Divorce

"I'd like to be a Queen of People's Hearts but I don't see myself as being Queen of this Country"
Photographs from Diana's November 1995 Panarama Interview
It was announced on 9 December 1992, by John Major - the then British Prime Minister in the house of commons - that Charles and Diana were to separate.
On 3 December 1993, Diana announced that she wanted to withdraw from public life to be allowed to spend more time with her sons.
In June 1994, Prince Charles confessed to millions of watchers on British TV that he had been unfaithful in the early years of their marriage in an televised interview by Johnathan Dimbleby. Not to be overdone by his admission of adultery, Diana stole the spotlight away from Charles that evening by attending a charity dinner at the Serpentine Gallery in London looking beautiful, radiant and glamourous.
On 20 November 1995, aged 34 Diana appeared in an historic hour long interview on British television in which she discussed the reasons for the failure of her marriage. She recalled "There are three of us in this marriage".
Interviewer Martin Bashir
Their marriage dissolved - after a plea from the Queen - on the 8th August 1996. Upon her divorce, Diana lost her title "Her Royal Highness", (but upon her death her brother was offered this title back, but he declined) - and won the title of "Queen of Hearts" which she so rightly was - she also announced she was stepping down as Patron of over 100 charities to give herself more time to concentrate on 6 that were particularly dear to her.
After her divorce, Diana came into her own in terms of style. In her new role as a hard-working charity patron and campaigner, she was able to discount the limitations which her royal status had imposed on her dress sense.
To her pleasure, the skirts of her business suits got shorter as her heels got higher. She could also wear trouser suits, in which she felt comfortable, youthful and modern. Another bonus was that she no longer felt constrained to wear clothes exclusively by British designers, a duty she had assumed without prompting before she married when it had become obvious that she would be perceived as a fashion ambassador.
Although her working wardrobe included outfits from long-term favourites such as Tomasz Starzewski, the Princess also started to buy clothes by Dior, Chanel and Gianni Versace. The Italian designer was thrilled because it had been his dream to dress her ever since those first shy pictures of the newly engaged Diana emerged.
No longer shadowed by a lady-in-waiting to carry everything for her, the Princess abandoned tiny clutch bags for Chanel chain shoulder bags, chunky Hermes Kelly bags, a Versace number decorated with gold Medusa head medallions, which the designer named after her, and her trusty Tanner Krolle briefcase.



One of the trouser suits that Diana
 came to love to wear after her divorce

A confident Diana during a visit to London's Serpentine Gallery 
on the evening Prince Charles admitted he was having an affair

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