Diana (15 page)

At a White House dinner, when Mikhail Baryshnikov got shy about customarily passing a menu card around the table to Diana for her autograph, she said, “Why? What’s wrong? I have
your
autograph.” Baryshnikov asked in a shocked tone: “What?” “As a teenager,” she explained, “I stood in the rain outside the stage door at Covent Garden
when you were dancing because I was such an admirer and I wanted your autograph.”

At dinner with Luciano Pavarotti, he started to eat off her plate. “I’m not used to this,” she said. Portraitist Nelson Shank, who was present, remembered the incident. “I don’t think it bothered her at all.”

Simon Le Bon, lead singer of Duran Duran, was taking a poster around for autographs at the Pavarotti and Friends concert for Bosnian children. Diana agreed to sign the poster, but said, “I’m not going to sign next to Duran Duran.” LeBon asked, “Why not? You said we’re your favorite band, and we’ve had to live with it.” She replied, “I know I said it. I’ve had to live with it ever since as well.” They both collapsed with laughter.

After actor John Hurt poked his rather tipsy head into the vehicle where Diana was chatting with a
paraplegic in 1987, rather than being dismayed, she remarked: “Anything for a change of routine is fun. I love it when something unexpected happens.”

Fabled designer Oscar de la Renta was seated next to her at a charity luncheon. For the first half hour, Diana spoke with the lady next to her and never turned to him. A friend at a different table sent a note to de la Renta with the sarcastic comment, “We are all noticing what a hit you are with the Princess of Wales.” Finally, Diana turned to him, took his hand, and said, “You know, I’ve wanted to talk to you for such a long time, but was too shy.” He showed her the note, and she roared with laughter. She said, “Well, now we have to create a completely different impression.” She spoke with no one but de la Renta for the rest of the meal.

Upon entering a party at Cannes, she said to those gathered, “Sorry there aren’t any film stars. There’s just me. Hope you don’t get bored.”

Diana left this message for ABC-TV journalist Barbara Walters: “Just tell her it’s Diana of London.”

In February 1997, Diana saw an advance copy of Gianni Versace’s
Rock and Royalty,
a coffeetable collection of photographs that included those of rock stars and other celebrities, some of them nude poses. She had written a foreword for the book. Diana quickly issued the following press release: “Last year I was approached by Mr. Versace to contribute a foreword to a book entitled
Rock and Royalty,
which was produced to raise funds for Elton John’s AIDS Foundation. I had an interest in this Foundation and was pleased to support Mr. Versace’s book. I was assured that the book would not contain material which would cause offense and I therefore signed the foreword. Earlier this
week I saw a copy for the first time. I am extremely concerned that the book may cause offense to members of the Royal Family. For this reason I have asked for my foreword to be withdrawn from the book and will now not attend the dinner on February 18, which is intended to mark the book’s launch.”

When told by Jeremy Irons in 1995, “I’ve taken a year off acting,” Diana replied, “So have I.”

On the public

“In a way, by being out in public [people] supported me, although they weren’t aware just how much healing they were giving me, and it carried me through.”

In her first days of public life, on a crowded shopping street in Mayfair, someone called out: “Di!”
She replied, “Please don’t call me that—I’ve
never
been called Di. I really don’t like it.”

A Q&A session with Grania Forbes of the London Press Association in July 1981 acquainted the public a bit better with their new princess: “I’ve been extremely touched by everyone’s enthusiasm and affection. It has taken a bit of getting used to the cameras but it is wonderful to see people’s enthusiastic reaction; it is most rewarding and gives me a tremendous boost. The Prince of Wales has made everything far easier for me and it is very good to be able to do things together publicly. I miss the immediate company of my flatmates. I’m enormously grateful to the many people helping so well with all the wedding arrangements and very much looking forward to visiting Wales and getting to know it better as part of my duties as future Princess of Wales.”