The Surprising Reason Why a British Designer Rejected Princess Diana's Request for an Engagement Outfit

From her silk-and-taffeta wedding gown with a 25-foot train to her black off-the-shoulder "revenge dress," the Princess of Wales donned a number of iconic ensembles over the years. One such look was the blue-hued suit she selected for her engagement photos with Prince Charles, which she purchased from Harrods. While it's unclear why she selected it, the cool-toned outfit allowed her sapphire ring to truly pop in the pictures. However, it turns out that the famous ensemble may not have been the one she originally wanted to wear for the special occasion.

In a recent interview, Claudia Joseph, the author of Diana: A Life in Dresses, revealed that the blue suit wasn't what Diana intended to don for her engagement photos. Before heading to the British department store, the bride-to-be had to gone to another store to select an ensemble for the pictures. However, her hopes were dashed when an employee reportedly rejected her request for assistance. "Her mother knew the designer David Sassoon who worked for Bellville too, so she went in by herself one Friday evening, and the shop assistant didn't recognize her," Joseph said on the Royally Us podcast, according to the Daily Express. "Diana didn't know what she wanted. And I think the assistant became a bit impatient with her and basically said, 'why don't you go to Harrods dear, you'll find what you're looking for there.'" Diana ultimately followed her instructions—and went to the department store.

Just a day later, the designers learned what their shop assistant had done. "And then of course, the next day, David and Belinda [Bellville], were in the shop and another shop assistant said, 'I think Princess Diana came in yesterday,; and they were like, 'What do you mean, she came in and we didn't design [anything for her]?,'" Joseph said. Upon hearing this, David said he was outraged. "We nearly had a fit," he previously told the Daily Mail. And while the outfit Diana ultimately selected is memorable, it wasn't what many assumed the royal would don for such a photo session. "And then she [Diana] wore an off-the-peg suit from Cojana for her engagement photo, that blue suit, which obviously everybody remembers, but it wasn't necessarily the most elegant of outfits," Joseph said.

While Diana eventually turned to another designer duo to create her wedding dress, the Belvilles were quick to repair their relationship with the royal following the misstep. When it came to other wedding-day items, Diana's mother returned to Bellville Sassoon for their assistance. "From then on, whenever Diana appeared, we kept the vendeuse (saleswoman) out of the way," David told the Daily Mail.