How Princess Diana often put sentimentality above royal duty and tradition

THE late Princess Diana won hearts the world over but it was the way she often put people above royal tradition that is enduring to this day.

LESS than ten days from the 20th anniversary of Diana’s death, her tragically short life is still captivating the world.

Whether it was her extensive charity work or the way she became history’s most relatable royal, much of the world is still very much in love with Princess Diana.

The legacy of Diana, Princess of Wales lives on 20 years after her death. Picture: Jamal Wilson

While there are plenty of reasons why Diana is still so loved, it was the way she valued sentimentality over royal tradition that most captured hearts.

At the royal wedding in 1981, despite only being 20-years-old, Diana insisted on wearing one of her family’s tiaras instead of wearing one the Queen bestowed on her.

The Spencer Tiara, which features an ornate floral pattern of diamonds and silver, was modified with the family’s jewellery collection in the 1930s and was incredibly sentimental to the Spencer family.

Diana wearing the Spencer family tiara. Picture: Jayne Fincher

The tiara was originally given as a wedding present to Diana’s grandmother, the Viscountess Althorp, and was later worn by Diana’s older sisters for their wedding.

Queen Elizabeth II reportedly loaned Diana Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara for her big day but Diana chose to stick to her family roots.

It also helped the Princess tick off her bridal list of wearing “something borrowed” and “something old” for the wedding.

The Spencer family tiara was also a good deal lighter than most of the royal family tiaras.

The Prince and Princess of Wales in the carriage after their wedding. Picture: Getty

The Spencer family tiara hasn’t been worn since Diana’s death and will probably never be worn again unless her niece Lady Kitty Spencer decides to wear it.

While the Duchess of Cambridge, Diana’s would-be daughter-in-law, will never wear the tiara, she has worn another of Diana’s tiaras, The Cambridge Lover’s Knot.

Queen Elizabeth II gifted the shimmering tiara to a then-20-year-old Diana in 1981 as a wedding present.

The young Princess of Wales wore the tiara regularly despite admitting it was so heavy it often gave her headaches.

Princess Diana wears the Cambridge Lover’s Knot tiara. Picture: Tim Graham

The ‘People’s Princess’ also defied royal tradition in other ways.

Diana took a step away from the longstanding royal tradition of regularly wearing hats and gloves to events in a bid to better connect with the people.

Her abandoning of gloves came from wanting to physically connect with the people she met including everyone from AIDS sufferers to landmine amputees.

Eleri Lynn, the woman behind Kensington Palace’s new exhibition Diana: Her Fashion Story, explained Diana’s reasoning to People recently.

“She abandoned the royal protocol of wearing gloves because she liked to hold hands when visiting people or shake hands and have direct contact,” Lynn told the publication.

Diana sits with a man diagnosed with AIDS in Rio de Janeiro. Picture: Carlos Santana

Diana holding a baby during a visit to The Orthopaedic Centre For Landmine Victims in Angola. Picture: Tim Graham

And, on not wearing hats, Lynn explained that Diana once said, “You can’t cuddle a child in a hat”.

Diana hugs a child during her visit to Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Hindu Temple on June 6, 1997 in London. Picture: Anwar Hussein

While Diana’s aversion to hats and gloves was seen as a little peculiar at the time, it wasn’t the first time she made a weird fashion choice for a sweet reason.

And there’s a photo from 1981 that proves exactly that.

Despite only being 19 when Prince Charles proposed, their relationship seemed to show a lot of promise early on.

At a 1981 polo match, as Diana watched her 33-year-old fiance play at the Guards Polo Club in Windsor, many were left scratching their heads over her decision to wear two watches.

The then 20-year-old was photographed wearing her small gold watch, as well as a larger black one — and there’s a sweet reason why.

Diana offered to wear Prince Charles’ watch, the larger black one, not only as a symbol of good luck but as a sign of support for her soon-to-be-husband.

The gold watch was also a gift from Prince Charles meaning all of the jewellery on her left hand, including her sapphire engagement ring, was a tribute to her fiance.

Princess Diana wearing two watches at one of Prince Charles’ polo matches in 1981. Picture: Shutterstock/Splash

Diana’s marriage into the royal family was full of sweet and sentimental moments as much as dark ones but it was the Princess’ willingness to break away from royal tradition that makes her one of the best-loved and most notable figures of the 20th century.

Originally published as How Princess Diana often put sentimentality above royal duty and tradition