See 10 of Princess Diana's Best Red Carpet Moments on What Would Have Been Her 65th Birthday
See 10 of Princess Diana's Best Red Carpet Moments on What Would Have Been Her 65th Birthday
Emily BlackwoodWed, July 1, 2026 at 10:00 AM UTC
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Lady Diana Spencer at the premiere of 'For Your Eyes Only' on June 24, 1981, in London; Princess Diana at the 1996 Met Gala in New York; Princess Diana at the Premiere of 'Santa Claus' on November 25, 1985, in LondonCredit: Anwar Hussein/Getty; Richard Corkery/NY Daily News via Getty; David Levenson/Getty -
Princess Diana worked with stylist Anna Harvey for 17 years to refine her iconic fashion sense
Designers like Catherine Walker and Bruce Oldfield helped shape her evolving style and public image
Diana's red carpet looks often featured bold designs and sparkles, showcasing her love of experimenting with fashion
Princess Diana was a fashion icon both on and off the red carpet, but the late Princess of Wales reserved some of her most glamorous looks for premieres, galas and charity events.
Following her 1981 engagement to then-Prince Charles, she began working with former British Vogue editor Anna Harvey.
“I literally had one long dress, one silk shirt, one smart pair of shoes and that was it," Princess Diana later told biographer Andrew Morton, per InStyle. "Suddenly my mother and I had to go and buy six of everything.”
Harvey would serve as the princess' stylist for the next 17 years until her death in 1997.
"Fashion might not have been a priority, but she loved to experiment," said the editor, who died from cancer in 2018, per The Sunday Times, wrote in a 1997 essay for British Vogue. "She knew what she liked, and she could be difficult to sway.”
Here's a look back at Princess Diana's most memorable red carpet moments on what would have been her 65th birthday.
01 of 10
Princess Diana at the For Your Eyes Only premiere
Lady Diana Spencer attends the premiere of 'For Your Eyes Only' on June 24, 1981Credit: Anwar Hussein/Getty
For the 1981 premiere of the James Bond film For Your Eyes Only in London, Princess Diana wowed in a red chiffon Bellville Sassoon gown.
She wore the sparkly number only a month before her wedding to the future King Charles, who acceded to the throne upon his mother Queen Elizabeth's death in 2022.
02 of 10
Princess Diana at the Octopussy premiere in 1983
Diana, Princess of Wales at the premiere of 'Octopussy' on June 6, 1983, in London, United KingdomCredit: Anwar Hussein/Getty
Princess Diana continued to stun on the red carpet when she wore a white beaded Hachi ensemble to the London premiere of Octopussy in 1983.
Harvey wrote in her British Vogue essay that the princess "loved" one-sleeve dresses and "made a beeline" for the gown when she brought it over to Kensington Palace.
03 of 10
Princess Diana at the Royal Variety Performance
Diana, Princess of Wales attends a Royal Variety Performance on November 19, 1984Credit: Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty
The Princess of Wales wore another Bellville Sassoon dress — a white off-the-shoulder chiffon piece with purple and pink pastel paisley details — to attend the Royal Variety Performance in 1984.
Vintage collector Cherie Balch told British Voguein April 2025 that Princess Diana began working with the British couture house at age 19 and that they designed over 70 outfits for her.
04 of 10
Princess Diana at the A View To A Kill premiere
Princess Diana at the premiere for 'A View to a Kill'Credit: Jayne Fincher/Princess Diana Archive/Getty Images
In 1985, Princess Diana walked the red carpet for the premiere of A View to a Kill in a long-sleeved, metallic gold dress designed by Bruce Oldfield.
He collaborated with the beloved royal on several looks and told British Voguein November 2023 that while "she didn't care about clothes" at first, she eventually "grew to enjoy fashion."
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05 of 10
Princess Diana at the Santa Claus premiere
Diana Princess of Wales at the Premiere of Santa Claus on November 25, 1985, in LondonCredit: David Levenson/Getty
The royal trendsetter was also known to love designs by Catherine Walker, which she wore later that same year to the London premiere of Santa Claus.
In Harvey's British Vogue essay, she described Walker as "indispensable" at helping to create "a more serious image" for the princess and that she "devised a simple system of suits and tailored dresses that required a minimal number of fittings."
06 of 10
Princess Diana at a charity performance of High Society
Diana, the Princess of Wales, attends a charity performance of 'High Society'Credit: Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty
The Princess of Wales' love for sparkles was on display again when she walked the red carpet to attend a 1987 charity performance of the musical High Society at the Victoria Palace Theatre in London.
07 of 10
Princess Diana at the Cannes Film Festival in 1987
Diana, Princess of Wales at the Cannes Film Festival on May 15, 1987, in Cannes, FranceCredit: Anwar Hussein/Getty
When the late princess attended the 1987 Cannes Film Festival, she did so wearing a strapless pale blue tulle dress designed by Walker.
According to British Vogue, the piece was inspired by a blue Edith Head gown that Grace Kelly wore in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1955 film To Catch a Thief.
08 of 10
Princess Diana at The Royal Ballet
Diana, the Princess of Wales, at a gala performance by The Royal Ballet at the Berlin Opera House in Germany on November 1, 1987Credit: Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty
In yet another fabulous collaboration with Walker, Princess Diana opted for a pale pink satin evening dress with white trim to attend The Royal Ballet in Germany later that year.
09 of 10
Princess Diana at the Diamond Ball in 1990
Diana, Princess Of Wales, attends The Diamond Ball at The Royal Lancaster Hotel on December 4, 1990Credit: Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty
In another collaboration with Walker, Princess Diana wore a sparkly sequined turquoise gown to the Diamond Ball in 1990.
She paired the piece with an equally sparkly emerald choker that she had famously worn as a headband during a 1985 tour of Australia.
10 of 10
Princess Diana at the Met Gala
Princess Diana at the 1996 Met Gala in New YorkCredit: Richard Corkery/NY Daily News via Getty
Princess Diana only attended the Costume Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art once in her lifetime, debuting a sleek navy slip dress that became one of the defining looks of her post-royal style.
The piece was designed by John Galliano and worn only a few months after her divorce from Prince Charles was finalized.
In the Hulu docuseries In Vogue: The 90s, he revealed that while en route to the 1996 Met Gala, the princess "ripped" a corset out of the boudoir-inspired gown.
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