Princess Diana's Only Met Gala Appearance Told Her Post-Divorce Story Through Fashion

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It’s hard to believe that almost 30 years ago, Princess Diana attended the Met Gala. It wasn’t any ordinary royal appearance, though. It happened about three months after her divorce from Prince Charles was finalized, so the December 9, 1996, engagement was an important one. Her gown was about to tell a story about her post-divorce life.

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It was a natural fit for the Princess of Wales to attend that year because they were honoring the late designer Christian Dior, a brand that was often worn during her royal years. Diana was also the guest of Liz Tilberis, the former editor of British Vogue and the then-editor-in-chief at Harper’s Bazaar, who was being honored that night, according to Marie Claire. The media mogul was “a powerful ally of the princess during her separation from Prince Charles,” per Newsweek, so the Met Gala night was the perfect opportunity for Diana to make a fashion statement on the red carpet.

The then-35-year-old chose an ensemble that would have never passed the palace’s royal wardrobe protocols — it was downright sexy. Vogue described her look: “[the] inky silk John Galliano for Dior slip dress, with its lace negligée trim and matching dressing-gown style robe, was eons away from the Di who once charmed the world with her sheep jumper and signaled that the recent divorcée was enjoying a new phase of her life unshackled from Kensington Palace protocol.” We love that it was called her “most un-royal look to date.” Take that, Charles and Camilla!

Princess Diana did have a few reservations about choosing such a risqué ensemble, but it had nothing to do with the palace. Royal author Katie Nicholl shared in her 2010 book William and Harry that she worried most about her oldest son being uncomfortable with her less-than-conservative look. William was 14 at the time and heavily impacted by his parents’ divorce. But fashion ruled the day, according to Yahoo, as “the urge to make a bold sartorial statement as a newly single woman won out.” Author Eloise Moran told the media outlet that Diana “looked fabulous” as well as “so happy and confident” that night. It was a coming-out party for her. “I think she was positioning it in a different way, as a kind of international megastar, Marilyn Monroe-type icon rather than a member of the royal family,” she added. “And I think the dress really reflected that.”

Sadly, the fashion world didn’t get many more opportunities to work with Diana in her post-royal life because her life was tragically cut short just eight months later. Her impact on the fashion world is still felt today and her fleeting moment at her only Met Gala stands the test of time.

Before you go, click here to see all of our favorite photos of Princess Diana.

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