She was one of the most photographed women in the world, but we bet you’ve never seen some of these rare photos of Princess Diana
50 Stunning, Rare Photos of Princess Diana
Updated on May 30, 2025
She even makes plaid look couture
If you thought that long plaid skirts were reserved for Catholic schoolgirls, think again. This rare photo of Princess Diana in the 1980s shows how she always took fashion risks. Despite her iconic style, Diana was known as being sweet, shy and innocent, sometimes appearing overwhelmed by media attention. Her personality is reflected with her early fashion sense, which some may describe as demure and modest.
The sweetest giggle
They say laughter looks good on everyone—including Princess Diana, of course! Diana’s former hairstylist Richard Dalton described Diana as having an “amazing, wicked sense of humor,” so we wonder what made her giggle in this rare photo of her from the ’80s!
Confidence was her best accessory
Subtle accessories like a pearl necklace, scarf and woven wicker basket tote bag are what makes Princess Diana a style icon for every generation. This pic was taken outside of her London flat in December 1980, just a few months before her engagement to Prince Charles on Feb. 24, 1981.
Working woman
Before she became the Princess of Wales, Diana was known as “Lady Diana Spencer” to her friends and family. She came from a wealthy and aristocratic family, but she worked as a kindergarten teacher and lived in a London flat with her friends, which is where photographers snapped this other shot.
A royal engagement
After announcing their engagement, Diana and Prince Charles posed for pictures at Craigowan Lodge on the royal family’s Balmoral Estate in Scotland. While Princess Diana’s ring was an undeniable showstopper, it was her sweater that became instantly famous, and ladies around the world scrambled to purchase it themselves.
Ravishing in red
Arriving at the London premiere of the 1981 James Bond film For Your Eyes Only, Diana sparkled in a red Bellville Sassoon dress. Her wedding to Prince Charles was only weeks away, and thousands of fans waited for hours outside the theater to catch a glimpse of the soon-to-be princess.
The blushing bride
On the Buckingham Palace balcony in front of a roaring crowd, the Prince and Princess of Wales shared their first kiss as husband and wife. The couple officially tied the knot on July 29, 1981, and had a global television audience of 750 million people in 74 countries. What’s more, Princess Diana’s wedding dress later inspired a wave of imitations worldwide.
All tuckered out
Royal duties can be exhausting. Princess Diana famously nodded off during a gala at the Victoria and Albert Museum in November 1981. The next day, the palace announced the good news: She was pregnant with Prince William!
The queen and Diana
Due to their frosty relationship, it was rare to see Princess Diana and Queen Elizabeth II together. Yet in 1982, the Princess of Wales and the queen shared a carriage to attend the opening of Parliament in London. Diana wore a white fur coat and the Spencer tiara for the occasion.
Stealing hearts
Throngs of adoring fans, many waving British and Australian flags, greeted Princess Diana when she arrived in Australia for a royal tour in 1983. It was her first official visit as the Princess of Wales, and she stole their hearts as she waved to the crowd, spoke to the children, and accepted their gifts of flowers and chocolates.
Picnicking with her tiny prince charming
During a tour of Australia and New Zealand, young Princess Diana and Prince Charles took a break from their royal duties to play with baby William and answer questions from reporters. While royal parents typically left their children behind during their official trips, Diana broke tradition by insisting that her son come along. Now it is standard practice for royal babies to tag along on official tours.
Hitting the slopes
The royal couple was on a ski vacation in Liechtenstein in 1984 when they posed for this photo. Diana’s effortless and sporty outfit proves she could look cool no matter what she was doing.
Pretty in pink
During both of her pregnancies, Princess Diana made fashion history with her maternity style. Her wardrobe included everything from flouncy bows to pretty pastels to light and loose-fitting ensembles—like this Jan Van Velden maternity suit that she wore during her pregnancy with Harry.
Holding her early gift
Prince Harry arrived one week ahead of schedule after nine hours of labor, the last three of which Diana spent reading a paperback novel. Just 23 years old at the time, the young mother was glowing as she stepped out of the hospital to greet reporters and adoring fans.
Off to a “flying” start
Many years before Prince Harry became a pilot himself, he took one of his first plane rides, accompanied by Princess Diana, to Aberdeen, Scotland. Diana dressed her little son in this precious “flying suit” to mark the occasion. Like Diana, Prince Harry has spent a lifetime in front of the cameras.
Hard at work
Being a princess isn’t all fun and games. Princess Diana often worked from her desk in Kensington Palace, where she and Prince Charles lived for part of the year. According to royal watchers, she always kept a small wooden school box engraved with the name D. Spencer on her desk, a reminder of her days as a kindergarten teacher.
Twist and tango
When they visited Australia in 1985, Prince Charles and Princess Diana tore up the dance floor—much to the delight of the other gala guests. Diana was wearing a green satin evening gown designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel, the same designers who made her wedding dress.
Belle of the ball
In 1985, Princess Diana paid a visit to the White House and naturally stunned in a dark blue Victor Edelstein gown (which is just as stunning as her revenge dress). Even though she danced with actor John Travolta, all eyes were on the former ballerina; she was the one with the groovy moves.
Embracing a normal life
Diana always tried to give her children a normal childhood despite their royal titles. Like many nonroyal parents at the time, she encouraged them to dress up in costumes and play outside on swing sets and slides.
Baby on board
In this rare photo of Princess Diana, she is seen taking her family on holiday to Majorca, Spain, on Aug. 10, 1987. And who’s that in her lap? A young Prince Harry. Prince Harry’s dad and brother were also on the flight—a decision that broke royal protocol by having more than one heir to the throne on the same plane. Princess Diana was a famous rule breaker, though.
Cheeky monkey
Proving that being a royal mother is a lot like being any other type of mother, Princess Diana is seen here holding 3-and-a-half-year-old Harry, who’s sticking out his tongue at the camera. The family was watching the Trooping the Colour ceremony from the balcony of Buckingham Palace on June 11, 1988. You can almost hear her shushing him.
The wee cops of England
Princes William and Harry got to dress up as their heroes—police officers—for a day. Diana supervises from the background—most likely to make sure they don’t take off on that motorbike!
Giddy-up!
Prince Harry is taking one of his very first pony rides in this picture, with Diana beside him as she guides the horse through the royal estate of Sandringham. One day, the prince would grow up to be an accomplished polo player himself. While the picture is in black and white, it’s worth noting that Diana was wearing a vibrant pink coat that was both stylish and bold.
The real-life Cinderella
In her pretty strapless evening dress, the Princess of Wales turned heads during the 1988 British royal tour of Australia. Prince Charles obviously couldn’t take his eyes off her—and he wasn’t the only one. This rare photo of Princess Diana and Prince Charles showed that despite an unhappy ending, they had some touching moments over the course of their marriage.
Bicycling with the boys
A family bike ride while on holiday in the Scilly Isles in June 1989 inevitably turned into a photo shoot for the young royals. Since family outings like these were rare, Princess Diana soaked up the time she could spend with her boys.
Polo pals
Believe it or not, polo played a surprising role in Prince William’s birth. “When we had William, we had to find a date in the diary that suited Charles and his polo,” Diana once said. William was induced on a day that Prince Charles wasn’t away playing polo, so he could be there for the birth. Diana and William also shared a mutual love of the game, as you can see in this 1989 photo.
The Brits in their beige power suits
Princess Diana and Prince Charles knocked their iconic power couple image out of the park during their visit to Cameroon in 1990. It’s proof that beige doesn’t have to be bland!
Baseball blues
Even little princes can have bad days. William wiped away tears at the Royal Sports Day in Richmond, Britain, in 1990. Whatever was bothering the young prince that day, Diana was there to offer comfort and support. She continued supporting both of her sons long after her death by passing down priceless heirlooms.
Forever fashionably chic
Princess Diana speaks with Princess Margaret, Queen Elizabeth’s sister, while waiting at Victoria State for the state visit of the Italian president in October 1980. Soon, women around the world would mimic her impeccable fashion sense.
Running the show
The People’s Princess would never let dangly earrings, a blazer and skirt, or even shoes dampen her competitive spirit. She came in second place at a Mother’s Day run at a local children’s school in 1991, with her hair flying as fast as her feet!
Sharing a love of tennis
Princess Diana and Prince William attended many tennis matches together when he was a child. Now Prince William watches tennis with his own three children and explains the rules to them during the match. It’s just one of the many ways that Princess Diana’s sons are trying to keep her memory alive.
The love between mother and son
No one questions the Princess of Wales’s unconditional love for her sons Princes William and Harry, and this photo of Princess Diana proves it. Whether they were apart for a few days or a few months, she was always excited to see them—and the look on her face here says it all. She couldn’t be happier!
Embracing different cultures
While visiting Noorpour Shahan, a small village in Pakistan, Princess Diana wore a traditional garland over her pink-and-blue skirt suit. It was important to Diana to respect all cultures and people, no matter where she was.
Pretty in pastels
All of the royal women donned pastels for the annual Trooping the Colour parade in 1992. As they stood on the balcony in this photo, they watched the British Royal Navy planes fly by.
An intimate chat with the People’s Princess
In 1992, Princess Diana visited Sylvia Killick, the only female resident at the time at the London Lighthouse, a center for people with AIDS. During a time when HIV and AIDS patients were often stigmatized and shunned, Diana raised awareness for the crisis by becoming one of the most famous people to visit AIDS wards and hospices, as well as not being afraid to hug or shake the hands of those afflicted with the disease.
A jolly good time with her favorite lads
In 1993, the royal family let loose with a trip to Thorpe Park, where Diana rode along on the amusement-park rides with her sons. It’s been reported that the family visited the park three years in a row during the Easter holidays in 1991, 1992 and 1993. During their visits, Diana always had them wait in line for all of the rides, insisting that they should be treated like everyone else.
A global inspiration
Wearing a safari suit made by one of her favorite designers, Catherine Walker, Diana spooned soup into the bowls of waiting children at the Nemazura feeding center, a Red Cross project for refugees in Zimbabwe, in 1993. The Princess of Wales inspired millions around the world with her good deeds and these inspiring quotes.
Looking fresh as a daisy
Diana donned a pinstripe power suit and her signature pixie cut for a 1993 visit to Centrepoint, an organization that provides housing for homeless youth in England and throughout the United Kingdom. No matter where she went, fans flocked to see her and give her flowers, like the ones she held here. It was just one of the many reasons why she was known as the People’s Princess.
A happy Christmas fit for a princess
When you are a member of the royal family, there is no such thing as tacky Christmas-sweater photos. Princess Diana, along with William and Harry, got dressed up in their Christmas Day best in 1994.
All dressed up, but …
On Sept. 6, 1985, Princess Diana brought Prince Harry along for his older brother’s first day at Eton College, the distinguished prep school from which both William and Harry would graduate. Prince Harry was dressed to look the part that day, but he wouldn’t start at Eton until three years later.
Keeping it real
Princess Diana shared a laugh with her boys during the V-J Day 50th Anniversary celebrations in London in 1995. In the 2017 documentary about his mother’s life, Prince William remembered that “she was very informal and really enjoyed the laughter and the fun. … She understood that there was a real life outside of palace walls.”
Big laughs with her sisters
The cameras caught Princess Diana in a rare moment of genuine laughter while leaving London’s Royal Opera House in 1995. Her sisters, Lady Sarah McCorquodale and Lady Jane Fellowes, giggle along with her. Unfortunately, this happy photo of Princess Diana hides a darker past. Diana’s relationship with her sisters was somewhat tumultuous.
Sailing the ocean blue
The Princess of Wales bucked the rules during a boat excursion by turning down a life vest. Despite safety protocols asking passengers to wear those bright orange jackets, Diana probably didn’t want them to clash with her powder-blue ensemble.
Committed to the cause
Diana wore plenty of pretty dresses, but she also wasn’t afraid to get her hands dirty for a good cause. In this photo, Princess Diana wore protective body armor and a visor while visiting a minefield in Angola. While being an official patron to her favorite charities was among the things she lost after divorcing Prince Charles, she continued to support and advocate for many important causes until her death in 1997.
High-seas adventurers
Shortly before her death, Princess Diana was spotted with Prince William and Dodi Al Fayed (not pictured), her boyfriend at the time. In July 1997, the group was soaking up some sun on a friend’s boat while vacationing in St. Tropez. In his memoir Spare, Prince Harry wrote: “Everything about that trip to St. Tropez was heaven.” However, just a few weeks after this picture was taken, Diana and Al Fayed were killed in a car crash in Paris, sparking conspiracy theories that surround her tragic death to this day.
Last lunch
In this rare photo of Princess Diana, photographers captured Diana and Wills (a royal nickname the prince used to be called by his parents), sharing a mother-son lunch at La Famiglia in Chelsea, London, in 1997. Though they didn’t know it at the time, it would be one of their last moments together. Princess Diana died just 10 days later.
Additional reporting by Brooke Nelson Alexander.
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