Princess Diana's 'only request' when she used to visit designer Ritu Kumar's London store

Diana, Princess of Wales was a regular at Indian fashion designer Ritu Kumar’s store in London and always had "just one request" and the UK Royal used to call the store herself. The designer shared details while posting an old image of Princess Diana wearing Ritu Kumar’s classic blue salwar kameez on a Lahore visit with the current Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and his then-wife Jemina Khan who was wearing the designer’s anarkali suit. Taking to the official Instagram account of the brand, Kumar revealed the one request that Diana often had with the London store managers, which was to keep a section of the store empty to give her some privacy. 

Ritu Kumar said, “Diana was a patron of my store in London. She would call the store herself when she wanted to visit. She would cycle down to the store, park at Mayfair behind our store, and walk the few minutes to it. She would only request us to keep a part of the store free of customers to give her some privacy, and would enjoy browsing there.”

Princess Diana, who was known for her charm and sartorial style, visited Pakistan on three occasions, once in 1991, then in 1996 and 1997 owing to the close bond she reportedly shared with Imran Khan and Jemima Khan. She arrived in Pakistan, each time in traditional wear. Even when in 1996, Jemima and Imran visited London, Princess Diana wore the traditional attire for a charity dinner at Dorchester Hotel. The dinner was reportedly hosted to aid the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital in Pakistan.

Prince Harry Writes About Diana's Death In Book

In the book titled Hospital by the Hill, whose plot revolves around a youngster who lost a medic mother to COVID-19 crisis, the Duke of Sussex Prince Harry wrote a foreword for the book dedicated to the children of bereaved COVID-19 healthcare workers. He openly reflected upon his struggles as a child after losing Princess Diana who died in a horrific car accident in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in Paris, in 1997 when he was 12.

Harry wrote in the foreword. “When I was a young boy I lost my mum. At the time, I didn’t want to believe it or accept it, and it left a huge hole inside of me. I know how you feel, and I want to assure you that over time that hole will be filled with so much love and support.”

Image credits: AP/@ritukumarhq/Instagram