Princess Diana's Iconic Sheep Sweater Was Allegedly a Wedding Gift That Gave a Subtle Hint About Her Place in the Family

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, SheKnows may receive an affiliate commission.

Even in 2023, Princess Diana’s fashion remains some of the most influential — especially when it comes to her street style. While we know that she often repeated her street clothes to avoid incessant paparazzi, many still don’t know the origins of her iconic threads. In resurfaced details from the DailyMail, the black sheep sweater is rumored to be a gift from one of her wedding page boy’s mothers, as a wedding gift. But who? And why?

More from SheKnows

• This Surprising British Royal Couple Reportedly Had the Only Wedding Not Paid for By Taxpayers

Well, the two page-boys in her wedding to King Charles III were Lord Nicholas Windsor, whose mother is Katharine, Duchess of Kent, and Edward Van Cutsem, whose mother is Emilie Quarles van Ufford. While neither mothers and Diana seemed to have been best buds, many believe the gift was from Katharine, Duchess of Kent since she and Diana were pictured together, looking quite chummy, at the Order of the Garter Ceremony in London back in 1993.

You may be asking: was this sweater a cheeky joke or kind of a jab at Diana? Many fans believed her black sheep sweater “hinted at her feelings of being an outsider in the Royal family,” according to the DailyMail. (For those that don’t know, the term “black sheep” of the family is a term used for a member of the family that is dubbed an outsider, or more harshly, a disgrace to the family, per Merriam-Webster.)

Click here to read the full article.

If this sweater was in fact from Katharine, then it was probably a cheeky joke between the pair, since Katharine’s story is quite similar. Both Diana and Katharine were in noble families, but married into the monarchy and got their titles after their marriages.

But if the alleged wedding gift designed by Sally Muir and Joanna Osborne for their line, Warm & Wonderful was from Emilie, then it may have been a jab. Not much is known if Emilie and Diana even had a relationship, but Emilie has been close to Charles for decades now.

Diana: A Closely Guarded Secret by Ken Wharfe

John Blake

For years, Inspector Ken Wharfe was one of Princess Diana’s closest confidants. The late Princess of Wales’ former bodyguard offers an intimate account of the famous royal’s life in Diana: A Closely Guarded Secret. The memoir offers new insight into what we thought we knew about Princess Diana, with unfiltered anecdotes and reflections on her life through Wharfe’s eyes.

‘Diana: A Closely Guarded Secret’ by Ken Wharfe

Price: $15.15

Buy On Amazon

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

Launch Gallery: 18 Times Kate Middleton Perfectly Recreated Princess Diana’s Iconic Fashion

Best of SheKnows

• The Real-Life Story of Theranos Founder Elizabeth Holmes: From Fraudster Billionaire to Prison

• 47 Celebrities Who Died Tragically Young

• All the Celebrities Who Got Engaged in 2023

Sign up for SheKnows' Newsletter.
For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.