Princess Diana Once Broke Royal Protocol and Stopped Wearing Gloves For a Heartfelt Reason

Princess Diana left behind a legacy of compassion and grace. Her ability to forge personal connections through charity and generosity earned her the title People's Princess. This desire to connect with people had Diana breaking a royal protocol that required her to wear gloves in public. Instead, Diana preferred holding hands to have a more intimate connection with the people.

This act of not wearing gloves proved particularly significant in April 1987 when she opened UK’s first HIV/AIDS unit at London’s Middlesex Hospital. In a bold move, she shook hands with an AIDS patient without gloves, defying the widespread fear and stigma surrounding the disease. Her actions helped raise awareness and break down prejudice. However, this was not an isolated act; Diana also shook hands without gloves during other visits to hospitals and charities. She did not hesitate once before shaking hands with people suffering from leprosy in India and with children affected by a virus in Africa. In 1985, during a visit to the Royal Marsden Hospital, she was photographed shaking hands with cancer patients, which reinforced breaking down barriers. She also visited homeless shelters and mental health institutions, always engaging with people without gloves.

Her humble nature and warm attitude also reflected in her refusal to wear hats while meeting people. Eleri Lynn, a royal exhibition curator, told People magazine, “Diana abandoned the royal protocol of wearing gloves because she liked to hold hands when visiting people or shake hands and have direct contact. She also stopped wearing hats because she said, ‘You can’t cuddle a child in a hat.'”

princess diana holding kids with HIV at a orphanage in brazil, 1991 #WorldAIDSDay pic.twitter.com/U5oVpXs1v5

— best of diana (@dianaofhearts) December 1, 2020

Diana, a fashion icon, had an impeccable wardrobe. Lynn, the curator of Diana: Her Fashion Story, an exhibit that celebrates the Princess' most iconic outfits at Kensington Palace, shared that the Princess' desire to be approachable also influenced her fashion choices. For instance, she embraced bold styles like chunky jewelry. Lynn explained, “When she was visiting hospitals, for example, she would wear cheerful clothes that would convey warmth and often chunky jewelry so that children could come and play with them.”

Princess Diana’s style continues to captivate the world, with her outfits serving as symbols of elegance. Her fashion choices are widely celebrated to this day. However, when she stepped onto the international stage as the fiancée of the Prince of Wales, she had few clothes to wear, claims Lynn. Later, after her divorce, the Princess started experimenting with a playful wardrobe and borrowing clothes from her friends. Lynn shared, “She had a great design eye and a real knack for fashion. Although she wanted to focus on her work, she wanted to use fashion to help that.” Post separation, Diana simplified her daytime looks to shift the focus toward her work rather than her outfits.