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Princess Grace had been a famous film actress but gave up her life in Hollywood to marry Prince Rainier III of Monaco in 1956. There are astonishing parallels between Grace and Diana, as they were both glamorous outsiders who took the world by storm. Tragically, both women also died in car accidents.

Diana, who said Grace had always been “sweet” to her, spoke of their special connection.

She revealed how Grace had helped her during her first public outing as Prince Charles’ finance ‒ a musical recital at Goldsmiths’ Hall on March 3, 1981, just a week after the engagement was announced.

The 19-year-old Diana was noticeably uncomfortable in a dress she herself deemed was “two sizes too small” and inappropriate for the occasion.

In a fully revised 25th anniversary edition of ‘Diana: Her True Story ‒ In Her Own Words’ by Andrew Morton, Diana recalled the evening.

She said: “I remember meeting Princess Grace and how wonderful and serene she was -‒ but there was troubled water under her, I saw that.

Diana was worried that she wasn’t handling herself properly in the formal setting and the 52-year-old Grace noticed, and took her aside for a chat in the bathroom.

Diana opened up to her about her sense of isolation and her fears for the future.

It was then that Grace gave her the stark warning, while patting her cheeks: “Don’t worry deal, it’ll only get worse.”

Diana said: “It was a horrendous occasion. I didn’t know whether to go out of the door first.

“I didn’t know whether your handbag should be in your left or right hand.

“I was terrified, really ‒ at the time everything was all over the place. I remember that evening so well. I was terrified ‒ nearly sick.”

To make matters worse, she was wearing a bold black dress from Emmanuels that was making her feel self-conscious.

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Earlier that evening, Charles had scolded Diana for her dress, telling her that black was the colour of mourning.

What’s more, as she explained later, she “was quite big-chested then and they all got frightful excited.”

Craig Brown wrote about her interaction with Princess Grace that night in his 2012 book ‘Hello Goodbye Hello: Circle of 101 Remarkable Meetings’.

He wrote about how a young Diana was uncomfortable with the attention, fretting about the size of her dresses and had to be comforted by a joking Grace.

As the evening progressed, Diana grew increasingly unsure of herself and Grace grabbed her moment during the reception at Buckingham Palace.

He wrote: “The 52-year-old Princess Grace, the object of this sort of attention back in the Fifties, notices Diana’s discomfort and suggests they retire to the ladies’ room for a little chat.

“Diana tells Princess Grace that she is worried her dress is unbecoming. It is, she explains, two sizes too small.

“Her experience tonight has suddenly made her realise how unbearable it will be to have hundreds of people always looking at her.

“She sees stretching ahead of her, a life without any form of privacy. What should she do? She bursts into tears.

“Princess Grace puts her arms around her and pats her on the shoulder. She cups her cheeks in her hands and jokes, gently: ‘Don’t worry dear. You’ll see – it’ll only get worse.’

“The two women return to the throng, there to mingle and be assessed.”

Their interaction, which took place just 18 months before Grace’s death, left a lasting impression on Diana.

When Grace tragically died in a car crash in 1982, Diana asked to go to her funeral.

Little did she know, just 15 years later she would meet the same fate.

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