When Princess Diana glided down the red carpet at the 1987 Cannes Film Festival, all eyes were on her—cameras clicking, flashbulbs exploding, and the world in awe of her ethereal beauty.
But, at the time, not everyone understood the deeper symbolism woven between the folds of her beautiful blue tulle gown.
Her influence extended beyond mere fashion. Princess Diana was the center of attention at every public occasion she attended. Known as “The People’s Princess,” she exuded charm and rewrote the royal style manual. Diana rose to prominence as a worldwide fashion symbol in the 1980s and 1990s, preferring softer, more accessible designs over customary royal formality.
Is this one of her distinctive styles? Pastels. These soft, graceful tones were a wardrobe staple, appearing in fitted suits and flowing dresses. One of Princess Diana’s most famous fashion moments happened in 1987, though it is less well-known than others.
Diana and Prince Charles made a brief visit to Cannes, lasting about 10 hours. Officially, the royal couple was in Cannes to celebrate Sir Alec Guinness, show support for the British film industry, and attend a lavish black-tie event at Festival Palace.
The gala dinner was heavily guarded. Diana didn’t speak at the meal, but she didn’t have to. She was the focus of all eyes and camera lenses. That meal became the most popular invitation of the whole festival. Security was tight, with ticket holders forced to provide their passports for identity checks simply to enter.
When Diana entered the screening of The Whales of August, most attendees merely perceived her as a princess in yet another magnificent outfit. Photographers shot her from every angle, with her gown’s flowing chiffon scarf catching the air.
But the moment wasn’t simply a stunning photo opportunity. Diana’s strapless, powder-blue gown, created by her longtime associate Catherine Walker, represented more than just fashion.
Walker, the designer who would go on to define many of Diana’s most memorable fashion moments, created a gown that did more than just turn heads; it also discreetly paid tribute to another royal figure who had had a significant effect on Diana. The dress’s flowing lines and frosty tint evoked the grandeur of Princess Grace of Monaco, a princess whose sad death had long haunted Diana.
The Philadelphia-born star, who was the pinnacle of refinement and beauty, resigned from the big screen at the age of 26 to marry Prince Rainier III and become Princess of Monaco.
Grace Kelly died in a fatal vehicle accident five years before the 1987 Cannes Film Festival, the same awful end Diana would face ten years later. On that magnificent night in Cannes, few in the media appeared to notice the modest homage woven into Diana’s flowing light blue gown, a quiet reminder of Grace’s eternal, frosty grace.
Few recognized Diana’s costume was a subtle nod to one of her first royal confidantes. Newspapers at the time did not cover it, and a search of the 1987 archives yields only a single reference.
However, now—and for a few astute observers even back then—the relationship is evident. The dress, with its ice blue hue and flowing design, resembled the Edith Head gown Grace Kelly wore in Alfred Hitchcock’s To Catch a Thief, which was famously filmed on the French Riviera.
That decision was deliberate. Diana and designer Catherine Walker allegedly drew direct inspiration from Grace’s cinematic appearance, down to the exact hue of blue that Hitchcock had chosen to give a feeling of cold, untouchable beauty.
Diana and Grace Kelly had a particular friendship. Despite their brief time together, their bond left a lasting impression on Diana.
Diana met Grace at a charity banquet in 1981, shortly after she had become engaged. Nervous and overwhelmed, the 19-year-old bride-to-be burst into tears in the ladies’ room. Grace, then 51, pulled her close and gave her counsel that only a woman who had been through the royal machine could provide. Diana recalls the scene well.
Cannes also held special significance for Princess Grace, as it was on the French Riviera that she met her future husband, Prince Rainier, in April 1955, while still an American actress. And 32 years later, Diana stood upon the same French land where Grace had met Prince Rainier decades before, softly honoring her. There’s no speech. There is no press release. It’s just fabric, color, and memory.
This remarkable item gave the dress an airy, flowing aspect, “catching the breeze that was high on the evening of the film screening,” as Newsweek put it. Diana returned to the Miss Saigon premiere two years later, wearing the identical gown. In 1997, only months before her untimely death, Diana featured it in her famed Christie’s charity auction, which sold 79 classic costumes.
According to Tatler, the Cannes gown went for $70,700. It would subsequently reemerge at auction in 2013, earning more than $132,000 and benefiting a children’s charity.
Kensington Palace displayed the outfit behind glass in 2017 as a tribute to her passing on the 20th anniversary. It now acts as a time capsule, preserving not only Diana’s technique but also her profound depth, anguish, and gratitude to a lady who understood her agony better than anyone else.
On that breezy Cannes evening, the photographers captured the image. However, this may not be the full story.
