DIANA: Stories Behind the Icon - Introducing a New Series from The Princess Diana Museum
- Jan 26
- 5 min read
Every icon carries a deeper story. Beyond the photographs and headlines that defined Princess Diana’s public image are the moments that reveal who she truly was, the people who walked alongside her, and the thoughtful ways she navigated a life lived in full view of the world.
Shared in conversation with Renae Plant, curator of The Princess Diana Museum, these stories are guided with care, context, and a deep respect for both history and humanity.
This year, The Princess Diana Museum is delighted to introduce DIANA: Stories Behind the Icon, a new weekly episodic series that offers a closer, more human look at Diana’s life and legacy.
What Is DIANA: Stories Behind the Icon?
This series is built on a simple but powerful premise: the people who knew Diana have stories to tell. Each week, we release a new audio episode snippet featuring firsthand interviews with those who dressed her, trained with her, worked alongside her, and witnessed her humanity up close. These conversations are guided by our Museum curator, Renae Plant, and grounded in archival research and previously unheard accounts.
Rather than speculation or tabloid narratives, DIANA: Stories Behind the Icon centers the voices of those who lived and worked alongside her. It's a series about agency, resilience, and the quiet moments that defined a life lived under the world's gaze.
New episode excerpts are released weekly on our Instagram, offering the public a glimpse into these intimate conversations. Full episodes are available exclusively through Museum Membership, ensuring that those who wish to engage deeply with Diana's legacy can do so in a meaningful way.
Featured Episode #1: Dame Zandra Rhodes on Fashion as Armor
Dame Zandra Rhodes is a legendary designer whose work shaped some of Diana's most iconic moments. From the pregnancy announcement dress to countless custom pieces, Zandra understood something fundamental: Diana's clothes were not simply fashion. They were protection. In her interview with Renae Plant, Zandra recalls a conversation that reveals the ingenuity behind every seam. Diana was direct about her reality:
"Look, Sandra, when I get out of a car, you can be sure there's a photographer standing right at the bottom about to photograph up into my dress."
This wasn't for vanity's sake, it was a certain type of survival. Zandra responded by engineering Diana's garments with deeper wraps, reinforced construction, and custom details designed for real life under intense public scrutiny. Every alteration served a purpose: dignity, agency, and control in a world determined to expose her.
What emerges from Zandra's account is a portrait of fashion as something far more profound than trend.
For Diana, clothing was, in some ways, a form of armor — a way to move through the world on her own terms. It was an expression of sovereignty in spaces where she had little control. Through Zandra's eyes, we see how Diana collaborated with those around her to reclaim agency in the smallest, most essential ways.
Featured Episode #2: Jenni Rivett on Routine as Grounding
For more than seven years, Jenni Rivett was Diana's personal trainer — a role that placed her in one of the most private spaces in Diana's life. While the world saw the public figure, Jenni witnessed something different: a woman seeking grounding through routine, movement, and trusted relationships away from cameras.
In her interview, Jenni speaks to the quiet rituals that sustained Diana. Early mornings. Consistent training. The discipline of showing up for herself, day after day. These weren't glamorous moments, they were the unglamorous, essential practices that allowed Diana to maintain her physical and mental resilience.
The Museum's collection includes artifacts that speak to this chapter of Diana's life: her worn "Sloppy Joe's" sweatshirt, handwritten training cards in her own hand, and photographs from these private sessions. These objects tell a story that photographs and headlines cannot. They reveal Diana as someone who understood the power of consistency, who valued her own wellbeing, and who found sovereignty in the simple act of moving her body.
Jenni's account reminds us that routine is not mundane — it is radical. For Diana, showing up for herself, day after day, in a private space with a trusted person, was an act of self-preservation. Movement became privacy. Consistency became sovereignty. In a life lived under constant observation, these quiet hours were hers alone.
Why These Stories Matter
The Princess Diana Museum exists to preserve and share the human story behind the icon. We believe that Diana's legacy is not found only in grand gestures or historical moments — it lives in the everyday choices she made, the relationships she nurtured, and the ways she sought agency and dignity in an extraordinary life. By preserving firsthand accounts from those who knew her, we honor Diana's complexity. We move beyond the image and into the substance. We create space for nuance, for humanity, and for the quiet moments that shaped her.
Each artifact in our collection — from Zandra's sketches to Jenni's training notes — is a thread in a larger tapestry. Together, they tell a story that no single photograph or headline ever could.
How to Engage with the Series
We're making this series accessible in multiple ways:
Follow us on Instagram for weekly episode excerpts. These short, curated clips offer a taste of each conversation and are available to the public for a limited time.
Become a Museum Member to access full episodes. Members enjoy unlimited access to complete interviews, exclusive content, and the knowledge that they're supporting the Museum's mission to educate and preserve Diana's legacy.
Visit our 3D Virtual Museum to explore artifacts, timelines, and contextual information that deepen your understanding of Diana's life and legacy.
Join Us in Preserving Diana's Legacy
Diana's story is not finished. It lives on in the people who knew her, in the artifacts that remain, and in the conversations we continue to have about her life, her choices, and her impact. We invite you to join us. Watch and listen to the weekly excerpts. Explore the full interviews through Museum Membership. Visit our Virtual Museum. And help us ensure that Diana's legacy — in all its complexity and humanity — is preserved for generations to come.
Because the most important stories are the ones told by those who were there.
Become a Museum Member Today
Ready to dive deeper into Diana's story? Museum Membership gives you exclusive access to full episodes of DIANA: Stories Behind the Icon, plus unlimited access to our 3D Virtual Museum, special events, and member-only content. Your membership directly supports our mission to educate the public and preserve Diana's legacy in her honor.
Be a part of the community dedicated to honoring Princess Diana.
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