9 Times Princess Diana Broke With Royal Tradition, From Her Fashion to Her Parenting
9 Times Princess Diana Broke With Royal Tradition, From Her Fashion to Her Parenting
Bailey BujnosekMon, May 11, 2026 at 3:27 PM UTC
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Princess Diana sitting outside her country home, Highgrove, in 1986.
Credit: Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty ImagesThe Gist
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Princess Diana was a trailblazer throughout her royal tenure.
She flouted traditions in the way she approached marriage, parenthood, and fashion.
For example, Diana broke with royal tradition by becoming the first senior royal to give birth in a hospital rather than at home.
Some rules were meant to be broken. Princess Diana took that tenet to heart, breaking barriers in practically every area of royal life as she carved out her own path.
The late ‘people’s princess’ became known as a rebel over the course of her 15-year marriage to Prince Charles (now King Charles). Her self-determinism ramped up following her divorce from Charles in 1996, but she’d always been one to do things her own way.
Responding to the claim the royal family decided she was a “nonstarter” in her famous 1995 Panorama interview (via People), Diana said it was "[b]ecause I do things differently, because I don't go by a rule book, because I lead from the heart, not the head, and albeit that's got me into trouble in my work, I understand that. But someone's got to go out there and love people and show it."
Ahead, revisit nine times Princess Diana broke with royal protocol or challenged tradition, paving her own way forward—and changing the royal family for good.
01 of 09
Holding a Paying Job Before Marriage
Diana Spencer at the Young England Kindergarten in September 1980.
Credit: Anwar Hussein/WireImage
Although she came from an aristocratic family, Diana decided to enter the workforce following her move to London in 1978. The enterprising teen worked as a nanny, a dance instructor, and a kindergarten assistant at the Young England School before her 1981 marriage to Charles. According to a 2017 PSarticle, Diana was the first royal bride to hold a paying job before marriage—but today, it’s the norm, with both Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle working before they wed their princes. (Kate, in turn, became the first royal bride who held a university degree.)
02 of 09
Choosing an Engagement Ring Available in a Catalog
Princess Diana in a 1983 portrait, wearing her sapphire engagement ring.
Credit: Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images
Upon their engagement, Charles presented Diana with an array of rings to choose from rather than creating a custom sparkler for her, as was tradition. What truly made her pick rebellious, however, was that her iconic sapphire sparkler was one which jeweler Garrard sold in a catalog. Anyone with the means could buy it—reportedly to the disapproval of other members of the royal family.
03 of 09
Omitting ‘Obey’ From Her Wedding Vows
Prince Charles and Princess Diana at the altar during their marriage ceremony in 1981.
Credit: Hulton Archive/Getty Images
At the pivotal moment when she became Princess of Wales—July 29, 1981, aka her wedding day—Diana made the bold move of omitting the part of her vows promising to “obey” her husband. She instead vowed to “love him, comfort him, honor him, and keep him, in sickness and in health,” in accordance with the newer ritual of the Church of England, The New York Times reported. Kate and Meghan would later do the same when reciting their vows at their respective weddings.
04 of 09
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Giving Birth in a Hospital
Princess Diana, holding Prince William, with Prince Charles outside St. Mary's hospital in 1982.
Credit: David Levenson/Getty Images
Although Diana wasn’t the first member of the royal family to give birth at a hospital, she was the first royal of her rank to do so. At the same time, she started a new tradition: appearing outside the Lindo Wing of St. Mary’s Hospital. The princess did so after she’d given birth to sons Prince William and Prince Harry—making the former the first future British king to be born outside the palace walls, per People.
05 of 09
Sending Her Kids to School
Princess Diana with her sons in 1989.
Credit: Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images
Rather than tutoring William and Harry at home, Diana sent them off to school to be around other children their age. While Charles, his father Prince Philip, and his brothers had all attended Gordonstoun in Scotland, Diana “insisted the boys be sent to board at Eton College,” according to Edward White’s 2025 book Dianaworld: An Obsession. William has similarly enrolled his three children at school instead of educating them at home.
06 of 09
Being a Hands-On Parent
Diana, Harry, and William at Thorpe Park in 1993.
Credit: Julian Parker/UK Press via Getty Images
Many royal mothers relinquished the raising of their children to nannies to be better able to focus on their duties. The late Princess of Wales flouted this tradition, finding ways to spend time with William and Harry despite her obligations. Former royal chef Darren McGrady shared in a 2022 interview with Coffee Friend, “On a Saturday night, you’d see Diana sitting down in front of the TV eating dinner with her boys,” adding, “it just made everything so normal."
07 of 09
Wearing Modern and Daring Fashions
Princess Diana at the White House in November 1985.
Credit: Getty Images
You’d be hard-pressed to find any royals before Diana that were adventurous with their fashions. While unspoken royal protocol dictated a modest, staid manner of dressing for generations prior, Diana brought the House of Windsor into the modern age with her endless array of now-iconic looks. From donning backless dresses and sequins to wearing black outside of a funereal context, she broke all the rules—and continues to be celebrated as a trailblazing trendsetter because of that.
08 of 09
Getting Candid About Her Marriage and Mental Health
Martin Bashir interviews Princess Diana in Kensington Palace for the television program 'Panorama.'
Credit: Pool Photograph/Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images
Part of what made the princess so relatable to the general public was her openness about the less glamorous elements of royal life. Her explosive BBC Panorama interview was unprecedented for its revelations about infidelity in her marriage and the negative effects of palace life on her mental health, according to TIME.
09 of 09
Destigmatizing HIV/AIDS
Princess Diana shaking hands with an AIDS patient on April 9, 1987
Credit: Anwar Hussein/WireImage
Diana’s humanitarian legacy continues to be upheld by her sons, and all who were inspired by her example of unconditional care and advocacy for those in need. Notably, in 1987, the princess helped shatter the stigma around HIV/AIDS by shaking hands with an AIDS patient at a London clinic. She later told the press, per CNN, “HIV does not make people dangerous to know, so you can shake their hands and give them a hug, heaven knows, they need it.”
on InStyle
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