Princess Diana will forever be our ultimate style icon [1], but it looks like there was a powerful reason behind one of her most frequent fashion choices. The late Royal often sported gorgeous gowns and eye-catching jewels [2], but have you ever noticed how she rarely wore gloves? Though Diana did slip on the accessory from time to time, she often broke the royal protocol to send a strong message to the world: her crown didn't separate her from others — even those who had stigmatic diseases.
Back in 1987, the late Princess of Wales shared a gloveless handshake with an AIDS patient in London, a move that wowed the world at a time when many feared the disease. Looking back at the noteworthy moment, her brother, Charles, opened up to People magazine [3] about why Diana chose to make such a bold statement at that moment and during many other moments that followed.
"She was not really a gloves person," he admitted. "She was very real about human contact. And what really mattered that day was to get across a very clear message that, 'I'm going to touch this gentleman — and you can all exist in a community with people who are suffering, and we must help.'"
To honor Diana's royal protocol-smashing style and attitude, let's take a look back at some of her best gloveless moments.
