40 Photos of Princess Diana You've Probably Never Seen Before

It's all about the lesser-known moments.

Diana
(Image credit: Getty Images)
By
published
in Features

There are certain Princess Diana moments that will live in our memory forever—like her wedding day with Prince Charles in that monumental silk and taffeta-lace wedding gown, or her leaving the hospital after Prince William was born. But considering that the royal English rose was practically always in the spotlight, we treasure lesser-seen moments that were captured during her tragically short lifetime. Ahead, rare photos of the late Princess of Wales throughout her life.

1963
(Image credit: Getty Images)

1963

A young Diana Spencer riding in a pram stroller at her home on the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk.

1964
(Image credit: Getty Images)

1964

Diana wearing a bright red puffer jacket and blue corduroy pants while playing with dolls at her family home in Norfolk.

1965
(Image credit: Getty Images)

1965

Posing for a portrait in a peacoat as a child.

1967
(Image credit: Getty Images)

1967

A six-year-old Diana sporting a red collared smock dress with a matching headband and blue cardigan, proving she was always stylish.

1968
(Image credit: Getty Images)

1968

Standing in the doorway of her family's home, Park House, with her younger brother, Charles, who later became the 9th Earl of Spencer.

Summer of 1971
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Summer of 1971

During a summer holiday in West Sussex donning a wide-brimmed felt hat.

1974
(Image credit: Getty Images)

1974

Getting kissed by her pet pony, Scuffle.

January 1980
(Image credit: Getty Images)

January 1980

Navigating her way through paparazzi, who started hounding the 19-year-old whenever she left her apartment after news of her relationship with Prince Charles broke.

November 1980
(Image credit: Getty Images)

November 1980

Making her way through the press (again) during her engagement to Prince Charles, who she was officially set to marry in July 1981.

November 1980
(Image credit: Getty Images)

November 1980

Working as a nanny for an American family living in London before officially becoming a royal.

December 1980
(Image credit: Getty Images)

December 1980

Returning home to her apartment on Earl's Court in 1980. The future princess started living in the apartment in 1979 after her mother purchased it for her as a birthday present.

January 1981
(Image credit: Getty Images)

January 1981

Wearing a plum jacket and feather cap as she greets well-wishers at a royal engagement in 1981.

February 1981
(Image credit: Getty Images)

February 1981

Accepting a daffodil and a kiss on the hand from a smitten schoolboy as she greets a group at Cheltenham in 1981.

March 1981
(Image credit: Getty Images)

March 1981

Attending her first high-profile event in March 1981 with her fiancé, Prince Charles. It was one of the first times the media took notice of Diana's impeccable style. She wore a black strapless taffeta gown designed by her wedding dress designers, David and Elizabeth Emanuel.

May 1981
(Image credit: Getty Images)

May 1981

Watching Prince Charles play polo in a peasant top and plastic aviator sunglasses.

June 1981
(Image credit: Getty Images)

June 1981

Sitting in her car sporting her iconic sheep sweater while attending a polo match.

July 1981
(Image credit: Getty Images)

July 1981

Attending a polo match at Cowdray Park Polo Club with her friend and future sister-in-law, Sarah Ferguson, a week before her wedding.

July 1981
(Image credit: Getty Images)

July 1981

Flashing Princes Charles a smile while visiting the Cheshire Regiment in Tidworth.

April 1983
(Image credit: Getty Images)

April 1983

Sheltering herself under an umbrella, wearing a bowler hat and ruffled top.

June 1983
(Image credit: Getty Images)

June 1983

Wearing The Diamond Spencer Tiara and an outfit designed by Bruce Oldfield for a dinner hosted by The Province of New Brunswick.

October 1985
(Image credit: Getty Images)

October 1985

Playing the piano with Prince William and Prince Harry in Kensington Palace.

April 1987
(Image credit: Getty Images)

April 1987

Visiting the Sandhurst Royal Military Academy in Surrey wearing a Catherine Walker suit and a hat by Graham Smith.

1985
(Image credit: Getty Images)

1985

Dancing with Prince Charles wearing a blue dress by David Emanuel.

August 1987
(Image credit: Getty Images)

August 1987

Posing for a quick snap in Majorca, Spain, with sons Prince William and Prince Harry.

November 1987
(Image credit: Getty Images)

November 1987

Wearing a chic black-and-pink ensemble for a royal visit to Bonn, Germany, in 1987.

November 1987
(Image credit: Getty Images)

November 1987

Sipping from a water glass during a visit to Portugal while being hosted by the President at Ajuda Palace in Lisbon.

November 1987
(Image credit: Getty Images)

November 1987

Joining her older sister (and Charles's ex-girlfriend), Sarah McCorquodale, for a visit to their former school in Kent in 1987.

January 1988
(Image credit: Getty Images)

January 1988

Taking Prince Harry for a ride on his pony in Sandringham, United Kingdom.

January 1988
(Image credit: Getty Images)

January 1988

Wearing a bright yellow floral printed sundress with Prince Charles in a jeep on a visit to a beach in New South Wales, Australia.

May 1988
(Image credit: Getty Images)

May 1988

Watching Prince Charles play polo at Smith's Lawn Windsor in an oversized blazer, T-shirt, jeans, and boots.

June 1988
(Image credit: Getty Images)

June 1988

Coordinating her white-and-green outfit with Prince Harry at the Royal Trooping the Colour in 1988. The mother and son were with the royal family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.

June 1988
(Image credit: Getty Images)

June 1988

Attending an official visit at the Royal College Surgeons, where she dressed the part in a student's traditional cap and gown.

June 1988
(Image credit: Getty Images)

June 1988

Again dressing for the occasion in an army green button-down and pants for a maneuvers demonstration by the Royal Hampshire Regiment in Tidworth.

August 1988
(Image credit: Getty Images)

August 1988

Looking back at the cameras on a walk with the royal family—and a corgi, of course—at Clarence House. The family gathered in 1988 to celebrate the Queen Mother's 88th birthday.

September 1988
(Image credit: Getty Images)

September 1988

Wearing a plum cape jacket as she greets well-wishers during a visit to St. Catherine's Hospice in Crawley, West Sussex.

October 1988
(Image credit: Getty Images)

October 1988

Ditching the traditional tennis whites for a blue pinstripe set and a pale pink cardigan at a doubles match with David Verney, professional tennis player Steffi Graf, and the club secretary Charles Swallow.

April 1990
(Image credit: Getty Images)

April 1990

Sunning herself in a leopard swimsuit and sarong on holiday in the Caribbean's Necker Island.

April 1994
(Image credit: Getty Images)

April 1994

Wearing a Philadelphia Eagles letterman jacket at Alton Towers Theme Park.

November 1994
(Image credit: Getty Images)

November 1994

Speaking with Hillary Clinton during a luncheon at the British Embassy—each of them clad in a gold buttoned skirt suit.

January 1997
(Image credit: Getty Images)

January 1997

Attending the Neves Bendinha Orthopaedic workshop with 13-year-old Sandra Thijika, who lost her leg to a mine in 1994.

TOPICS
The Editors

Marie Claire is committed to celebrating the richness and scope of women's lives. We're known for our award-winning features, thoughtful essays and op-eds, deep commitment to sustainable fashion, and buzzy interviews and reviews. Reaching millions of women every month, MarieClaire.com is an internationally recognized destination for celebrity news, fashion trends, beauty recommendations, and renowned investigative packages.