Never underestimate a power nap! Dozing off, even if it’s just for a few seconds, can work miracles. And, it seems, even princesses swear by it. After all, life in a royal palace can be exhausting sometimes. And maybe just a tad boring? One of Princess Diana’s most stunning (and surprising) pictures shows her taking a nap during an official engagement. The image was snapped when she was newly married to Prince Charles and still getting used to life in the public eye, and it caused quite the stir among royal fans and journalists.

So was the young princess just tired at the event and unable to keep her eyes open? Or was there something more to the story? We spoke to royal expert Marlene Koenig, author of Queen Victoria’s Descendants, to get to the bottom of this iconic image. Read on to find out everything about this moment—and the cute nickname it inspired.

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Where was Princess Diana when she fell asleep?

Princess Diana At The Victoria And Albert MuseumTim Graham/Getty Images

The image was taken at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London on Nov. 4, 1981, when Diana attended the Splendours of the Gonzagas Exhibition Gala with her then-husband, Charles. The late princess stunned in a pale blue chiffon evening gown designed by Bellville Sassoon.

Diana, just 20 years old at the time, seemed to doze off in the middle of the event—and photographer Tim Graham was quick enough to capture the moment and share it with the world. “It seems she only dozed off for a second or two, then realized it and quickly composed herself again, but the photographer had already taken the picture,” Koenig says.

Considering her public nap happened just a few months after Diana’s and Charles’s wedding—and it was a pretty serious royal misstep—it’s not surprising that the image made the front pages of the papers. It even earned the Princess of Wales a new nickname: Sleeping Beauty.

Why did she fall asleep?

While we can’t know for sure what led to the candid moment (Diana didn’t publicly comment on it), it looks like it was exhaustion from being in the early stages of pregnancy—something that was unknown to the public at the time. “Diana got married at a very young age and, as we learned soon after, fell pregnant with Prince William just two months after the wedding,” Koenig says. “She was in the public eye around the clock and didn’t have time to adjust to her new life.”

Pregnant or not, however, royal life had been somewhat relentless since her marriage. Diana had completed her first royal tour of Wales only a week before the Victoria and Albert Museum event and had been at the State Opening of Parliament earlier that day.

Buckingham Palace promptly reacted to the “Sleeping Beauty” image and announced that Diana was expecting the following day.

What was the public’s reaction at the time?

Brits and royal fans around the world adored the Princess of Wales, and her public nap further added to her appeal. “It was a lovely image of someone who was seen as a fairy-tale princess and at the same time a sweet moment that showed that despite her role, Diana was still human. At the end of the day, this could have happened to any of us,” says Koenig, adding that “people thought Diana was sweet and pretty, so the nickname was very fitting and meant as a compliment.”

Of course, the baby news the next day caused a huge stir. On their podcast Royally Obsessed, palace insiders Roberta Fiorito and Rachel Bowie revealed how, at the time, Diana’s pregnancy announcement—which included a health update from the princess and congratulations from Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip—was the first of its kind. When Elizabeth was pregnant with Charles, Buckingham Palace only published a note saying she wouldn’t undertake any royal engagements for a couple of months. With Diana’s news, Koenig says, the public was both excited and relieved: “There had been rumors going around that something was off, but people thought now that Diana was pregnant, everything would be fine.”

How did Diana navigate her pregnancies in public?

Diana’s pregnancies were just as public as their announcements. “Photographers followed her everywhere—she didn’t have a single private moment,” Koenig says. In February, when the princess was five months pregnant with William, she flew off to the Bahamas for 10 days with Charles to switch off—only to be photographed again, this time in a strapless bikini with a clearly visible baby bump. “The palace was furious when the pictures appeared in the tabloids. The queen saw it as a privacy violation,” Koenig says. “After all, Diana and Charles were on their babymoon, and the last thing they would have wanted was to be exploited again.”

Arguably the biggest moment, however, occurred when Diana gave birth. After the palace publicly announced that Diana had gone into labor—another first—the press and well-wishers quickly gathered in front of St. Mary’s Hospital in London. And just 24 hours later, Diana appeared on the stairs in a polka-dot dress, introducing newly born William to the world. This iconic moment was echoed by William’s wife, Princess Kate, more than 30 years later when she gave birth to Prince George and wore her own polka-dot dress.

About the expert

  • Marlene Koenig is a royal expert and writer. The author of Queen Victoria’s Descendants, she has appeared on a wide range of media outlets, from CNN and NBC to the BBC.

Why trust us

At Reader’s Digest, we’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers’ personal experiences where appropriate. For this piece, Astrid Hofer tapped her experience as a London-based journalist with more than 20 years of experience covering topics including the British royal family. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.

Sources:

Princess DianaAnwar Hussein/Getty Images

The Famous Brand Diana Wouldn’t Wear

Charles And DianaPrincess Diana Archive/Getty Images

The Day Diana and Charles Cried Together

PRINCESS DIANANILS JORGENSEN/REX/Shutterstock

Princess Diana’s Revenge Dress

Author
Astrid Hofer
Astrid is a London-based journalist covering entertainment, the British royal family, lifestyle, travel and current events. In addition to Reader's Digest, her work has appeared in National Geographic, Culture Trip, British Travela and TripSavvy. Originally from Austria, she lived in Canada and the Netherlands before settling in the U.K., and she s...
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Astrid Hofer