Princess Diana initially won people over as a modest, youthful nursery school teacher, but she has since grown to become one of the most adored fashion icons in the world. Arthur Edwards, one of the first photographers to chronicle her trip, recently thought back on a famous 1980 image that unintentionally garnered media attention.
Diana was dating Prince Charles at the time of the shot, which was taken in a park. She was wearing a skirt that turned see-through when the sun shone on it. Now a veteran royal photographer for The Sun, Edwards maintains the incident was entirely innocent. “I never meant for the photo to come out that way,” Edwards said. “It was one of those rare, spontaneous moments that every photographer hopes for—completely unplanned, but too compelling not to share.”
Edwards had just been assigned to cover the royal beat and was eager to capture an image of Diana, then a quiet teacher and Charles’s new girlfriend. He knew she worked at a preschool in London, so he knocked on doors until he found her location. After gaining permission from the school’s owner, Edwards took Diana and two young students to a nearby park for some quick photos. “She struck a pose, and I snapped a few shots,” he recalled. Then, in a twist of fate, the sun emerged, backlighting her skirt and revealing her legs in silhouette. “It was purely chance,” Edwards said. “But it turned the shot into an iconic image.”
Diana was quite embarrassed when the picture appeared in newspapers all throughout the United Kingdom. She reportedly expressed to Charles her desire to avoid being known as “the girlfriend without a petticoat.” Nevertheless, Diana’s complex relationship with the media was only getting started.
Despite the difficult beginning, Edwards persisted in taking pictures of Diana as she changed from a timid young lady to the “princess of the people.” Edwards remarked, “She was always kind and graceful.” Diana changed the public’s opinion of the monarchy with her compassionate efforts and down-to-earth charm. Her well-known acts of consoling leprosy patients and hugging AIDS sufferers would make her a global favorite.
Prince William and Prince Harry, Diana’s sons, carry on her public service legacy today, while Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, supports their philanthropic endeavors. Edwards had foreseen the pressure Meghan Markle will encounter upon becoming a member of the royal family back in 2017, saying, “It’s a lot of pressure.” It’s best to leave if they can’t handle it, but if they can, terrific.
Harry and Meghan did just that in January 2020, leaving their position as senior royals and relocating to the United States. They currently reside in Santa Barbara, California. Their decision to go a different route is reminiscent of Diana’s complicated and frequently difficult relationship with life as a princess.
