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Royal photographer Arthur Edwards recounts two exchanges with Princess Diana in his book, Cup of Tea, Arthur?: My Extraordinary 50 Years Photographing the Royal Family. The anecdotes, reported by the Sun and summarized by Marie Claire, include a joke about a dress and a separate remark before Diana used an airport escalator in 1986.
Royal photographer Arthur Edwards recounts two joking exchanges with Princess Diana in his book, Cup of Tea, Arthur?: My Extraordinary 50 Years Photographing the Royal Family, including a quip about appearing naked after he criticized a dress she wore to the opera. The anecdotes, reported by the Sun and summarized by Marie Claire, offer Edwards’ recollections of his interactions with Diana and are not independently corroborated in the material provided.
Edwards writes that he asked Diana why she had worn “that boring old dress” to the opera the previous night. In the passage quoted by the Sun, she laughed and replied: “Oh, I suppose you’d like it better if I came naked.” Edwards says he then joked that such an outfit would make the newspaper and turned to her husband, now King Charles, asking why he did not buy her a new dress.
According to Edwards’ account, Charles joined in, saying, “We simply can’t afford it.” Edwards says he suggested that Charles sell one of his polo ponies to pay for a gown. The book excerpt presents the conversation as teasing among the three, rather than as a serious disagreement about Diana’s clothing.
Edwards also recalls photographing Diana at the opening of a new terminal at Heathrow Airport in April 1986. He says she was expected to ride a steep escalator and, after being warned photographers might get a view beneath her clothing, turned to him and joked: “Hello, Arthur, I suppose you want to take a picture right up my legs?” Edwards says two royal protection officers blocked the photographers’ view. He recalls not getting a strong photograph but getting a Sun front page under the headline “Keep Your Eyes Off My Thighs.”
Diana’s Wit in Edwards’ Recollections
The stories matter as published recollections from a photographer who says he spent 50 years covering the royal family. They depict Diana managing photographers with humor, while also showing how exchanges between the princess and the press could become part of newspaper coverage.
The airport anecdote also describes a practical boundary around the images photographers could take: Edwards says protection officers blocked the view as Diana used the escalator. The episode, as he tells it, links her joke to the press attention surrounding her public appearances, without establishing that every detail was witnessed or confirmed by another source.
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Two Anecdotes From a Royal Career
Edwards’ book is titled Cup of Tea, Arthur?: My Extraordinary 50 Years Photographing the Royal Family. The passages at issue were reported by the Sun, with Marie Claire relaying the account. The first story concerns an opera appearance and a later exchange involving Charles; the second is set at Heathrow in April 1986.
Diana was a frequent subject of press photography during her time as Princess of Wales. These excerpts focus on Edwards’ personal recollections rather than a newly released official record. The material provided does not specify the date of the opera exchange or identify the production, venue, or the dress in question.
““We simply can’t afford it.””
— King Charles, as recalled by Arthur Edwards
Details Not Independently Verified
The available report attributes both stories to Edwards’ account in his book, quoting the Sun’s coverage; it does not provide independent confirmation from Diana, Charles, other witnesses, or contemporaneous records. The exact date and setting of the opera exchange are not given in the supplied material.
It is also unclear from the excerpt how much of the dialogue is reproduced verbatim from notes or memory, and whether the newspaper headline and the officers’ intervention can be corroborated through separate records. The recollections should therefore be understood as Edwards’ account, not as independently established transcripts of the conversations.
The Book’s Further Royal Recollections
The book offers Edwards’ wider account of his decades photographing the royal family. The material provided does not announce a further release, response from the royal family, or additional reporting that would verify the two anecdotes. Readers seeking more detail can consult the full book and the original Sun report; any additional confirmation would depend on records or testimony beyond the excerpt summarized here.
Key Questions
What did Princess Diana say to Arthur Edwards about her dress?
According to Edwards, after he described her opera dress as boring, Diana laughed and said: “Oh, I suppose you’d like it better if I came naked.”
Did King Charles take part in the exchange?
Edwards says Charles joined the joking conversation, replying, “We simply can’t afford it,” when asked why he would not buy Diana a new dress.
When did the Heathrow escalator incident happen?
Edwards dates that anecdote to April 1986, when Diana opened a new terminal at Heathrow Airport.
Are the conversations independently confirmed?
The supplied report attributes the dialogue to Edwards’ book excerpt. It does not offer separate corroboration from other witnesses or contemporaneous records.
Source: marieclaire.com
