A Tribute Website Inspired by Diana, Princess of Wales
Yes, this is a picture of my downstairs bathroom.
But wait! Look closely! Do you see her photos on the walls? That’s right – this is one of the many places in my home which I have decorated with my favorite Princess Diana Gorgeous Things.
Now be patient, because I know the photos that I took aren’t professional looking. You can see my trusty iphone standing like a soldier in the middle of the room, and he did his best. My main goal was to show you my decor, not a picture of myself!
The first thing you may notice is the large poster of Diana hanging centerstage on the main wall. This is a special original item from the 2004-2005 Diana: a celebration tour of the United States. I attended the Premiere Engagement of the exhibition that opened at the Museum of Art, Fort Lauderdale, Florida on October 10, 2004, and this collector’s edition poster was my first purchase. I had it framed, and prominently displayed. I love it because it is so rare, and brings back such pleasant memories of seeing her real wedding dress in person.
Speaking of toilets – Did you know that Vanity Fair once did a satiric opinion piece discussing the bathrooms of Camilla, Diana, and Charles? Tom Bower’s 2018 biography Rebel Prince: The Power, Passion and Defiance of Prince Charles (now updated and reissued in 2023 when Charles became King) had just been released and was being serialized in the Daily Mail. Kenzie Bryant, a Vanity Fair Staff Writer, opined a tongue-in-cheek snarky editorial which asked the question, “What’s the Deal with Camilla, Diana, and Prince Charles’s Bathroom Warfare?”
The story goes that in Camilla’s guest lavatory at her home, Ray Mill, in Wiltshire she delighted in plastering her bathroom walls with unflattering cartoons of Diana, then still married to Charles. On the other hand, Charles preferred to decorate his own loo at Highgrove with depreciatory cartoons of himself. Obviously, the two love birds took bathroom humor to another level.
Bryant then revealed that in the 2001 book Diana: Story of a Princess by Tim Clayton and Phil Craig, a friend of Diana’s stated that the princess was aware of the situation in the loo at Ray Mill and had retaliated by displaying her own unflattering cartoon of Camilla in her own bathroom at Kensington.
Back to my decorations. By the sink, I have a series of 10 framed postcards. These are also original collector’s items from the Diana: a celebration tour. I bought matching frames and whitewashed them in cottagecore milk paint so they would look like a set. It’s interesting because I have always wondered how the Althorp Estate selected these 10 photos for their souvenir postcard pack from all of the images that exist of her. I purchased several other items from the gift shop, but since they aren’t part of the bathroom decor, we’ll save those for another day.
On the back wall I have hanging a large numbered canvas print. I bought this item from an Etsy art seller, and I am very pleased with the quality and the beautiful colors. Modern interpretative paintings of Diana’s face may not be everyone’s style, but I do think that this portrait is lovely, and her face is well done. In my opinion, Diana’s facial beauty is extremely difficult to capture in a sketch or painting, so I appreciate the way the artist captured her features in celebratory colors.
It took me a while to find an appropriate item to hang from the towel rack. Not just any towel will do, and since we don’t ever use the rack, I considered removing it. But then I happened to be on Amazon and found the perfect tea towel. I think it adds a quirky twist to the decor, and it makes a statement that I can get behind. She would have been a wonderful Queen.
In the spirit of Diana, I would be remiss if I did not have a cartoon depicting the current King and his consort in some kind of unsympathetic way. I chose one of the best caricatures I have ever seen that leaves the
viewer with no doubt as to where my loyalty lies. This particular picture sits in a frame on the back of the john. An excellent location for the two of them, if I do say so myself.
Finally, because it is a bathroom after all, I have my Princess Diana: England’s Rose scented candle. This is a proto-type of a candle that I one day plan on selling, but for right now I am still in the learning stages of candle creation. It smells like a rose, and burns bright and clean. I like the label, but I am pretty sure it is too small for the size of the candle. Still a work in progress. Do you like it? Let me know in the comments if you have any suggestions for the scents or the design.
So, all in all, this is one of the places in my home dedicated to my Diana. My guests always compliment me on how pretty the bathroom looks. If anyone has anymore unflattering cartoons of Camilla, be sure to share them with me!