Princess Dianawould have supportedPrince Harryin his decision to step back from royal life, says her fashion designer friend.
“She wouldn’t be upset about Harry stepping back,” Diana’s former designerPaul Costelloetells PEOPLE backstage at his London Fashion Week show on Monday. “She would say ‘do what you need to do,’ definitely, she was not a royalist at all, she was a person of the people and she put her children first before anything else.”
Having worked with Diana for 15 years during the ’80s and ’90s, Costelloe, 73, has fond memories of his time dressing the fashionable royal for numerous events — from the school run to royal tours in India and Australia.
“She was lovely to dress and she was a very honest, sincere person. She was family orientated and she had a sense of humor – she liked to smile,” he says.
Often fitting her at her Kensington Palace home (where her sonPrince Williamnow lives with his wifeKate Middletonand their three children), the designer says: “I remember meeting William and Harry — they were so cute. Harry was the little troublemaker and William was always well behaved.”
Princess Diana and Prince Harry.Tim Graham/Getty
Tim Graham/Getty
Paul Costelloe
As for her style at the time, Costelloe says she was the perfect ambassador for his growing brand, which he founded back in Dublin in 1979 after training at the Chamber Syndicale de la Haute Couture in Paris and working in Milan and New York.
“She had great shoulders for tailoring so she could carry off any jacket. She loved aqua greens, yellows and pinks – strong colors. I think she liked fashion and she had very strong points of view on what she wanted to wear,” he says.
Showcasing his Autumn/Winter 2020 collection at the Waldorf Hotel in London’s Aldwych, Costelloe, now a grandfather, says he will never forget hearing the news of Diana’s tragic death. By that point the two were no longer working together.
“She got involved with Elton and Versace and I reluctantly took a bow,” he explains, but the news, like many, hit him hard. “I remember when I heard of the crash at 3 a.m. or 4 a.m. in the morning, I just stayed up all night and cried.”
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In recent years, Costelloe has dressed Princess Anne and her daughter Zara Tindall, although he is somewhat embarrassed to say Zara’s look was not altogether a success.
“I put Zara in a yellow dress for Cheltenham and somehow it made her look pregnant, so I can publicly apologize to her now. I still make mistakes!”
source: people.com
