A Look Back At Princess Diana’s First Royal Tour Of Australia
Thirty-five years ago, Prince Harry’s mother, Diana, made her first overseas trip Down Under to visit Ayres Rock and Bondi Beach
Diana Princess of Wales and Prince Charles wave goodbye as they leave Melbourne Airport on April 17, 1983 in Melbourne, Australia at the end of their first Royal Tour to Australia (Photo by David Levenson/Getty Images)
Amid the news Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are expecting their first child together, we imagine how Princess Diana would have reacted; overjoyed, overwhelmed, emotional. The statement would have read Harry’s mother was “delighted”, an adjective used by the Palace to describe every piece of good news.
Like every Royal story, there seems to be some sort of coincidental anniversary or some hidden milestone that gives it a whole new meaning. And Kensington Palace’s announcement that Markle is pregnant is not exempt: Thirty-five years ago, when Prince William was just a baby, Princess Diana and Prince Charles travelled to Australia for their first tour. The Royal couple – and William – spent 41 days travelling to Alice Springs and even dropped by Bondi Beach. It was Diana’s first overseas trip and she was just 22-years-old. It seems almost fitting then for a Royal baby announcement to happen, in our country, on this special anniversary.
On the other hand, it’s quite surreal to look back at this moment in time where Harry didn’t exist yet and Diana had no clue her life would be cut so short. While your timeline is filled with Royal Baby news, here’s a look back at Princess Diana’s time in Australia – her beautiful outfits, her grace and poise and the origins of those familial, caring values she passed onto her son, the Duke of Sussex.
Princess Diana (1961 - 1997) during a visit to Perth, Australia, March 1983. She is wearing a dress by Donald Campbell and a hat by John Boyd. (Photo by Jayne Fincher/Princess Diana Archive/Getty Images)
PERTH, AUSTRALIA - APRIL 07: Princess Diana After Visiting Freemantle Hospital , Near Perth, Australia. She Is Wearing A Pink Dress By Fashion Designer Donald Campbell With A Hat By John Boyd, Millinery. (Photo by Tim Graham/Getty Images)
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 30: Diana, Princess Of Wales, wearing a Pail Costelloe dress, meets lifeguards at Terrigal Beach on January 30, 1988 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Anwar Hussein/Getty Images)
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 30: Diana, Princess Of Wales, Smiling As She Presents Prizes To The Winning Team Of Lifeguards At The Central Coast Surf Carnival At Terrigal Beach. (Photo by Tim Graham/Getty Images)
AYERS ROCK, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 21: Prince Charles, The Prince Of Wales And Diana, Princess Of Wales Standing In Front Of Ayers Rock During Their Official Tour Of Australia (Photo by Tim Graham/Getty Images)
AYERS ROCK, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 21: A Backview Of Diana, Princess Of Wales Looking At Ayers Rock At Sunset During An Official Tour. (Photo by Tim Graham/Getty Images)
CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 25: Princess Diana, Princess of Wales is greeted by the public during a walkabout on March 25, 1983 in Canberra, Australia. (Photo by Anwar Hussein/Getty Images)
NEWCASTLE - MARCH 29: Diana Princess of Wales and Prince Charles visit Newcastle, Australia on March 29, 1983 during the Royal Tour of Australia. Diana wore a dress by Catherine Walker. (Photo by David Levenson/Getty Images)
MELBOURNE- MARCH 25: Diana Princess of Wales and Prince Charles visit victims of bushfires on March 25, 1983 in Cockatoo, near Melbourne, Australia during the Royal Tour of Australia (Photo by David Levenson/Getty Images)
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - APRIL 14: Princess Diana, Princess of Wales receives a kiss on the hand from an admirer as she meets the public during a walkabout on April 14, 1983 in Melbourne, Australia (Photo by Anwar Hussein/Getty Images)
AUSTRALIA - MARCH 20: Prince Charles And Princess Diana With Prince William Visiting Australia On Her First Overseas Tour. (Photo by Tim Graham/Getty Images)
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, and Diana, Princess of Wales, visit Australia, Canberra, Meeting Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke and his wife Hazel, In front of Government House, 24th March 1983. (Photo by John Shelley Collection/Avalon/Getty Images)
AUSTRALIA - MARCH 20: Royal Luggage For Prince Charles And Princess Diana Being Unloaded During A Royal Tour In Australia. Each Piece Of Luggage Has A Colour Coded Label Stating 'residence', 'in Flight' Etc. And A Label In Pink For The Princess And Blue For The Prince (Photo by Tim Graham/Getty Images)
AUSTRALIA - MARCH 20: Princess Diana's Luggage On A Royal Tour (Photo by Tim Graham/Getty Images)
Diana, Princess of Wales (1961 - 1997) and Prince Charles (far right) arriving at Sydney Opera House during the royal tour of Australia, 28th March 1983. The princess is wearing a pink dress by Belville Sassoon and a hat by John Boyd. Police bodyguard Graham Smith is at centre, left. (Photo by Jayne Fincher/Princess Diana Archive/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
ALICE SPRINGS, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 21: The Prince And Princess Of Wales Meeting School Children During A Trip To Alice Springs (Photo by Tim Graham/Getty Images)
ALICE SPRINGS - MARCH 21: Prince Charles and Princess Diana visit Alice Springs School of the Air, in Alice Springs, Australia on March 21, 1983. (Photo by David Levenson/Getty Images)
