The story of Princess Diana is as interesting today as it was when she first stepped in front of the media after her engagement to Prince Charles.
The journey from “pauper” to princess and then to the queen of people’s hearts will remain iconic, and Harrods will always be an integral part of it. Prince Charles (36) proposed to Princess Diana (19) on February 6, 1981 with a blue sapphire, and then the world stage eager to look at the princess. But as in every fairy tale, she had nothing to wear.
24 February 1981: Lady Diana Spencer & Prince Charles in the gardens of Buckingham Palace on the day they announced their engagement. pic.twitter.com/Simh8d6Lah
— ALL PRINCESS DIANA (@princessdibooks) February 24, 2021
Princess Diana once, in an interview, told how she rushed with her mother to buy a dress to wear in front of the media because everything else she had was not what royals wear. She chose a Cobalt Blue dress of label Cojana and paired with a blouse by David and Elizabeth Emmanuel. The same designer who will design and prepare her famous ruffled wedding gown.
However, the public was curious as to why Diana would wear an off-the-rack dress on such a special occasion. Well, it was not for the lack of trying. Once the proposal was done and announced, she was informed of the official portrait. She needed a dress, and that’s when she rushed to Bellville Sassoon with her mother. However, the attendant there didn’t recognise Diana and told her that she would find something of her choice at Harrods.
One can imagine a shy 19-year-old girl shuffling across London in search of a dress.
But this is not the only time the famous Harrod Store in London will make an appearance in her life. Rather the destiny of Harrod will always remain tied to Diana.
In 1981, while buying her engagement outfit at Harrod’s first time, Diana faced paparazzi. A relationship that came to a bitter end with her death in 1997. In 1985, the businessman Mohammed al-Fayed purchased Harrods
Princess Diana and Dodi Al Fayed 1997 pic.twitter.com/WNnHgndr5M
— MO-Patsy (@4_MOOOOOO) September 6, 2024
In 1996, Diana and Prince Charles parted ways, and finally, she was free. Sad but free. And now the world was her oyster, and that’s when she met Dodi al-Fayed, son of Mohammed al-Fayed. Life has almost come full circle. Diana and Dodi were in love and could have gotten married. She could have ditched all designers for an off-the-rack dress from Harrods to begin the second chapter.
But that’s now what happened. The paparazzi, who couldn’t leave Diana alone, even after her heartbreak and divorce, followed her to a tunnel in Paris. This manic caused the accident, and the world was deprived of the happy ending everyone wanted for the queen of their hearts.
The amount of flowers left for Princess Diana a week after her death is insane. Truly the Queen of People’s Hearts ♥️ pic.twitter.com/d2L8tzu61s
— rimon (@RiimonAlii) December 30, 2024
The world lost Princess Diana at the hands of the paparazzi, who had once put her on the pedestal and then chased her to her death.
She was survived by her two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry.
