Princess Diana’s Bedtime Routine Reveals She Preferred “Early Nights”
Princess Diana was known to be an early adapter of the “sleepy girl” trend, opting for an early bedtime and a good night’s sleep above all else.
Considering she was only 19-years-old when her engagement to Prince Charles was announced, Princess Diana was never known to be a late-night party girl. In fact, the late Princess of Wales was known to be an early adapter of the “sleepy girl” trend, opting for an early bedtime and a good night’s sleep above all else. In an interview shortly after her historic wedding, Princess Diana admitted she was missing an upcoming fireworks display in favor of her bedtime. "I'm going to be tucked up in bed I think, early night,” the princess told Angela Rippon.
She may have been hinting at an early wake up the next day, as the fireworks display was scheduled for the evening before the Prince and Princess of Wales would depart on their honeymoon aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia. While on her oceanic honeymoon, Princess Diana wrote a letter on Royal Yacht Britannia–crested paper, telling a friend “The honeymoon was a perfect opportunity to catch up on sleep.”
Princess Diana and then-Prince Charles aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia for their honeymoon.
Princess Diana at home inside Kensington Palace.
Princess Diana’s early bedtimes were an issue throughout her tenure in the Royal Family, even upsetting royal protocol at times. Sir William Heseltine, former Private Secretary to the late Queen Elizabeth, shared in his book that "for Diana, the long royal evenings were agony." Late night state banquets, elaborate dinners starting at 8pm, and nighttime family events were difficult for Princess Diana to endure late into the evening hours. “Diana was driven to such extremes that she’d excuse herself and go to bed, which was thought to be rather bad form, going to bed before the Queen,” the former Private Secretary said.
Even weekends were quiet nights in for the princess. Princess Diana’s former royal chef, Darren McGrady, gave an insight into her not-so-wild weekends. "On a Saturday night, you'd see Diana sitting down in front of the TV eating dinner with her boys,” McGrady told U.K. coffee retailer Coffee Friend. “It just made everything so normal.” The craziest thing Princess Diana would get up to on weekends was a cheeky takeaway—and she'd still be in bed early.
