The truth behind ‘R-rated’ Princess Diana photo confirms what we all suspected

For example, the image taken of her in front of the Taj Mahal in 1982 has been recreated by thousands – including William and Kate – and the bench she sat on is still to this day known as “Lady Di’s chair.”

The true story behind Princess Diana’s “no petticoat” picture
Princess Diana became a style icon of her era. In 1980, one year before she and Charles tied the knot, the 19-year-old worked as a nursery school teacher in London. The world melted because of her warmth and good heart, and photographers wanted to get the best possible picture of her.

One of them was royal photographer Arthur Edwards. He took one of the most iconic pictures of a young Lady Di at her nursery school job. But what was supposed to be an innocent portrait of the soon-to-be wife of the future king took another turn.

At the time, Arthur Edwards had just begun working as a royal photographer for The Sun. He knew Diana worked at a preschool in London’s West End neighborhood and decided to look for her.

Finally, after knocking on doors and asking if anyone knew where the preschool was, the up-and-coming photographer hit the jackpot. After speaking to the school’s owner, Arthur Edwards brought Diana to a park nearby with two children.

“She posed up, and I did half a dozen pictures,” he told Today.

It all looked like things were going great. The word got out, and not long after, many other photographers joined him in taking pictures of Diana.

At one point, Arthur Edwards – who has been photographing seven royal weddings, four funerals, and seven royal births – noticed how the sun began shining on the young princess. But that was to change everything.