Dame Zandra Rhodes, the dresser to Diana, Princess of Wales, has claimed the royals have been given a “raw deal”.
British fashion designer Zandra, 83, based in Bermondsey, south London, is known for her bold designs and equally bold electric pink hair.
Her designs are often worn by rich and famous people, including Diana Ross and Nicole Richies.
But it was Princess Diana’s support that really helped raise Zandra’s profile, cementing her status as one of Britain’s greatest designers.
In conversation with The timesZandra shared a glimpse into her relationship with the royals, describing it as “warm” despite having received “unfair treatment.”
British fashion designer Zandra Rhodes said Princess Diana received a “raw deal” in life (seen together in 1997)
“You can have all the riches in the world, but if you don’t have love or feel loved, you have very little,” Zandra added.
Her working relationship with Diana began in 1981, when the princess walked into her London boutique with her friend (and later Prince Andrew’s wife) Sarah Ferguson. The pair browsed the store like any other customers, despite Diana’s recent engagement to the then Prince of Wales.
After the two friends browsed the racks, Zandra received an unexpected call: it was from British Vogue magazine, asking her to submit a design for Diana’s royal wedding dress.
While Zandra’s black corset sketch never became the actual wedding dress, it did end up in the possession of perhaps the next most famous Diana: Diana Ross.
And it wasn’t the end of the road for the Princess and Zandra: the pair worked together five times in total.
In 1986, Diana returned to Zandra’s shop and chose a black dress to be remade in pink. The garment became one of the standout pieces worn by Diana during an official visit to Japan that same year.
Zandra recalled the experience of working with Diana, saying: ‘They let you into the palace with this dress over your arm and you curtsy, and you bump into the children’s toys.’
She continued: ‘Happy wasn’t a word I would have associated with her, but she was very warm.
Diana is photographed wearing one of Zandra Rhode’s designs in July 1987 at Charleston Manor, Seaford. It is the same dress that became a statement piece on her official visit to Japan a year earlier.
Diana first visited Zandra Rhode’s London boutique in 1981 with Sarah Ferguson (Zandra pictured in 2019)
‘Diana got a raw deal. You can have all the riches in the world, but if you don’t have love or feel unloved, you have very little.’
While she has experienced enormous success in her career, it has not all been rosy for the designer, who opened her first store in London in 1967 and is renowned for her imaginative use of colour and bright prints.
The fashion and textile designer has been open about her health issues, which began during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Zandra had just started a yoga session in her apartment with her best friend, artist Andrew Logan, when she realized something was wrong.
“We were lying there on our little lilac mats and my stomach was full,” she told the Daily Mail in 2021. “I thought, ‘It can’t be full, I haven’t eaten anything.'”
She went to the doctor and then had tests done which revealed she had a tumor. Three months of chemotherapy followed, then immunotherapy, all during the first lockdown.
‘At first… they said I probably had six months to live. I said, ‘What?’ she cried, recalling her surprise. ‘I said, ‘I’ve got a lot of projects ahead of me. I’ve got to last longer than that!’
The British designer (seen in 2020) has recently published her fifth book: Iconic: My Life in Fashion in 50 Objects
“Afterwards I had the treatment and they told me I would probably be out for at least two years. That gives me time to get my act together and get things done.”
“What I don’t understand is why I didn’t care. I just had to pull myself together. The amount of work I have to do!”
‘I have 100 trunks of clothes because I never sold my original designs, so we’ve been cataloging and repairing them.’
She added: “I am consolidating my legacy. If I had not had a job, I would not have made it. Work still drives me. You have to finish all the tasks on time. Because of the lockdown, no one was allowed to accompany you in the clinic… I just took an Uber and left.”
Despite the doctor’s initial prediction, Zandra has recently published her fifth book: Iconic: My Life in Fashion in 50 Objects.