Princess Diana’s Fashion Legacy Celebrated at Kensington Palace

This year marks 20 years since the death of Princess Diana, and Kensington Palace is showcasing her fashion highlights in her honour.

When in London, a visit to Kensington Palace is a must for fans of all things royal. It’s the current home of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and his family, including Prince Harry. It was also home to the late Princess Diana, who is currently being celebrated in Diana: Her Fashion Story, an exhibit that focuses on the evolution of her style during her short, but storied, public life.

Before you get to the exhibit, the tour takes you through the Palace to the set of rooms—rooms where Diana and the young Queen Victoria both spent much of their royal lives.

The collection features many fashion highlights Diana fans will immediately recognize from the countless press and paparazzi photos, including the pale pink Emanuel blouse she wore for her official engagement photo when she sat for her portrait for Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Lord Snowdon, as well as the infamous navy blue velvet column the princess wore when she took a twirl of the White House ballroom with none other than John Travolta.

The pair cut a swath not only through the ballroom rug, but also through the rumour mill. Was there an affair brewing? Diana was quick to blush her innocence. She wore her heart on her sleeve and her face told us her story, and it’s why we still love her to this day.

Many of the dresses include photos of Diana wearing them and brief descriptions of the occasions. Other highlights include a wall of original fashion sketches documenting the collaborative process between the princess and her favourite designers, plus the never-before-displayed blue tartan Emanuel suit which Diana wore on an official visit to Venice in the 1980s.

Tickets are limited and the official Kensington Palace website is only selling tickets for October; however, there is ticket availability from November through to the end of February 2018, when the Palace expects the exhibit to close. If you go before the end of December, you can also tour the Palace’s White Garden, inaugurated August 30, 2017, by Princes William and Harry in honour of their mother’s memory.

For more info and a link to tickets: www.hrp.org.uk/kensington-palace/explore/diana-her-fashion-story/

If you go: www.visitbritain.com/ca/en