Princess Diana would have been 60-years-old today, and many of her loyal supporters will be looking back over her life today.
The Princess of Wales stole the hearts of the nation for her gentle manner and commitment to charity work, but she also knew how to dress up to the nines and frequently dazzled in the spotlight.
Famous for her upward glances through her iconic blonde fringe and shy demeanour, Diana wasn’t just loved by the public.
She was also adored by many rich and famous celebrities and household names, with rockstars, singers, fashion designers and politicians counted among her friends.
Here are some of the celebs that Diana counted amongst her most famous friends.
Elton John
(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Elton and Diana met through their charity work, and Elton was probably one of her most high-profile friendships.
They first met back in 1981, and soon became close friends. They briefly fell out after Diana pulled out of helping him with a book.
Diana was meant to be writing the forward for Rock And Royalty, a collection of photographs published to raise money for the AIDS Foundation.
Elton writes in his official autobiography Me: “Then she got cold feet. I think Buckingham Palace didn’t like the idea of a member of the Royal Family having anything to do with a book that featured shots of naked guys with towels draped around them.”
They made up in 1997 when their mutual friend Gianni Versace died.
Elton performed a re-write of Candle In The Wind, known as Goodbye, England’s Rose, at her funeral. He refused to perform the song again unless he was asked to by Princes William and Harry.
He attended William’s wedding as a guest in 2011, and performed Your Song at Prince Harry’s reception.
George Michael
(Image: Popperfoto via Getty Images)
The Wham star clearly cherished his friendship with Diana, once saying: “”Diana was the only person that I knew who made me feel like an ordinary person.”
He said he and the princess “Clicked in way that was a little bit intangible, and it probably had more to do with our upbringing than anything else.”
Speaking to the Mirror in 2016 he said “I thought she was so great not to be consumed by everything that had happened to her and to keep giving and giving.
“I thought she was a really great person – the Elvis of compassion.”
(Image: Popperfoto via Getty Images)
However, in 2011 he told HuffPost “I kind of feel guilty because she did really like me as a person, and I tended to shy away from calling her because I thought she must have so many people calling her for all the wrong reasons.”
“I knew she was so suspicious of people by then, so I would almost treat her the way I know some people treat me. I would presume it was an intrusion to call, when actually you know they’re lonely and would hear a friendly voice.”
Gianni Versace
(Image: Leonardo Cendamo)
The fashion designer was famously shot and killed on the steps of his home by serial killer Andrew Cunanan.
Following his tragic death, Diana released a statement writing: “I am devastated by the loss of a great and talented man,” and attended his funeral while accompanied by Elton John .
His passing led to Diana and Elton reuniting after a brief fallout.
Liza Minelli
(Image: Getty Images)
Liza and Diana were good friends. Legendary Liza told Hello! Magazine: “I was lucky enough to count Princess Di as a friend.”
“I was first introduced to her when she came backstage after a concert I did in London. Then we’d bump into each other at premieres or events where she’d be the guest of honour.”
“We’d fall into conversation then we’d meet for tea… My instinct was to protect her. We talked about everything under the sun. She loved music.”
The pair made a glamorous duo whenever they were seen out together.
Freddie Mercury
(Image: Getty Images)
There have been many rumours of antics and hijinks over the years that Freddie and Diana are alleged to have got up to, involving dressing the princess up as a man to sneak her into a gay bar.
Remi Malek, who played Freddie in the Bohemian Rhapsody film said: “There was one moment that I hear he took Princess Diana and disguised her as a man and took her into a bar, just so they could have their own fun moment without anybody else being aware.”
“Now, I don’t know if that’s true, this might be an urban legend.”
Elsewhere, Cleo Rocos revealed that Freddie and Diana would watch Golden Girls together.
However, they would watch with the sound on mute while making up their own dialogue.
Hillary Clinton
(Image: Getty Images)
Princess Diana and Hillary Clinton sadly weren’t friends for long, meeting for the first time in the summer of the year Diana died.
However, they quickly became fast friends.
Diana visited the White House for a charity engagement, where they met for the first time.
Hillary and Bill Clinton attended Diana’s funeral just three months later. Following Diana’s death, Bill Clinton said: “Hillary and I knew Princess Diana and we were very fond of her.”
The New York Times claimed the royal family got in touch and “sent a fairly strong signal that they believed that the First Lady was the best person to represent the President, the United States, and the American people”.
Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington and Cindy Crawford
(Image: Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
Diana regularly started fashion trends with her outfit choices, and still inspires outfits all these years laters.
It’s no surprise then that she included supermodels in her friendship group.
She called on the gorgeous ladies to embarrass Prince William.
During the documentary Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy, the Prince revealed the time he came home from school and found the models there.
He said: “I was probably a 12 or 13-year-old boy who had posters of them on his wall. And I went bright red and didn’t know what to say and sort of fumbled and I think I pretty much fell down the stairs on the way up.”
“I was completely and utterly sort of awestruck. But that was a very funny memory.”
Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman
(Image: Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)
Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise both attended Princess Diana’s funeral together.
The famous actors had met Diana previously at a screening of Far and Away back in 1992.
Following her death, Tom told CNN that they were “devastated” by her passing.
Speaking about her car accident, he said: “They run lights and they chase you and harass you. It happens all over the world, and it has certainly gotten worse.”
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
