A Teenage Prince William Almost Thwarted Princess Diana's Rule-Breaking 1996 Met Gala Moment
Diana only walked the Met red carpet once, and she nearly didn't wear her iconic slip dress.
The navy Dior slip dress that Princess Diana wore to the 1996 Met Gala is widely considered one of the best fashion moments from the annual Costume Institute benefit. But the late royal almost didn’t walk the red carpet in the slinky, silky number—and the reason why shows her dedication to Prince William and Prince Harry.
In the Hulu documentary In Vogue: The '90s, former Dior creative director John Galliano reflected on the historic and “real, real fun” process of preparing Diana for her one and only Met Gala. “I remember one day we all jumped into this old van, and we went to London, where we met Princess Diana,” Galliano recalled. “It was like a blessing. I mean, wow.”
Her original navy, lace-trimmed slip dress included a corseted detail, and apparently, it was so “ravishing” that the princess feared 14-year-old Prince William would be embarrassed by the outfit, per the Daily Mail. Although Diana worried her eldest son “wouldn’t like it being so revealing,” the princess did end up wearing the Galliano creation, but with a surprise alteration.
Princess Diana wears a Dior slip dress at the 1996 Met Gala.
(From left) John Galliano poses with Liz Tilberis, Princess Diana, Helene Mercier and Bernard Arnault at the 1996 Met Gala.
“Fast-forward to the event, and I just remember her getting out of the car,” Galliano said. “I couldn't believe it. She'd ripped the corset out.”
The lingerie-inspired dress certainly defied expectations of what a princess would wear on the red carpet. Galliano noted that after her separation from Prince Charles, Diana must have “felt so liberated” that she opted to go with a sexier look.
"The dress was much more sensuous. The cameras went mental. The paparazzi was blinding, which made the dress really bling and the jewels and everything," he added.
Diana enters the Met Gala with Liz Tilberis, who served as editor-in-chief of Harper's Bazaar from 1992 to 1999.
Diana carries a navy Lady Dior bag at the Met Gala.
It was a true revenge dress, and in a nod to her famous 1994 Christina Stambolian design, Diana wore the same thick pearl choker with a sapphire clasp.
“I think all of us were so captivated and fascinated by Princess Diana,” Anna Wintour added in the documentary. “At that time, she was the most famous woman in the world. She was enjoying fashion and the spotlight that she put on particularly British designers.”
