22 Photos That Show What Princess Diana Was Like Before Royal Life
17. 1980
Before she earned the status of fashion icon, the future bride topped her evening gown with a plain wool coat at Princess Margaret’s 50th birthday party. Of course she would soon own hundreds of designer dresses.
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18. 1981
Prince Charles proposed to the 19-year-old in February 1981. She picked her engagement ring — an 18-carat sapphire surrounded by 14 diamonds — out of the Gerrad jewelry catalog.
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19. 1981
With a wedding set for July, Lady Diana Spencer kicked back in rubber boots and a casual sweater while at the Scottish royal residence Balmoral.
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20. 1981
Crowds gathered to catch a glimpse of the future princess during a visit to Tetbury on May 22, 1981.
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21. 1981
The media frequently followed Diana in the summer days leading up the wedding. Here she is in Windsor after the Ascot races on June 16, 1981.
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22. 1981
The constant press attention wore down on Diana. At one polo match that July, “the persistence of the paparazzi” caused the 20-year-old to start crying, the Washington Post reported at the time. With her wedding only a few days away, her life in the spotlight had officially begun.