DMO: Were you a fan of Diana before the opportunity to see her during the walkabout? – Yes I fell in love with Diana when I stayed up late in 1981 to see her become a Princess – Living in Australia as a 10 year old it was like every little girls dream. Then when she flew out to Australia with William in 1983 I knew she was different when she had Prince William and Prince Charles “the Heir and The Spare” fly on the same plane together – back in those days it was not permitted in case of a plane crash – I knew she was special and loved being a mum. When she actually stopped in front of me and shook my hand at the Yandina Ginger Factory – my belief was right – she made you feel like you were special and that you knew her even though it was a brief moment, her eyes were so blue and peireced your soul – she had a gift and I felt it…it came natural to her – she was only 22 years old at the time.
DMO: What was the first piece of Diana memorabilia you acquired for the museum? – I used to collect posters that advertised the covers of all the magazines that she adorned back in the early 80’s as my best friend dad owned the local newsagency – I have approx 100 of them and some will be on display in the exhibition – She was the most photographed woman in the world with the most covers in the world so they are very special to me.
DMO: How did the concept for the museum originate? – it started after I acquired 2 dresses – The Caroline Charles Coat she is wearing carrying Prince William on her hip and the Versace gown she wore during a photo shoot with Patrick Demarchelier.. I didn’t want to be a collector that kept pieces in a cupboard and not let the pubic enjoy them – it also struck me that all of her historical artifacts were being sold at auctions and scattered around the world to the higest bidder with no one protecting her life and legacy – Due to the encounter of picking up the tiny clay platypus in the dirt it dawned on me that it’s my duty to honor her life and legacy and created The Princess Diana Museum – preserving her artifacts one by one to tell her story. The PDM has 2700 pieces of which 800 will be on display for the very first time.
DMO: Could you provide any details about the upcoming worldwide tour in November? We are excited to share that it will be at the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley thanks to our partner ship with EDG who are producing it. After that it will travel to various musuems (To be announced) and then around the world with my ultimate dream of returning them all to London for a permanent exhibition. I’m also excited to share that I reached out to my curator friends at Historic Royal Palaces and they have agreed to loan us the incredible Victor Edelstein gown known as the “Travolta Dress” which will be on display with the John Galanos white gown that First Lady Nancy Reagan wore in Washington DC at the White house. This is the first time the dress will be in the USA and super specail to re-unite them for the first time in history, – Two iconic women, Two incredible dresses, One historical night.
DMO: If there is one item belonging to Diana that you wish you could include in the museum, what would it be? OMG I have so many iconic pieces, like the original black sheep sweater, so many bags, shoes, jewellery, items Diana wore as a child – baby shoes, clothes, books, toys which are very speical, – my fav is the “Caring Dress” as that is the dress she was wearing in Sydney the day I met her for the second time on January 31st, 1988. We also have the “Final Good-Bye Dress” designed by Jacques Azagury that Diana was fitted for right before departing for her last summer holiday in the meditarean – it still has the tailor pins in the back straps as she was due to come back for one more fitting but sadly never did. My mission is to unite all these pieces back together so I am always looking to do that.
DMO: How can Diana’s fans and admirers support the museum and its charitable causes? People can become a member of The Princess Diana Museum – which is an online 3D virtual one that anyone can acess around the world 24/7. It’s valid for 1 year and costs $19.97. Once inside member can connect with others that are visiting at the same time via chat, text or video which is super cool feature. They can also donate directly to The Princess & The Platypus Foundation which helps us continue the work we do and give back to children’s charties in her honor.
