This Is The Sad Reason Princess Diana Couldn't Wear Chanel Shoes

princess diana chanel shoes — (Image credit: Tim Rooke/REX/Shutterstock)

Men ruin everything.

You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who didn’t want to slide into a pair of Chanel heels, but it turns out that Princess Diana wasn’t the biggest fan. It had nothing to do with her sense of style or any particular dislike towards the fashion house though - it all boiled down to the fact the brand was emotionally charged for her, especially in the wake of her divorce.

Prior to a visit to a hospital in Australia, designer Jayson Brundson helped Princess Diana get ready for her photo op. She chose a cream Versace skirt suit, but it fell to Jayson to advise her on which shoes she should wear and he chose a dreaded pair of Chanel shoes.

He told Harper’s Bazaar, ‘I went through them all and I found a pair of Chanel shoes, and I said, 'well these would look great with the Versace' and she said 'no, I can't wear linked Cs, the double C". So I asked why, and she said, 'it's Camilla and Charles'.’

Given that this was back in 1996 - literally the year that Prince Charles and Diana divorced - it’s no surprise that the wound was still raw. And on top of that, Diana was also keenly aware that member of the public might latch onto the significance of the logo: if she didn’t read between the lines, then somebody else would.

Jayson said, ‘It was definitely the timing, it being post-divorce. She would have seen linked Cs and they would have just reminded her of Charles and Camilla. The shoes were quite boldly Chanel, I think they had gold linked Cs on them. And I think for photo optics, people would have honed in on that considering it was so fresh after the divorce as well.’

While Diana may not have been able to don her Chanels, she eventually wound up choosing a pair of Guccis - a great shout, if we do say so ourselves. There’s no denying she was an incredibly stylish lady and she remains the most powerful royal fashion influencer of all time with a number of summer trends taking note from her most iconic style moments.

At least Diana got her own back when she stepped out in her iconic revenge dress in her first public appearance after the divorce, a black body con dress that had tongues wagging.

It basically set the gold standard for all our post-break up fantasies - the glow up was real.

Megan is a freelance journalist who covers entertainment and all things lifestyle, with a particular passion for fashion, beauty, travel and Keanu Reeves stories. She has previously worked on staff for titles including Marie Claire UK, CNN Style and The Evening Standard and has written for titles such as Bustle UK, Wallpaper*, Forbes and Hong Kong Tatler. She splits her time between London and her hometown Hong Kong, where she currently lives with the love of her life - an elderly dog named Poppy - and her husband.