London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Aug 26, 2026

We Can't Stop Comparing 'The Crown's Princess Diana Outfits to Her IRL Looks

We Can't Stop Comparing 'The Crown's Princess Diana Outfits to Her IRL Looks

It's uncanny! When you have one of the largest budgets in Netflix history, it's only proper to go all in. At $13 million an episode (yes, even higher than Stranger Things), The Crown is no stranger to putting dollars where it matters.

Whether it's shooting on location at historical sites like the famed Ely Cathedral or spending $37,000 on a single dress, they know where to put money.

Especially when you're capturing the story of icons like Diana Spencer, the shy 19-year-old kindergarten teacher turned People's Princess.

Di is a big part of the season that dropped on Netflix on November 15—bringing a whole lot of drama and great '70s and '80s fashion inspiration with it. In honor of The Crown's return, we rounded up the best Princess Diana outfits the show has recreated so far.

While the show doesn't always replicate ensembles exactly as they were in real life, sometimes they match up so well it's like we're seeing double.

Originally Worn In May 1981


The newly engaged couple were photographed before their wedding at the Craigowan Lodge on the Balmoral Estate in Scotland. While it must have been hard to find a sweater as iconic as the pink one, would it be a crime to say I love the blue a little bit more?


Originally Worn In November 1988


The one-shoulder gown of my dreams by Catherine Walker was seen at a dinner at the British Embassy in Paris, France, hosted by the British Ambassador to France. I will say I love the bright hues of The Crown's revamp.


Originally Worn In July 1981


The wedding dress to end all wedding dresses, Emma Corrin, who plays Diana, said 10 people had to help her put on the replica of Diana’s gown. The famous piece had some help from the original designers, Elizabeth and David Emanuel; they gave the show their patterns of the original dress to make their own crazily accurate version.


Originally Worn In July 1981


Polo match chic much? Princess Diana was seen wearing these iconic yellow overalls with a floral blouse at a polo match at Cowdray Park Polo Club in Gloucestershire, United Kingdom. On The Crown, they added a floral knitted cardigan to the ensemble, and frankly, we're obsessed.


Originally Worn In July 1986


Instead of rollerblading through the halls of the royal palace, Princess Diana wore this outfit to play with her sons outside on Highgrove's grounds.


Originally Worn In September 1980


Before becoming a princess, Diana loved to wear sweater vests with feminine blouses while working at the Young England Kindergarten School in Pimlico, where she worked as a nursery assistant. Paying homage to her younger years would be nothing without the initial necklace around her neck.


Originally Worn In April 1987


At the Cannes Film Festival in France, Princess Diana wore a flowing chiffon blue ballgown designed by one of her favorite designers, Catherine Walker. The Queen's cousin, Lady Elizabeth Anson, once spilled that Prince Charles knew early on in their marriage of her massive popularity, reportedly telling aides, "They've come out to see my wife, they haven't come out to see me."


Originally Worn In 1980


Before becoming a royal, Princess Diana had a thing for exquisite collars, like this lettuce trim sweater with a light jacket thrown over it. "Fashion might not have been a priority, but she loved to experiment," said her stylist Anna Harvey to Britain Vogue.


Originally Worn In March 1983


This very, very blue number was seen on the couple's first overseas tour together, a six-week tour of Australia and New Zealand with a 10-month old Prince William along for the ride. It was the first international trip for the 22-year-old and the first tour that William had ever been on.


Originally Worn In March 1983


Another great outfit was worn during the Australia and New Zealand tour! Diana wore a frilly blue gown by Bruce Oldfield to a gala dinner and dance at the Wentworth Hotel in Sydney. It's estimated during the tour that the couple shook around 2,000 hands per day, leaving Diana's with red and sore hands every evening.


Originally Worn In June 1981


At the London premiere of the Bond film For Your Eyes Only, Diana wore a red and gold spangled chiffon gown by Bellville Sassoon. The event took place a month before their royal wedding. Di, Prince Charles, and Princess Margaret were all in attendance.


Originally Worn In November 1980


Post-engagement, Diana was photographed leaving her apartment wearing a Christmas-y patterned cardigan. Her pie-crust-collar blouse was tied with a bow-tie detail that added a whimsical touch to the outfit.


Originally Worn In September 1982


At the Braemar Highland Games in Scotland, Di wore a marvelous button tartan suit by Caroline Charles and a tam o'shanter hat. She would later re-wear the suit to attend a tree-planting ceremony in Hyde Park a month later.


Originally Worn In July 1981


Diana wore a high-neck blue floral dress to their hour-long wedding rehearsal at St. Paul's church. Funny enough, First Lady Nancy Reagan was also in attendance at the pre-wedding event. "The thing I remember most was how young she was, young and happy," said Reagan on meeting Diana before her wedding. "I was sure it was going to be a wonderful marriage. We all thought it would be. It really did seem like the fairy tale that people still talk about."


Originally Worn In March 1984


During a visit to a children's hospital in London, Princess Diana wore a Herringbone coat with velvet collar and a tied bow. You can see how the show mimicked the strong structure of Diana's coat with colorful flair on the left.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Turnbull Warns AUKUS Could Leave Australia Without Promised Nuclear Submarines
California Billionaires Pour More Than $150 Million Into Fight Over Proposed Wealth Tax
German Broadcaster Goes Dark to Warn AfD Could End Its Saxony-Anhalt Service
Badenoch Plans Major Shadow Cabinet Reshuffle as Tories Struggle in Third Place
UK Government Demands Action Against Social Media Content Promoting Dangerous Driving
Labour Backbenchers Prepare Push for Electoral Reform Under Andy Burnham
Fire at Gatwick Airport Car Park Destroys 140 Vehicles and Cuts Local Power
UK Plans Voluntary Libido-Suppressing Medication Programme Across 20 Prisons
NHS England Launches Free Home Cervical Cancer Testing Kits Nationwide
Imperial College Study Warns North Sea Oil Projects Could Cause Hundreds of Billions of Pounds in Climate Damage
UK Inflation Rises to 2.9% as Middle East Conflict Pushes Up Energy Costs
Prime Minister Andy Burnham Visits Kyiv to Strengthen UK Support for Ukraine
Premier League Season Opens With Managerial Debuts and Dramatic Early Fixtures
England Cricket Drops Brydon Carse From Selection Pending Club Investigation
Graeme Dott Convicted of Child Sexual Abuse Offences in Scotland
Protesters Occupy British Aircraft Parts Factory Over Alleged Military Links to Israel
More Than 100 Former British and French Diplomats Call for Sanctions on Israel
Ipsos Poll Shows British Public Split Between Immigration Controls and Economic Growth
British Cybersecurity Agencies Raise Alert Over Growing Threats to Critical Infrastructure
Two-Thirds of England Now Under Official Drought Conditions After Prolonged Summer Heat
Institute of Directors Calls for Urgent Action to Revive Britain’s Stagnant Labour Market
Andy Burnham Visits Kyiv on First Foreign Trip and Pledges Continued British Support for Ukraine
New Daily Diabetes and Weight-Loss Pill Launches in UK Pharmacies
UK Payroll Employment Falls by 94,000 as Labour Market Cools
Onshore Wind Planning Applications in England Reach Ten-Year High After Rules Eased
UK Government Demands Social Media Platforms Remove Dangerous Driving Content After A66 Crash
Thames Water Creditors Face Backlash Over Proposed Corporate Restructuring
Twelve Arrested After Fatal A66 Crash Linked to Organised Crime Investigation
UK Household Energy Debt Could Reach £7 Billion by Year-End
UK Defence Ministry to Use Ukraine Battlefield Data to Train AI Security Systems
UK Government Redirects £4 Billion of Affordable Homes Funding Away From Social Housing
UK Government Borrowing Reaches £1.8 Billion in July, Exceeding Forecasts
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham Pledges Advanced Missile Support for Ukraine
8Bank of England Holds Interest Rate at 3.75% as Middle East Energy Risks Rise
Prime Minister Andy Burnham to Give Ukraine Classified Storm Shadow Blueprints for Domestic Missile Production
UK Graduate Job Vacancies Plunge 45% to Lowest Levels on Record
Government Audit Reveals Pressure on UK Hospitality From Business Rates and Rising Costs
Kindertransport Survivor Prepares to Revisit European Sites Linked to Her Family’s Wartime Separation
Northern England Transport Operators Strengthen Contingency Plans as Travel Demand Rises
New Implant Trials Offer Treatment Prospects for Patients With Refractory Angina
South Wales Reviews Wildfire Response After Exceptionally Dry Summer
UK Treasury Prepares Autumn Fiscal Statement Amid Spending and Defense Pressures
Norfolk Records First Wild Beaver Births in More Than Five Hundred Years
Historic Portrait of Benjamin Disraeli Reported Missing From Parliament’s Art Collection
Five People, Including Police Officers, Killed in A66 Crash as Families Pay Tribute
Most English Secondary Schools Found to Fall Short of National Healthy Food Standards
UK Think Tank Says Productivity Growth May Be Stronger Than Official Data Shows
Reform Party Proposes Lower Social Housing Priority for Foreign-Born UK Citizens
UK Government Plans Business Rate Overhaul to Ease Pressure on Pubs and Hotels
New Daily Diabetes and Weight-Loss Pill Launches Across NHS Pharmacies in England
×