and 'C' for her husband and sons.
The way she blended her tiaras into her hair
Instead of leaving her tiaras bare, Diana would have the base of them wrapped in a coloured velvet that matched her hair—she had lighter colours and darker colours custom-matched—so that they would blend it seamlessly.
The way she matched her tights to her outfits
As she was always required to wear tights, Diana would often have tights custom-matched to her outfits to match.
She never wore very high heels
Because Diana naturally stood at almost the same height as her husband, near 5"10, she would never wear heels that were too high as not to seem taller than Charles.
She picked her engagement ring out of a catalogue
Unlike other royal brides who were given a ring from the royal vaults, or else had one custom-made by a jeweller, when it came time for Diana to pick her engagement ring (Charles proposed to her without one), she simply picked one out of a catalogue from jeweller Gerrard.
Her wedding band was made from pure Welsh gold, which was taken from a nugget of gold given to the Queen. All royal wedding bands are made from the same piece of gold.
She got crafty with tiaras
Although she most likely had access to the royal jewel vault, Princess Diana only ever wore two tiaras in her life—the Cambridge Lover's Knot, and the Spencer Tiara. For other occasions, Diana occasionally repurposed necklaces and chokers to wear as tiaras, like the sapphire choker she is wearing here.
She had a horseshoe charm sewn into her wedding dress
For an extra dose of luck on her wedding day, Diana had a tiny gold horseshoe charm sewn onto the label at the back of her dress.
And, she's not the only royal to add some personal sentiment to their bridal outfits.
She had 'cleavage bags' to outsmart cheeky photographers.
In order to stop photographers taking photos down the front of her dress while she was exiting vehicles, Diana carried small bags and clutches, which she held against her chest when she got out of the car.
She had her own tiara
If any other member of the royal family wanted to wear a tiara for an event, it was required for them to take it out of the royal jewel vault as a loan—something Diana did for the Cambridge Lover's Knot, which belonged to the Queen.
However, the other tiara she wore—she only ever wore two in her life—she didn't need to ask permission for, as it belonged to her. The Spencer Tiara belonged to her family, so could wear it whenever she liked, and that was reflected it how often she wore in over the Lover's Knot.
She wore an initial necklace
Eat your heart out, Carrie Bradshaw and Anne Boleyn! Diana also wore her own 'D' necklace throughout her life.
