The Tender Reason Princess Diana Wore Two Watches For A Time

Princess Diana’s fashion choices have long been chronicled and commented on. From athleisure to that short, tousled pixie cut, the late Diana, Princess of Wales was the ultimate trendsetter. From her love of bamboo-handled Gucci bag, to Versace and Supergas, there is a particular trend – sported now by the likes of Chris Pratt and Billie Eilish that Diana was wearing in the ‘80s: the double watch.

It was in July 1981, while attending one of her then-fiancé Prince Charles' polo matches at the Guards Polo Club in Windsor, that Diana Spencer was spotted wearing double wristwatches. Though according to Glamour it was reported at the time that it was a practical move, to keep track of multiple time zones, it was a far more romantic reason.

One watch, the thin gold metallic watch belonged to her, and the other, a larger fave and with a brown leather strap, was actually Charles’. It is believed Diana wore it as a tribute to her betrothed, and did so to wish him luck in the match. A modern take on the middle age tradition where knights would tie a lady’s handkerchief to their helmet, if you will.

Of course, she didn’t carry on the tradition for long and we know – from history and The Crown – how that love story turned out. But still, a very sweet meaning behind her sartorial step.

“We all have a sense of what we think she was like, and yet so much of it comes from still photographs,” art historian Eleri Lynn told Vanity Fair. “A large part of that of that [idea] is communicated through the different clothes that she wore.” Eloise Moran’s popular Instagram account @ladydirevengelooks and her book, The Lady Di Look Book, are both testament to that.