All the ways Princess Diana broke royal protocol, from picking her engagement ring from a catalogue to changing her wedding vows
In her famous BBC interview, Diana admitted 'I do things differently, I don’t go by a rule book'
PRINCESS Diana was no stranger to controversy, and she didn't blindly follow the royal rule book.
She refused to vow to 'obey' Prince Charles at their wedding, but that was far from the only time she broke royal protocol before her untimely death...
1. Ringing true
Princess Diana started breaking royal protocol right at the start of her romance with Charles, now 69.
At the age of just 19, the future princess boldly defied tradition to choose her own engagement ring, from a catalogue.
It was a 12-carat sapphire surrounded by 14 solitaire diamonds, which Kate Middleton, 37, now wears.
Traditionally royals get engagement rings custom-made, like Harry recently did with his new wife Meghan Markle.
2. To love but not obey
Diana refused to vow to "obey" her husband during her wedding vows when she and Charles tied the knot in 1981.
She was the first to do this (even the Queen vowed to obey Prince Philip) but Kate has since followed suit.
3. Dress to princess
Diana's above-the-knee dress hems caused quite a stir back in the 90s.
But she stuck to her guns, and wowed at this Serpentine Gallery event in June 1994.
4. Crown jewels
Diana was a brave woman, and she risked offending even her powerful mother-in-law.
The mum-of-two famously wore a beautiful emerald and diamond choker, which was a gift from the Queen, as a headpiece multiple times.
5. Class act
Wills was the first royal heir ever to attend public school, a decision which is thought to have come from Diana.
The Queen was home schooled, as was her sister Princess Margaret.
When Diana sent her first-born to Jane Mynor’s nursery, near Kensington Palace, in 1985, George Hackett wrote in Newsweek: “The decision to have William, 3, develop his finger-painting skills among commoners showed the influence of Diana, Princess of Wales, who had worked in a nursery school herself when she was just a Lady.”
Both he and Harry later went onto Eton College.
6. Burger me!
Diana was determined to keep her boys down to earth, and their Saturday night tradition was one we can all relate to.
Her former butler Paul Burrell revealed Harry and Wills would be taken to McDonald's, where they'd normally choose a Big Mac and chips - before heading home to watch Blind Date.
Sadly we're unlikely to see Kate and Will doing this with their kids anytime soon. But maybe they order in...
7. Very public personal life
In her first ever solo interview in 1995, Diana spilled the beans on her life and marriage - while 21.5 million Brits watched avidly at home.
She told BBC's Martin Bashir she doesn't think she could ever become Queen, because she had lost supporters among the royal family.
When asked why this was, she replied: “I do things differently because I don’t go by a rule book, because I lead from the heart, not the head.
“And albeit, that’s got me into trouble in my work, I understand that. But someone’s got to out there and love people — and show it.”
She also discussed Charles' affair with Camilla Parker-Bowles, and 'fessed up to cheating herself with riding instructor James Hewitt - who she said she was "in love with".
8.Nailed it
The Queen has been buying Essie's pale pink Ballet Slippers nail varnish since 1989, and now Kate and Meghan follow suit.
But Diana wasn't one to toe the line, and often stepped out with bright red nails.
9. Risking it all
The royals have always been involved in charity work, but Diana took this one step further.
When AIDS was on the rise, in 1987, the princess visited patients and orphans affected by the condition.
She said at the time: “HIV does not make people dangerous to know, so you can shake their hands and give them a hug. Heaven knows they need it.”
MORE ROYAL NEWS
We now know you can't catch HIV by hugging or kissing an infected person, but back then there were lots of myths floating around - so this was again a bold move by Diana.
In more royal news, this is the reason why Meghan Markle may NOT have a baby next year – despite odds plummeting.
And this is Diana’s sweet apology letter to her bodyguard – sent just weeks before she died.