Princess Diana Made a Risqué Quip When a Royal Photographer Said She'd Worn a "Boring Old Dress," According to a New Book
"With mock dismay, Charles joined in the joke..."
Princess Diana was known for her inimitable style, her charitable endeavors, and her biting wit. Now, a new book has revealed some of Diana's most biting insults, often jokingly delivered while sparring with one royal photographer.
In an excerpt from his new book, Cup of Tea, Arthur?: My Extraordinary 50 Years Photographing the Royal Family, photographer Arthur Edwards recalled his interactions with the former Princess of Wales, via the Sun.
"I walked up to Diana and asked: 'Why did you have to wear that boring old dress at the opera last night?'" Edwards wrote. "She laughed and said: 'Oh, I suppose you'd like it better if I came naked.'"
According to the Sun's longtime photographer, the pair continued sparring, and even involved her husband, King Charles.
Edwards explained, "'Well, I would definitely get that in the paper,' I teased, before turning to Charles and demanding, 'Why don’t you buy your wife a new frock?'"
According to the royal photographer, "With mock dismay, [King Charles] joined in the joke. 'We simply can’t afford it,' he declared." Edwards reportedly told The King he should "sell one of your polo ponies then" to fund a new gown.
"I walked up to Diana and asked: 'Why did you have to wear that boring old dress at the opera last night?'"
In his book, Edwards also remembered photographing Princess Diana when she opened a new terminal at Heathrow Airport in April 1986.
"They suddenly realized Diana would be traveling up a steep escalator, giving photographers a very good shot of her legs," the Sun employee recalled.
Edwards continued, "When she was warned of this, Diana turned to me and said: 'Hello, Arthur, I suppose you want to take a picture right up my legs?'"
"She laughed and said: 'Oh, I suppose you'd like it better if I came naked.'"
Luckily, "two royal protection officers" intervened, "blocking" the view of any photographers while Diana "ascended the escalator."
As the royal photographer explained in the new book, "I didn't get a great picture, but I did get the front page story in the Sun under the headline Keep Your Eyes Off My Thighs."
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