
In the months before her death, Princess Diana was excitedly planning (opens in new tab) a move to Malibu, California, according to both her butler and her voice coach. Diana had recently begun dating businessman Dodi Fayed, who had just bought property of his own in the area. "She said, 'This is our new life, just won't it be great, think of the lifestyle, the boys—nobody's judgmental here in America, you don't have the class system, you don't have the establishment,'" former butler Paul Burrell has said. (opens in new tab)The late princess's reported dream of moving to California and leaving the royal family behind closely mirrors her son's life: Last year, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle chose to make their home in Montecito, (opens in new tab) which is an hour away from Malibu down the coast of California.
Said Burrell: "[The house] was going to be in Malibu...I saw the plans. We sat on the floor, spread out all the maps and the layout of the house." The boys, then aged 12 and 15, were based in the U.K. at the time, but Diana shared joint custody with their father Prince Charles. Burrell added: "Why couldn't [the boys] come and spend a portion of their time in America? That would be very stiff and staunchy if the queen would say, 'No, they can't go to America.'"
Speaking to Us Weekly, Diana's former voice coach Stewart Pierce (opens in new tab) supported Burrell's claim, saying: "She was talking about buying a property in Malibu [and saying] that would be ‘really great’ for the boys to have freedom so that they could surf. Because they’re both very sporty, you know, but they could surf, they could roller blade, they could Frisbee."
Diana on vacation in 1993.
Of course, Harry and Meghan have other ties to California, too: Meghan grew up in Hollywood, and her mom Doria Ragland lives nearby. And Harry and Meghan said in their Oprah tell-all interview that they love their life there: "I guess the highlight for me is sticking [Archie] on the back of the bicycle in his little baby seat and take him on these bike rides, which is something I was never able to do when I was young," Harry told Oprah.
Megan and Archie on the beach in California.
"Living here now I can actually lift my head and I feel different, my shoulders have dropped, so have hers, you can walk around feeling a little bit more free," he said on Dax Shepard's Armchair Expert podcast.
A source told Vogue (opens in new tab) at the time of their move: "Harry loves California, but they were both drawn to the smaller town of Santa Barbara, where they can integrate into the community while having some distance and privacy that is hard to come by in the Los Angeles area."
Princess Diana's Most Iconic Fashion Moments
August 9, 1997
Princess Diana visited Bosnia to raise awareness of the landmines in 1997. The royal wore her Cartier watch (opens in new tab)and Tod's loafers (opens in new tab).
May 22, 1997
Princess Diana visited The Shaukat Memorial Hospital in Pakistan. She wore a traditional blue ensemble and carried a handbag from Tod's (opens in new tab), which is named after her.
April 21, 1997
Princess Diana wore a Chanel tweed suit set (opens in new tab) and carried a handbag designed by Lana Marks (opens in new tab) while visiting the British Lung Foundation.
January 13, 1997
For a visit to the Luanda airport, Princess Di wore Superga sneakers (opens in new tab).
January 1, 1997
Princess Diana spotted in NYC wore a foam green skirt suit and carried a white Chanel bag (opens in new tab).
September 12, 1996
Princess Diana stunned in a white Versace mini dress (opens in new tab) while attending a concert in Italy.
May 1996
Princess Diana wore a John Galliano (opens in new tab) slip dress to the Met Gala.
November 1995
Princess Diana visited Liverpool while wearing a Versace orange skirt suit (shop a similar orange jacket here (opens in new tab)) and carried Dior's lady bag (opens in new tab).
November 1, 1995
Princess Di was spotted leaving the Chelsea Harbour Club in a Virgin Atlantic sweatshirt (opens in new tab), orange biker shorts, and Reebok socks (opens in new tab).
June 5, 1996
The royal wore a purple Versace (opens in new tab) dress and Jimmy Choo pumps (opens in new tab) while attending a gala dinner in Chicago.
June 29, 1994
Princess Diana arrived at the Serpentine Gallery in London. She opted for an off-the-shoulder dress by Christina Stambolian. (You can shop a similar one here (opens in new tab).)
May 30, 1993
Princess Diana arrived at Heathrow Airport while carrying a Salvatore Ferragamo bag (opens in new tab) and Tanner Krolle trunk (opens in new tab).
December 23,1990
Princess Diana and Prince William attended the christening of her niece in Sandringham in a houndstooth ensemble and Chanel (opens in new tab) slingbacks.
May 1, 1990
Princess Diana donned a Catherine Walker suit (opens in new tab) with a Philip Somerville hat to visit Heroes' Square in Budapest.
April 11, 1990
The royal enjoyed a beach holiday in Necker with her sons. She chose an animal print one-piece swimsuit and wore a pair of Ray-Ban (opens in new tab) sunglasses.
July 27,1989
Princess Diana attended the performance of Swan Lake in London. She wore a Catherine Walker (opens in new tab) gown.
June 1989
Princess Diana and Prince Harry were spotted leaving nursery school. Lady Di wore a pink buttoned dress and accessorized with a Cartier (opens in new tab) watch.
March 17, 1989
Princess Diana visited Dubai during her official tour of the Gulf States. Lady Di wore Catherine Walker (opens in new tab) ensemble and a Philip Somerville hat.
March 15, 1989
The princess wore a pink and red color block Catherine Walker (opens in new tab) dress and a Philip Somerville hat during her official tour of the Gulf States.
November 9, 1988
Princess Diana wore Catherine Walker (opens in new tab) white ensemble in Chambord, France during her official visit to the country.
June 23, 1988
Princess Diana visited the Royal Hampshire Regiment. She was seen wearing a jumpsuit and a pair of pink Converse sneakers (opens in new tab).
June 10, 1988
Princess Diana stepped out to play tennis at the Vanderbilt Raquet Club in London. She wore Reebok sneakers (opens in new tab) and carried a Wilson racket (opens in new tab).
July 18, 1986
Princess Diana, seen on the steps of her home in Highgrove, Gloucestershire. She wore gingham trousers, pink sweater, and white boat shoes (shop similar (opens in new tab)).
November 3, 1985
The royal attended a polo match in Australia. She choose a striped shirt dress and accessorized with a D initial necklace and a Patek Philippe (opens in new tab) gold watch.
September 1985
Princess Diana visited Raf Wittering. She opted for a Catherine Walker (opens in new tab) coat dress.
July 1985
Princess Diana wore green Barbour (opens in new tab) coat during a tour of the Western Isles.
June 30, 1985
Princess Diana attended a polo match while wearing a white sailor top, floral skirt, and a Patek Philippe (opens in new tab) watch.
May 4, 1985
Princess Diana wore a Bruce Oldfield dress during a visit to Venice. (Shop a similar blue strong shoulder dress (opens in new tab).)
April 1, 1985
Princess Diana visited Livorno while wearing a Jasper Conran (opens in new tab) suit ensemble and tie.
February 1985
The royal wore a beige Caroline Charles (opens in new tab) coat during a visit to Derby.
July 29, 1983
Princess Diana attended a polo match in West Sussex while wearing seersucker trousers, a white top, and acetate aviator sunglasses (shop similar (opens in new tab)).
July 24, 1983
Princess Diana attended a polo match in Windsor. She was seen wearing a polka dot dress (shop similar (opens in new tab)), a coin necklace, and two watches. She was known for wearing two watches during matches to bring Prince Charles luck.
June 1983
Princess Diana opted for a Muir & Osborne (opens in new tab) black sheep sweater for a polo match.
March 1983
During an official tour to Australia, Princess Diana wore a pink polka dot dress by Donald Campbell (shop similar (opens in new tab)) and a matching hat by John Boyd.
April 1983
Princess Diana wore a green spotted dress and a Patek Philippe (opens in new tab) watch for a visit to Auckland, New Zealand.
May 6, 1981
The royal couple were photographed together at the Balmoral Estate in Scotland. Lady Di wore a colorful alpaca sweater, corduroy trousers, and Hunter (opens in new tab) rain boots.
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