20+ Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Princess Diana

1. She was the first royal to have a paying job before getting engaged

(Image Source/ Pinterest.com)It's rare that royals wed genuinely ordinary people. Now, of course, it seems more normal - Prince William married his university sweetheart Kate, who he lived with in his first-year student residence. And his brother Harry married a rising star in the TV world, actor Megan Markle.

2. She was an accomplished pianist

(Image/ Source: Flickr Credit: Joe Haupt)It's no secret that Diana loved music, but did you know that she was very good on the piano? She took piano lessons when she was in school and developed quite a talent for the instrument. This seems to run in the family.

3. She chose her own engagement ring

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Choosing an engagement ring is a huge decision, especially for a royal. It will inevitably become the symbol for your royal relationship, and many royal brides will opt for a custom design to mark their wedding. However, Diana didn't. She chose her engagement ring out of Garrad's catalogue.

4. She wrote some controversial wedding vows...

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Diana also started a tradition in royal weddings, one that has had a profound effect on other royal brides. In fact, Diana chose not to say that she would "obey" Prince Charles in her wedding vows. Would Diana put herself below her royal partner? No!

5. ...And others followed suit

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It turned out that others loved Diana's vow change and what it symbolised; namely, that royal brides did not consider their husbands to be above them... In fact, Kate and Megan embraced it at their own weddings to their Princes.

6. She was meticulous about caring for her sons

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There's absolutely no doubting that Princess Diana was an exemplary mother to William and Harry. As well as trying to give them a relatively "normal" childhood, with trips out to theme parks and McDonald's meals, she also planned her time around them.

7. She broke fashion rules

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Who could forget Diana's iconic "divorce dress," the stunning black piece that caught the eyes of everyone around the world? Well, it turns out Diana broke royal protocol in more way than one with her wardrobe. Apparently, Diana coined the term "cleavage bags."

8. She often snuck out of the palace

Image Source/BBCDiana didn't like feeling confined to the royal palace, even if others considered that 'her place.' Instead, she would take any opportunity to sneak out of the palace to party in London. On time, she even dressed in a subtle disguise in order to get into a gay bar with Freddie Mercury.

9. She is a godmother of many children

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It seems that everyone was in awe of Diana's selfless parenting style, as she has a wealth of godchildren. No less than 17 parents asked Diana to be godmother to their children. Her godchildren include Lady Edwina Snow (wife of history man Dan Snow) and Prince Philippos of Greece.

10. Her parents were divorced

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In 1969, when Diana was 7 years old, her parents divorced. There was actually an intense custody battle over Diana and her siblings and it caused an outrage in the small Norfolk society that they lived in. Her mother later moved to the Scottish island Oban.

11. She wanted to be a ballerina

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As well as her music skills, Diana was also a skilled dancer. In fact, she wanted to pursue a carer in ballet, which she had a real passion for. Sadly, though, she was deemed "too tall" to continue ballet professionally (what a thing to say!) and, sadly, Diana had to give up the one sport that she loved.

12. And once danced on stage for the Royal Family!

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You can imagine Charles' surprise when Diana showcased her dancing talents on stage at the Royal Opera House. Her husband and other members of the royal family were attending a performance for the Friends of Convent Garden. There, Diana surprised them all when she made an appearance for one of the dances.

13. She dropped out of school when she was 16

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Despite her evident brains and creativity, Diana didn't think much of academic life. She was homeschooled as a child before attending boarding school from the age of 9. However, she ended up dropping out of school at 16 - around the same time that she met Prince Charles for the first time.

14. She was paid a pittance as a nanny

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As well as being a kindergarten teacher, she worked as a nanny to a wealthy family in London. There, she barely scraped by, earning just $5 an hour to look after the couple's child. However, she didn't have to worry about rent like many people in London, as her parents had bought her an apartment in London when she started work.

15. Her wedding dress was groundbreaking

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Princess Diana's wedding was famous for more than just her altered vows - she wore a record-breaking wedding dress that has now made the annals of fashion history. The iconic dress, made by David and Elizabeth Emanuel, had a train that was 25 feet long.

16. She was friends with fashion designers

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We all know of Diana's love of fashion (case in point, her wedding dress and "divorce dress") but she was also close with a few designers. One of these, Catherine Walker, was the private couturier to the Princess and had a very close bond with Diana. Actually, many people credit Catherine with developing Diana's unique style.

17. She loved writing thank you cards

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Diana never missed a chance to say thank you to people who supported her or her family and loved writing thank you cards to people. Each one was handwritten by the Princess, not by a secretary, in a thoughtful gesture to her friends and family. What a lovely and unexpected thing to do!

18. And wrote thousands after William was born

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When William was born, Diana didn't miss her chance to personally thank anyone who had sent a gift to the newborn Prince.  After his birth, Diana wrote thousands of letters to people who had sent gifts, which was probably quite a surprise for some!

19. She loved pop music

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We know that she had a thing for ballet and classical music, but did you also know that Diana loved pop music? Actually, Diana was a massive fan of Swedish pop band (and Eurovision winners) ABBA. In a nod to her mother's favourites, Prince William actually played ABBA at his wedding party in 2011.

20. She had an adorable nickname for William

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It's obvious that Princess Diana was very close to her children, but what many people don't know is that she had an adorable nickname for Prince William. As a baby, Diana brought William on her royal tour of Australia, and from the time the Prince was two years old he'd gained the nickname "wombat".

21. Her wedding attracted record-breaking views

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Royal weddings are a massive deal - 300 million people tuned in to see Prince William tie the knot with Kate in 2011. However, his mother had him beat by quite a bit. In total, 750 million around the world watched as Diana became the Princess of Wales at Westminster Abbey in 1981.

22. She had an eating disorder

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Diana might have exuded confidence and humour, but inside she was battling with a terrible eating disorder. In fact, Diana struggled with bulimia for almost a decade, starting after her marriage to Prince Charles. She finally opened up about her struggles in an interview in 1995.

23. She could have been a pro-diver

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At school, Diana excelled at sports, and more specifically at diving. She was a star diver and swimmer, with her teacher praising her diving style and natural skills. She carried on with the sport even after she married Prince Charles. Though she didn't compete, she would often use the pool at Buckingham Palace.

24. She grew up on the Royal's estate

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Princess Diana grew up a Lady - the Spencers are a historic family with close ties to the royal family over hundreds of years. But these ties are actually closer than you might think. In fact, Diana grew up at Park House, which is situated on the Queen's Sandringham estate in Norfolk.

25. She failed exams

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We know that Diana dropped out of school, but did you also know that she failed exams? The Princess of Wales actually took her O-Levels twice but failed both times, and this might have contributed to her decision to drop out of school at 16.

26. She was the first royal to give birth at a hospital

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Her sons' lives started far more normally than many royals. While it's tradition for a royal mother to give birth at home in a palace, Diana bucked tradition and instead opted for a hospital birth. This is just another example of Diana starting her own tradition.

27. Diana overruled Charles over their children's names

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William and Harry are names that are iconic these days, but the little Princes were almost given different names. Charles wanted William to be named Arthur and Harry (proper name Henry) to be named Albert. However, Diana refused and took it upon herself to name her children how she wanted.

28. She had celebrity friends

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Diana was known for being a bit of a socialite, and she had many celebrity friends. We know that she would sometimes party with Freddie Mercury, but she was also friends with Elton John, Tilda Swinton, George Michael, and Liza Minelli. Once, she also invited model Cindy Crawford for afternoon tea.

29. She had a sweet tooth...

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Princess Diana's favourite dessert was that British classic, bread and butter pudding. Her former chef has even said that Diana would often come to the kitchen to have a chat and snack on raisins that would eventually be baked into her favourite dessert.

30. ...But she wasn't a good cook

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Her chef has revealed that the Princess was terrible in the kitchen, and would rarely cook anything for herself. Her personal chef even revealed that if he had to leave without cooking dinner for whatever reason, he would often leave her with easy, microwave meals so that she wouldn't have to cook.

31. She Recorded Her Thoughts On Tape

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Her marriage was falling apart and she felt totally isolated in her despair. She wanted to get her version of events, and so she spoke to Dr. James Colthurst who recorded everything on tape. After her death, he released these tapes which proved very controversial.

32. Her Sister Dated The Prince

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This is a very unusual way to go about dating. The girl code prevents anyone from taking another person's man, even if they had only briefly dated. But it was actually all her sister's idea. She had dated him briefly and found no spark between the two. She thought Diana would get along with him and so she set the two of them up instead.

33. They Were Distant Relatives

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The royal family has had a murky past when it comes to marrying relatives. And, there's certainly been a lot of speculation. And it turns out that Diana and Charles were VERY distantly related, (no incest) they were 16th cousins once removed - if that can even count as related.

34. Charles Scheduled Intimacy

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Diana and Charles were not a very intimate couple. Apart from trying for a baby, things were a little lacking in that department. In fact, according to Diana and her tapes, Charles had a strange routine that followed a pattern that she described as very odd - it was every three weeks.

35. Diana's Grandmother Worked For Queen Elizabeth

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We knew that the family was well acquainted - but not that well acquainted. Diana's own grandmother worked for the queen well before Diana and Charles even started dating. She was one of the Queen's ladies-in-waiting. The two of them were actually good friends.

36. She Got The Wrong Name In The Wedding Vows

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Even princesses sometimes mess up...even on their wedding day. During the vows, she called her husband Philip Charles rather than Charles Philip. Thankfully, it wasn't the wrong name completely. And, it's understandable considering the amount of pressure.

37. She Ate In The Kitchen

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Now, this sounds like a very normal thing to do...for someone who is not a part of the royal family. But, for a princess, this is highly unusual and against any protocol. Rather than eat in the dining room she would often walk into the kitchen where the staff prepared her food and eat there instead.

38. She Would Make Coffee For Her Chef

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Darren McGrady was her personal chef who cooked for her every night. Diana, who as we know did not mind breaking rules, would often walk into the kitchen where he worked. She'd make herself coffee and she'd also make some for McGrady too. She wasn't a woman to follow the rules.

39. She Cut Herself

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Diana as we know suffered from depression as well as bulimia and struggled a lot for many years. And, when things were really bad for her, she would cut herself. Things were so overwhelming for the princess and she had no support. So, things got pretty dark.

40. And, She Attempted Suicide

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Things went from bad to worse for Princess Diana. Not only did her husband show her no support or love... she also found nobody else to give her any support either. Things got so dark that she actually attempted to take her own life and threw herself down the stairs.

41. She Loved The Gym

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Diana did not do what any conventional royal member usually did. She paved her own way, with her own rules. And, she loved going to the gym. This wouldn't be unusual but Diana did not go to a private gym in the palace, she preferred the public gym. And, she would often be found out running in public.

42. She Would Trick The Press Into Thinking She Was Pregnant

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It will come as no surprise that Princess Di loved a prank and a joke. She may have been shy but she had a wicked sense of humour nonetheless. She would sometimes go to the counter to but pregnancy tests so that she would trick the tabloids into thinking she was expecting another child when she wasn't.

43. She Blamed Herself For Her Mother's Absence

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Princess Diana's mother was never around...she left and she continued to stay away. The relationship was anything but easy between the two of them and things were very fraught. She blamed herself for thinking that she had caused her mother to leave. It caused her emotional problems in the future.

44. She Helped Prostitutes

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After Diana's death, Burrel, Diana's confidant revealed many things about her that she had allegedly said or done. One of these things was seeking out prostitutes to chat to them and give them money for the night so that they could go home to their children.

45. The Wedding Dress Was A Big Secret For Months

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As one of the most awaited wedding days in history...of course everybody could not wait to see the wedding dress of Diana. All that was known is that it would be spectacular. Apart from that, it was a secret. For months. Even Diana herself did not know what to expect as she had not given instructions.

46. And She Had To Be Sewn Into The Dress On The Day

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The last try on was on the day. She put on the dress... and she had lost several pounds. So, she no longer fits into her dress. The designers had to sew her into the dress for the actual day. Nobody had expected her to lose so much weight in the months leading up to it all. But, the stress had probably had a big impact.

47. It Was The Longest Train In History

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Diana's train on her dress was 25 feet long. This was and is to this very day the longest train in history. If anybody had a dress that would make history - it had to be Princess Diana. A special and monumental dress for a Princess who changed everything.

48. She Loved Soap Operas

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There's nothing better than a soap opera. And now we know that Diana's guilty pleasure is watching them - in particular, EastEnders and Casualty. Even the royals can enjoy a bit of EastEnders from time to time. She made no secret of her love for the drama on the soaps and it was a weekly programme she would watch.

49. Diana Had To Have A Coach For Her Wedding Train

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She kept requesting more and more material for her wedding dress train. And so, just to move the dress they had to get Diana a coach just for the dress. By the time she had managed to fit the train into the coach, the whole thing was creased by the time she arrived. Not that anybody else noticed this.

50. She Was Home-schooled

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First, Diana was home-schooled until she was nine years old. Then, after the age of nine, she was sent to a boarding school for the rest of her time in education. Which, was another nine years because she left at the early age of 16 when she decided to quit education for good.