Prince Charles proposed to Diana SpencerHis soon-to be bride took the world by storm in 1981. Princess Diana quickly became a social and fashion icon.
The Chanel suits and accessories were a favorite of the late Princess of Wales. But after her contentious divorce, the mother of two couldn’t bring herself to wear anything from the French fashion house.
It was not known why Lady Di refused Chanel after her divorce for years, until a recent interview.
Happily Ever After Turned Hellacious
At first, the public gobbled up Charles and Diana’s love story. It seemed like a classic fairy tale—a noble prince falling for a shy aristocrat far removed from regimented royal life.
Photos of Princess Diana were everywhere after their July 1981 televised wedding. The world was able to see every outfit she wore for every occasion. She was able to wear casual or formal outfits, cementing her place among style icons Jane Birkin and Jackie O.
In the meantime, Princess Diana was going through a painful marriage behind closed doors. Five years after the wedding, Prince Charles began an illicit affair with Camilla Parker Bowes. Prince Charles had been a long-time acquaintance of Bowles (now the Duchess Of Cornwall).
The Prince and Princess of Wales lived separate lives at this point. They separated in 1992. When asked about Bowles’s role in her divorce in a 1995 interview with BBC1, Princess Diana replied sadly, “Well, there were three of us in this marriage. So, it was a bit crowded.”
After Prince Charles admitted to his affair with Camilla Parker Bowles in 1994, Princess Diana stunned the world in what would later be called her “revenge dress.” But when it came to her signature tailored Chanel suits, she couldn’t bear to pull them out of the closet.
An Unwanted Reminder
Jayson Brunsdon, an Australian designer, shined a light on the reasons why the late Princess of Monaco couldn’t wear Chanel anymore in a 2018 interview with Harper’s Bazaar.
Brunsdon remembered helping Lady Di get ready to take a photo in the hospital. She was wearing a cream Versace skirt suit and couldn’t decide on which shoes to wear.
“She went back to her bedroom and came out holding handfuls of shoes and bags and just dumped them all down on the couch,” Brunsdon said. “Then she said, ‘What do you think?’ So, I went through them all, and I found a pair of Chanel shoes.”
“I said, ‘Well, these would look great with the Versace.’ And she said, ‘No, I can’t wear linked Cs–the double C.” The interlinked C’s, the princess explained, reminded her too much of her ex-husband and his new lover (aka Charles and Camilla).
Princess Diana EventuallyWhen Chanel was first introduced to her wardrobe, she opted for pieces that didn’t have the iconic linked C logo. This was unfortunately where her style evolution would continue.
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