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The Princess of the People broke many of royal conventions and protocols throughout the years, and her outfits did too.
Here are five royal protocols Diana broke with her controversial yet impeccable looks:
All images by Getty
1. No revealing cuts
The royal family usually avoid outfits that stand out or are too revealing. However, Princess Diana had a love for fashion and so often wore trendy cuts and styles when it came to dresses. She was the first to wear a one-shoulder neckline among the royals.
Diana one-shoulder evening gown to the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute dinner-dance in Sydney in October 1996.
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2. Wear natural makeup
Diana's personal makeup artist, Mary Greenwell, revealed that only neutral makeup colours are deemed "appropriate for the occasion" when preparing for official outings. However, that did not stop Diana from wearing her statement blue eyeliner that perfectly matched her eyes for years.
Princess Diana wears her signature blue eyeliner at a formal dinner in Budapest, 7 May 1990
3. No wearing black outside funerals
Royals usually don't wear black in public other than while mourning or at a funeral. Diana's favouring of black, navy and neutral outfits made her stand out opposite the queen in her colourful suits.
Princess Diana in a black dress at Vanity Fair’s annual fundraising event
4. Wear gloves at formal events
Queen Elizabeth II always wears gloves for public outings, with a couple of exceptions, as part of royal tradition that dictates royals should not be touched. However, Princess Diana reportedly avoided wearing gloves to have skin-to-skin contact with those she met.
Diana receives gifts and flowers from members of the public on what would be her last birthday, her 36th, on 1 July 1997 during a night out in London
5. No bare knees
The queen's biggest style rule is to never show your knees during a public appearance. It goes without saying that Diana broke this rule a few times. However, the royal never wore skirts that were extremely short.
Princess Diana in one of her now-celebrated bicycle shorts outfits
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