How Princess Diana Broke Royal Rules by Smuggling Tabloids

Princess Diana smiles while wearing a pale yellow halter dress and large blue earrings — (Image credit: Getty Images/Anwar Hussein/WireImage)

Throughout her life, Princess Diana was a subject of fascination for tabloid newspapers and paparazzi photographers. As a result, she was regularly reported on, which she was very much aware of, according to her former hairdresser. In fact, Princess Diana allegedly "smuggled" tabloids into the palace because she wanted to find out what was being written about her.

In an interview with People, former royal hairdresser Richard Dalton said of Princess Diana, "She wasn't allowed to see the tabloid newspapers." Despite some strict royal rules being put in place, the former Princess of Wales reportedly found a way to circumvent the restrictions.

Dalton shared with the outlet, "One of the hairdressers smuggled them in...Did I say that? They were smuggled in, but it's not to do with me."

Princess Diana wears a red dress and the Queen Alexandra Three-Feather Brooch — "They were smuggled in, but it's not to do with me."

Recalling Princess Diana's requests, Dalton explained, "She used to say, 'Richard, can you bring them in for me?'" He continued, "Nobody questioned it because nobody knew. Once I'd got through security and into the pantry, it was all plain sailing from there."

According to the hairstylist, Diana would voraciously read articles written about the Royal Family, even though many ultimately "annoyed" her. "I'd be doing her hair, she'd be flipping through the pages [of a tabloid], and she'd go, 'Ugh'...then throw it to the side," the former hairstylist recalled.

Dalton continued, "Then another one comes along and then [she'd go], 'Ohhhhhh.'"

The former royal hairdresser also highlighted the fact that a ton of stories were written about Prince Harry's parentage.

"They always [went] on about, 'Is Charles the father of Harry?'" Dalton recalled. "Of course he is." The hairstylist was quick to point to the multiple members of the Spencer family who had red hair, just like Prince Harry.

Even though she was technically forbidden from reading stories about herself, Princess Diana reportedly had quite the appetite for the tabloids.

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Amy Mackelden is the weekend editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.