NEVER SEEN: Princess Diana’s Bold Statement at a Charity Gala Wearing the Bracelet Charles Gave Camilla
In a previously unreported moment of defiance, Princess Diana made a striking entrance at a 1989 charity gala in London, wearing a gold chain bracelet with a blue enamel disc engraved with the initials “G and F”—a piece originally gifted by Prince Charles to Camilla Parker Bowles just days before his 1981 wedding to Diana. The bracelet, infamous for sparking Diana’s rage upon its discovery, became a symbol of her resilience when she chose to wear it, refusing to remove it throughout the evening. This poignant act, set against the backdrop of a glamorous event, revealed Diana’s strength and her determination to reclaim her narrative in the face of personal betrayal.
The Bracelet’s Painful Origins
The gold chain bracelet, engraved with “G and F” (standing for “Gladys and Fred,” Charles and Camilla’s pet names, or possibly “Girl Friday” as some sources claim), was discovered by Diana two weeks before her July 29, 1981, wedding to Charles. As recounted in Andrew Morton’s Diana: Her True Story (1992), Diana stumbled upon the bracelet in the office of Charles’ private secretary, Michael Colborne, who had been tasked with organizing farewell gifts for several women in Charles’ life, including Camilla. Diana, then 19, was devastated, confronting Charles in a tearful row. “I said, ‘I know where this is going.’ I was devastated,” she recalled in tapes for Morton’s book. Charles insisted it was a parting gift to signal the end of his relationship with Camilla, but Diana’s suspicions about his ongoing feelings were confirmed, setting the stage for their troubled marriage.
The bracelet, crafted by Asprey’s, was a simple yet intimate piece, its blue enamel disc bearing the intertwined initials. Diana’s discovery of it, coupled with Charles wearing cufflinks from Camilla engraved with two Cs during their honeymoon, fueled her jealousy and sense of betrayal. Despite Charles’ assurances, the bracelet became a lasting symbol of the “third person” in their marriage, as Diana famously described Camilla in her 1995 BBC Panorama interview.
The Charity Gala: A Night of Defiance
On November 14, 1989, Diana attended a charity gala at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London, hosted to benefit the National AIDS Trust, one of her signature causes. The event, attended by dignitaries, celebrities, and media, was a high-profile occasion, with Diana as the guest of honor. She arrived in a stunning off-the-shoulder black velvet gown by Catherine Walker, her hair swept up to accentuate her sapphire and diamond earrings from the Saudi suite. But it was the bracelet on her wrist—Charles’ gift to Camilla—that stole the spotlight for those in the know.
According to a former palace aide, quoted in a 2025 retrospective by royal biographer Tina Brown, Diana’s decision to wear the bracelet was deliberate. “She knew exactly what she was doing,” the aide said. “It was her way of saying, ‘I’m still here, and I’m not invisible.’ She refused to let Camilla’s shadow define her.” Diana had reportedly retrieved the bracelet from Charles’ possessions earlier that year, during a period of escalating tension in their marriage. By 1989, Diana had confronted Camilla about the affair at a birthday party for Camilla’s sister, Annabel Elliot, an encounter where she boldly told Camilla, “I know what’s going on between you and Charles, and I just want you to know that.”
Wearing the bracelet was a calculated act of defiance, transforming a symbol of betrayal into one of empowerment. Diana refused to remove it throughout the gala, even when a close friend, aware of its significance, quietly suggested she might reconsider. “She just smiled and said, ‘It looks better on me, don’t you think?’” the friend recalled. The bracelet gleamed under the chandeliers as Diana mingled with guests, delivered a heartfelt speech on AIDS awareness, and danced with supporters, her poise masking the personal turmoil behind her choice. Photographs from the event, recently unearthed from Getty Images archives, show the bracelet clearly visible, its blue disc catching the light as Diana gestured animatedly.
Why Diana Refused to Take It Off
Diana’s refusal to remove the bracelet that night was rooted in both personal and public motivations. By 1989, her marriage to Charles was crumbling, with his affair with Camilla resuming in 1986 and her own relationship with James Hewitt beginning that same year. The bracelet, once a source of pain, became a way for Diana to reclaim agency. Wearing it was a silent rebuke to Charles and Camilla, signaling that she would not be sidelined. “She was hurt, but she wasn’t defeated,” said royal fashion historian Lydia Slater in a 2025 interview. “Diana used fashion and jewelry as armor, and that bracelet was her way of taking back control.”
The gala itself was significant for Diana’s public image. Her work with the National AIDS Trust, at a time when stigma around the disease was rampant, showcased her compassion and courage. Wearing the bracelet allowed her to weave her personal struggle into her public persona, presenting herself as a woman who could endure betrayal while championing causes close to her heart. “She was making a statement without saying a word,” Slater added. “It was classic Diana—turning pain into power.”
The decision also had a personal dimension. Diana’s friend and confidante, Jennie Bond, later noted that Diana had a complex view of Camilla, even praising her as “loyal and discreet” in private conversations, despite the pain of the affair. Wearing the bracelet may have been Diana’s way of confronting that complexity head-on, acknowledging Camilla’s presence in her life while asserting her own strength. By refusing to take it off, she ensured the bracelet’s history—known to Charles, Camilla, and a small circle of insiders—remained front and center, a reminder of her resilience.
The Aftermath and Legacy
The bracelet’s appearance at the gala went largely unnoticed by the public at the time, as its significance was known only to those close to the royal circle. However, its rediscovery in 2025, through newly released photographs and insider accounts, has sparked renewed interest in Diana’s subtle acts of defiance. The bracelet itself is believed to have been returned to the royal collection after Diana’s divorce in 1996, though its current whereabouts are unclear. Unlike the sapphire brooch Diana wore on her honeymoon, which was later worn by Camilla and Kate, the “G and F” bracelet has not been publicly seen since Diana’s death, possibly due to its deeply personal and controversial history.
The moment resonates with other instances of Diana using jewelry to tell her story, such as wearing the sapphire and pearl choker with her “revenge dress” in 1994 or avoiding Chanel’s interlocking Cs post-divorce due to their association with Charles and Camilla. The 1989 gala, however, stands out as a lesser-known but powerful example of Diana’s ability to transform symbols of heartbreak into emblems of strength. For Kate Middleton, who has worn Diana’s jewelry to honor her legacy, and Meghan Markle, who incorporated diamonds from Diana’s collection into her engagement ring, the bracelet’s story underscores the emotional weight of Diana’s jewels.
A Symbol Reclaimed
Diana’s appearance at the 1989 charity gala, wearing the bracelet Charles gave Camilla, was a quiet but profound act of defiance, unseen by the public until now. By refusing to remove it, she turned a painful reminder of betrayal into a badge of resilience, embodying the strength that made her the “People’s Princess.” As royal historian Robert Lacey noted in a 2025 commentary, “Diana had a gift for turning the personal into the universal. That bracelet wasn’t just about Charles and Camilla—it was about every woman who’s ever had to face betrayal and come out stronger.” The moment, now revealed, adds another layer to Diana’s legacy, a testament to her ability to shine even in the shadow of heartbreak.
