It will soon be close to three decades since her death, but Princess Diana continues to inspire, influence and inhabit the hearts of people. Those whose lives she touched merely by being, and also those who have may have never seen her alive but are in awe of her powerful personality, which has managed to live on through the ages. The People’s Princess has often been dubbed one of the earliest influencers, she was the subject that drove paparazzi culture into becoming the monster that it now is, but she was also one of the first few to use the world’s interest in her celebrity and navigate it to highlight more important causes around the world.
Princess Diana’s fashion choices have also been the subject of many conversations, her choices were scrutinized when she was a member of the British Royal Family, as she often broke Royal Protocol and wore what pleased her, but her unique fashion sense continues to inspire actors, celebrities, influencers, her own daughters-in-law – Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle, as well as commoners around the world.
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The mother to Prince William and Prince Harry often made the news for her fashion choices, but she was also known for being very respectful of other cultures, and always dressed appropriately when visiting other nations. For her visit to the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital upon her arrival in Lahore, Pakistan on May 22, 1997, the late Princess Diana wore a classic blue salwar kameez by designer Ritu Kumar. She stood for photographs alongside the current Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and his then wife Jemima Khan, now Goldsmith. Jemima also wore a Ritu Kumar anarkali suit.
The veteran designer shared photos of the iconic moment. In the caption, Ritu Kumar shared that the Princess loved to shop from the designer’s store in London, which closed in , and that Princess Di only wished for some privacy. Ritu Kumar said, “Diana was a patron of my store in London. She would call the store herself when she wanted to visit. She would cycle down to the store, park at Mayfair behind our store, and walk the few minutes to it. She would only request us to keep a part of the store free of customers to give her some privacy, and would enjoy browsing there.”
To commemorate the late philathropist, a statue of the former Princess of Wales by sculptor Ian Rank-Broadley will be unveiled in the UK on July 1, on what would have been her 60th birthday.