The Princess & The Platypus Foundation

When most people imagine a princess, they picture tiaras, shiny gowns, and very perfect outfits. Princess Diana didn’t always fit into that image. She understood something early on. If you want to feel strong and modern, sometimes you borrow from the boys. Diana was one of the first royal women to really wear menswear for women in a natural way. Not a soft copy made for women, but actual menswear. She went straight to the source. One key piece came from Turnbull & Asser , a British brand known more for dressing men like Prince Charles and even James Bond. Borrowing Style from a Men’s Brand At the time, Turnbull & Asser was mostly about gentlemen’s clothing. Shirts, tailoring, classic British style. Diana didn’t seem bothered by that at all. She chose a single-breasted blazer made from finely checked wool. The jacket had soft tones of green, blue, and brown. It looked structured but not stiff. Practical, but still stylish. When Diana wore it, the message was clear. A woman ...

  Do you remember standing in the checkout line at the grocery store in the 1980s? You weren't looking at a phone. You were looking at the magazine rack. And 9 times out of 10, one face was staring back at you. Blue eyes. Shy smile. Maybe a tiara, maybe a baseball cap. It didn't matter if it was Vogue or People or Woman’s Weekly . If Diana was on the cover, you bought it. We didn't have social media feeds back then. We had paper. And looking back now, Princess Diana’s most iconic media moments happened right there on those glossy pages. The "Cover Girl" Who Changed Everything Nowadays, celebrities fight for attention on TikTok. But Diana didn't have to fight. She just had to step outside. She graced the covers of thousands of magazines. Literally thousands. It wasn't just about fashion, though her style was amazing. It was about connection. She once said, "I touch people. I think everyone needs that." Even through a photo on a newsstand, ...

We all know the photos. Princess Diana stepping off a plane in Australia or wearing a stunning gown in America. She always looked perfect. The hair was perfect, the smile was bright, and the crowds were cheering. But have you ever wondered what happened before the plane door opened? In our new weekly series, DIANA: Stories Behind the Icon , we are finally letting the people who carried the bags and fixed the hair tell their side of the story. The Reality of the Royal Tour Entourage When we see the news clips, we think a royal tour is just a fancy vacation. It’s not. It is work. grueling work. The Royal Tour Entourage—the stylists, the security, the ladies-in-waiting—they saw the real Diana. They saw her when the cameras were off. They saw her when she was jet-lagged. They saw her when she was nervous about a speech. They saw her kicking off her heels in the back of the car and laughing about something silly that happened at a dinner. These are the moments you don't read in h...

  It is hard to believe it has been over 25 years since that terrible night in Paris. August 1997 feels like a lifetime ago, but in other ways, it feels like yesterday. Usually, when a famous person passes away, the world mourns for a week and then moves on. But with her, it is different. You turn on the TV, and you see her influence. You look at her sons, and you see her smile. That is the amazing thing about how Princess Diana’s legacy lives on. She didn't just leave behind statues or buildings. She left behind people. She Raised Them to Be "Normal" Diana had a famous quote. She said she wanted William and Harry to understand "people's emotions, their insecurities, people's distress and their hopes and dreams." She didn't want them to be stiff, distant Royals. She wanted them to be human. And it worked. You can see it in our museum. We have this Prince William Gap shirt in the collection. It is just a simple blue and white striped cotton shi...

Everyone has seen those photos. You know the ones. Princess Diana on the yacht Jonikal , sitting on the diving board, looking out at the ocean. August 1997. People look at the pictures and think they know what she was feeling. Lonely? Happy? Bored? But photos are just.. flat. They don't talk. If you really want to know what was going on, you have to ask the people who were actually standing right next to her. When the paparazzi cameras were too far away to hear. That’s why the Exclusive Interview: What Chief Stewardess Debbie Saw in Diana’s Final Days is probably the most important thing we have at the museum. She wasn't just "The Princess" Debbie was the Chief Stewardess on the boat. She spent those last few days with Diana. And when you listen to her tell the story, it’s not what you expect. You’d think a Royal would be demanding. Or distant. But in our recording, Debbie talks about a mom who just missed her kids. They were doing normal stuff. laughing, packin...

Some fashion moments stay forever. One such moment is when Princess Diana wore a simple knit sweater with sheep on it. It looked casual, soft, and very real. That sweater came from Warm & Wonderful , a small British knitwear brand that suddenly became part of royal fashion history. This is not just a sweater story. It is a story about two designers, a young princess, and how simple clothes can say a lot without shouting.   Who Were the Minds Behind Warm & Wonderful Warm & Wonderful was started by Sally Muir and Joanna Osborne in the late 1970s. They were not big fashion names back then. They sold knitwear at small markets and fairs in London. Their designs were playful, bold, and different from usual luxury fashion. They liked telling stories through knit patterns. Sheep, animals, symbols. Things that feel warm and human. This simple thinking is what later connected with Princess Diana, even if no one planned it that way. The Black Sheep Sweater That Changed Every...