7 times Princess Diana broke royal protocol – including iconic moment people still remember today

Diana was breaking the rules before she even joined the royal family, including the choice of her engagement ring. In the past, engagement rings were custom-made and are passed down through the family. Diana’s gorgeous ring features a stunning sapphire, which reportedly reminded the late royal of her mother’s own band.

Royal births were usually a home affair, with King Charles and his siblings all being born in royal residences. However, when it came to giving birth to Prince William and Prince Harry, Diana gave birth in the Lindo Wing at St Mary’s Hospital, breaking centuries of tradition.

Her decision has caught on, with other royals now giving birth in a hospital. All three of William and Kate Middleton’s children were born in the same wing that the heir to the throne was.

It used to be that royal children were educated behind closed doors with private tutors, but this is another area where Diana tore up the rulebook. William became the first royal in history to be entirely educated in the public school sector, something that he has also embraced with his own children.

Diana broke plenty of rules when it came to her own children, and one of which was that she refused to have a nanny raising them. As a previous nursery worker, Diana was equipped with all the skills she needed, and she was certainly a hands-on mum, spending plenty of time with her two children.

Lana Marks, an old friend of Diana, once noted: “She would drop everything when the boys came home from school. It didn’t matter which head of state she had to see or what gala she had to attend. Those were secondary.”

One of the reasons that many continue to love Princess Diana was her impeccable fashion sense. However, many of her looks violated the royal fashion code. The royal was often glimpsed in backless or strapless dresses, and while she was no longer a royal at the time, no one could ever forget her iconic ‘revenge’ dress.

Although it’s a fashion rule that has been relaxed in recent years, at the time Diana was a royal, it was expected that royal ladies would wear gloves while out on engagements to prevent the spread of germs. But Diana was often spotted with her bare hands when interacting with members of the public.

Like many royals, charity work was a key part of Diana’s duties; however, some of the causes that she chose to champion weren’t expected for a royal at the time. In 1987, the royal opened London Middlesex Hospital’s dedicated HIV and AIDS ward, shaking hands with the patients, at a time when people thought the illness could be transmitted by skin contact.

According to Diana’s former police protection officer, Ken Wharfe, the late royal was once confronted over her activism. “The Princess would go to see the Queen on a number of occasions. [Once] she returned to the car distressed. I asked ‘What’s the matter?’ and she said ‘The queen doesn’t like me getting involved with AIDS… [and said] ‘why don’t you get involved with something more pleasant?'” he explained.

“I think Diana was very angry and annoyed the Queen could not see what she was doing. She felt a member of the Royal Family should be involved with campaigns to find a cure for AIDS.”