William's speech, dresses & a big gay party - the memory of Diana still strong during Coronation weekend

As Prince William, the Prince of Wales, readies himself for tomorrow’s coronation of King Charles III, we can imagine he’ll be practising what has been reported as a “gushing” speech regarding King Charles III and Queen Camilla for the coronation concert. But we also wonder if a part of him is trying to reconcile the overtly positive comments towards Camilla while thinking that, at one point, someone else might have been the Queen instead; his mother, Princess Diana.

With so much coverage dedicated to King Charles, Queen Camilla and the ongoing saga between the Royal siblings Prince William and Harry, Duke of Sussex, it can be easy to forget for some that this year marks the 26th anniversary of the death of Diana Spencer - one time Princess of Wales and a Queen in waiting through her marriage to King Charles, but forever the “People’s Princess” to many. For some older members of the British public, they are still trying to come to grips with not only a new monarch after the passing of long-serving Queen Elizabeth II, but that it is Camilla set to become Queen rather than the anticipated (at the time) Diana Spencer.

But while there are a growing throng of anti-monarchist protestors rallying around and organising protests along the stretch of the Coronation procession route and an insistence to call Queen Camilla… well… Queen Camilla, a community that Diana showed her unconditional love and support for just so happens to be doing the same in a bar in Bristol once the evening rolls in after the historic occasion - the gay community.

The Big Gay Diana Party, being held at Cube Microplex tomorrow evening, is a celebration of Princess Diana and in part a sort of counter-celebration opposed to the crowning of the new King of England. In their promotional material for the event, organisers write “May 6th approaches, and with it the highly anticipated coronation of our beloved monarch. The streets will be awash with flags, god save the kings, and non-specific patriotic jubilant.” 

“But in amongst the celebration, aren’t we forgetting someone? The name is on the tip of your tongue: Diana, princess of Wales and hearts and gays,” they write, while imploring people to come dressed as Diana, with the chance to win the best dressed prize in the evening. How can you get tickets to this event? Here’s the thing - it’s completely sold out, and not the only spectre of Diana Spencer that beams across this weekend.

An exhibition of dresses that Diana wore during her years in the public spotlight (whether by choice or by not towards the end of her life) is set to be on display in Co. Kildare, Ireland from today, before making its way over to Los Angeles to go to auction. The exhibition, held at the Museum Of Style Icons at Newbridge Silverware, is the first time in 30 years that her iconic wardrobe will be displayed, with three of the dresses to be sold at auction this August after the summer exhibition has been completed.

Julien's Auctions will be selling the “timeless” Catherine Walker outfits, with auction house director Martin Nolan telling The Independent that when Diana and Walker got together, they wanted to ensure Diana had a modern-yet-timeless look in her dresses. Our editor, Marina Licht, herself well versed in fashion (more so than this humble writer) agrees with Nolan’s sentiments. “When I think of Princess Diana and Catherine Walker,” Marina stated, “I think elegant, timeless designs, and in many ways, this hasn't changed at all when it comes to her daughter in law, Kate Middleton today. They are classic dresses that stand the test of time.”So as the focus is still very much on the King and Queen Camilla, those loyal to Diana can rest assured that, despite her brother Charles Spencer being snubbed for an invite to the coronation and the acrimonious relationship between Spencer and “the firm,” there is still a very loud, proud and vocal contingent of Diana fans set to revere and remember her during this weekend’s historic occasion.