That Time I Met Princess Diana

Original Post June 20, 2017

Twenty years ago this month, I met Princess Diana–not more than a few weeks before she died.

I didn’t realize that I was going to meet her until I was standing before her. Here’s what happened:

I was good friends with a woman who was also my seamstress. She wanted to become a superstar designer. In addition to the scarf she was working on for me me, she was making a dress to send Princess Diana as a gift.

In the meantime, she had tickets to see Diana’s dresses on display at Christie’s in New York, and asked if I wanted to come with.

The front entrance was jammed when we arrived that evening. Along line went down the hallway.

I’m not even going to try to fight that, I thought. If I went toward the back, I figured, I’d be able to find a nibble and refresh my lipstick, and wait until the queue subsided.

I found a back room that was mostly empty. Then, right in front of me, the wall opened up. It felt like a storybook or a game of Clue.

And through this secret passage walks none other than the Princess herself.

I was startled, to say the least. And had nothing prepared tosay. I had a copy of Diana’s book in my hands, so I asked, “Hi, would you please sign my book?”

Diana looked at me, smiled, and said, “Okay.”

We stood close enough that I could see that I was slightly taller than her. People came up, asking permission to take photographs.

They started posing us, and took a few photos, like this one:

It was over quickly. “You’re so lucky,” somebody in the room told me. “She never takes pictures with people. And she signed your book!”

My friend, who had brought me in the first place, felt crushed that she didn’t have the same chance.

At the end of the night, when the Princess was about to leave,once again, I happened to be in the right place at the right time. I stood in the spot where she headed for her exit.

“Princess,” I said.

She looked me in the eye. “Who are you? You keep appearing,” she said.

“My friend made you a dress. She was really hoping to meet you.”

“Take me to your friend,” she said. “I’d love to meet her.”

My friend now also had her photo taken with the Princess.

And then, Diana was gone.

This happened in June 1997. Two months later, in August, I was on vacation in northern California when I heard the news that she had passed away. Like so many who admired her, I was overwhelmed, but all the more so for having met her and experienced her graciousness firsthand.

As this summer marks the anniversary of her death, you’ll likely be hearing reflections on Diana’s life in the weeks to come. Thanks for letting me share this small story of her everyday graciousness with you.