Before the world knew her as Princess Diana — the “People’s Princess” whose compassion touched millions — Diana Spencer was a shy 19-year-old nursery teacher living quietly in London. Long before the grandeur of royal life, one photograph captured her innocence and forever changed how the world saw her.
Arthur Edwards, a young royal photographer for The Sun at the time, never imagined that a simple snapshot would become one of the most famous royal images in modern history. In 1980, while following Prince Charles’s rumored relationship with a mysterious young woman, he took a photograph that would not only launch Diana into the public eye but also reshape her relationship with fame and the press.
“I never meant for that picture to come out the way it did,” Edwards said years later. “It was a moment that just happened — unplanned, unposed, and unforgettable.”
At the time, Diana was working as a nursery assistant in London’s Pimlico neighborhood. She was known for her kindness, humility, and soft-spoken nature — the kind of person who blushed when attention turned her way. When rumors spread that Prince Charles had been seeing her, the press became determined to capture her first photograph.
Edwards spent days tracking down leads until he discovered where she worked. After gaining permission from the school’s owner, he arranged to take photos of Diana with two of the children she cared for.
“She was so polite,” he recalled. “She didn’t have a hint of vanity — just that natural warmth that made her instantly likable.”
Continue reading on the next page…