Since her engagement, Princess Diana has won the hearts of people worldwide. Over those years as a royal, she had grown from "Shy Di" to a sophisticated fashion icon, and surprisingly, a rebellious Princess. Here are the ten times Diana broke royal protocols, which inspired Meghan, Kate, and her sons.
Diana didn't mind revealing her shoulders when in the spotlight even though it's a major no-no in the royals' rulebook.
In the 2018 Trooping of the Colour, Meghan's bare shoulders gave rise to a heated discussion. The event was her first public appearance with other royal members, and it revealed her strong personality.
Kate is a fan of her mother-in-law's style. She is also fond of gowns that show off her shoulders.
In the 1995 BBC's interview with her, she threw the bombshell, "There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded." She later gave more details about her marriage and mental health condition.
In Oprah Winfrey's interview, Meghan and Harry also revealed their emotional and financial troubles in the royal family. The show included eye-opening attacks against Buckingham Palace.
Diana had been wearing blue eyeliner for years, and it fit her ocean blue eyes perfectly. However, her makeup artist revealed she would turn to more neutral colors for official events.
Princess Diana was the first royal bride who refused to say that she would "obey" her husband during their wedding vows. She also misread Prince Charles's full name during the ceremony.
Kate also left out the line that said she would "obey" Prince William from her vows.
Meghan also removed "obey" from her vows. She and Prince Harry took a step further by using casual monikers rather than their full names during the ceremony.
It caused quite a stir when the 19-year-old bride selected her engagement ring from the Garrard jewelry collection catalog. The sapphire sparkler, though gorgeous, was "accessible" to the public, whereas British royals usually pick custom-made engagement rings.
Prince William proposed to Kate Middleton with his mother's engagement ring, which is estimated at $500,000 now. However, it was too big for her, so platinum beads were put inside it to fit her finger.
Royals usually save their black outfits for funerals or mourning, but Diana wasn't afraid to wear them to various engagements.
This was neither the first nor the last time for Meghan to be seen in all in black in public. I bet she and Diana would talk a lot about fashion if they'd had the chance.
It's an implicit rule that royals are expected to wear neutral nail polish or no polish at all. That's also the Queen's preference. However, Princess Diana put the royal protocol on the backburner and chose a scarlet nail polish to match her gown.
Meghan is a big fan of dark nail polish and often sports dark reds, blacks, or purples at events.
Journalist Katrine Ames wrote in Newsweek in 1997, "She[Diana] tried to arrange her schedule to match the boys." She took care of them along with nannies and wrote down every detail of her sons' lives in her calendar.
Female royals aren't supposed to wear pants to formal activities, but Diana seemed unafraid to challenge the rule on occasion.
Traditionally, royals have home births, yet Diana gave birth to Prince William in the Lindo Wing of St. Mary's Hospital in 1982 and Prince Harry in the same hospital two years later.
Kate followed Diana's "new tradition" by having all three of her children in the Lindo Wing of St. Mary's Hospital.
Meghan also opted for a hospital birth. However, Archie wasn't delivered at St. Mary's, but at Portland Hospital in London.