Princess Diana was beloved all over the world ahead of the 1997 car wreck that killed her. The tragedy of a life ending too soon, the royal family losing such a prominent member, and young William and Harry being left without their mother was a lot to bear, so it’s no wonder people would rather remember Princess Di as the smiling, charismatic beauty who cared about others. But that’s not the whole truth, at least according to British fashion designer Dame Zandra Rhodes. She painted a sadder picture of the Princess of Wales, saying she got a “raw deal” because she did not feel loved.
Zandra Rhodes first met Diana in 1981, and they worked together several times over the years, with Rhodes even submitting a sketch to be considered for the design of Diana’s royal wedding dress. She spoke candidly about the Princess of Wales, who died at age 36, saying that Di’s contentious marriage to Charles left her life incomplete, despite her royal status. The pink-haired designer told the Daily Mail:
Diana got a raw deal. You can have all the riches in the world, but if you don’t have love, or don’t feel loved, you have very little.
Princess Di married Charles — who was crowned King Charles III last May — in 1981, but it allegedly wasn’t long before their marriage was on the rocks. According to Sally Bedell Smith’s biography of Charles, his affair with Camilla Parker Bowles began in 1986, and after years of rumors, Diana and Charles separated in 1992. They officially divorced in August 1996, a year before she would be killed in Paris.
In working with the Princess of Wales, Zandra Rhodes described visiting the palace with dresses for the fashion icon, curtsying as she bumped into children’s toys. While Diana was undoubtedly kept busy with her royal duties and princes Harry and William, Rhodes alleges it wasn’t a happy life. She said:
Happy wasn’t a word I would have associated with her, but she was very warm.
Dame Zandra Rhodes apparently has Diana to thank for getting her name out there in the fashion world and cementing her place among Britain’s most esteemed designers. Amongst the outfits she designed for the princess was a pink dress that she wore on an official visit to Japan in 1986.
While fashion was a big part of Princess Diana’s life — even Kate Middleton has paid tribute to her by wearing her iconic jewelry — that’s obviously not what her sons think of when they remember their mother. Prince William, who was 15 when she died, reflected on everything Diana has missed and said he wishes she could have met her grandchildren. He also said he would have loved to be able to go to her for advice, and I’m sure that’s never been more true than now, as he supports his wife through a cancer battle.
Prince Harry, meanwhile, was allegedly scarred by what he saw his mom go through, and sources say that may have been a big part of his reasoning for stepping away from the royal family. The younger prince, who was 12 when Diana was killed in the wreck, remains at odds with his father and brother, though he has reportedly reached out to both, with Charles also battling cancer. Insiders have even alleged that Harry and wife Meghan Markle might be looking for a permanent residence in the UK.
We’ll have to see how things play out between the members of the royal family, because if Diana was truly lacking happiness and love in her life, she would certainly want better for her sons.