What Princess Diana and Prince Charles's 1983 Tour of Australia Looked Like in Real Life
Yes, little Prince William was there too.
In 1983, two years after their wedding, Prince Charles and Princess Diana embarked on their first tour together as a royal couple. With their infant son, Prince William, in tow, they traveled to Australia and New Zealand in an attempt to bolster the countries' relationships with the Commonwealth. As Season 4 of The Crown shows, they were welcomed by Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke, who was skeptical about whether the Prince of Wales could charm the nation, according to BBC's HistoryExtra magazine. To his (and Charles's) surprise, it was Diana who won the public over.
Though the trip proved to be a diplomatic success, The Crown's interpretation of the tour highlighted personal road bumps for Charles and Diana. He resented the public's adoration for her, while she was jealous of his affair with Camilla Parker Bowles. Diana also had to go through lengths to be able to bring a nine-month-old William with her and Charles abroad, rather than be apart from him for the six-week trip. Her decision, which raised the queen's eyebrows on the Netflix series, ultimately established a new precedent in the family. As we've seen with modern royals, Duchess Kate and Prince William went on tour with Prince George and Princess Charlotte, while Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry have taken their young son, Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, abroad as well.
Flip through the photos here to see how The Crown's depiction of the events compare to the real thing. And see how well the show did re-creating some of Diana's most memorable looks from the voyage.
March 20, 1983
Princess Diana carries a baby Prince William as she and Prince Charles arrive at Alice Springs, Australia.
March 21, 1983
The couple visit Uluru, also known as Ayers Rock, in Uluru National Park in Australia's Northwestern Territory.
March 21, 1983
Charles and Diana walk together at Uluru.
March 21, 1983
Charles and Diana meet schoolchildren in Alice Springs.
March 22, 1983
Diana boards a plane in a white blouse and blue skirt as she leaves Alice Springs.
March 25, 1983
Diana waves while she and Charles visit victims of bushfires.
March 25, 1983
Diana sports a baby-pink number with a matching feathered hat in Canberra, Australia.
March 30, 1983
Charles and Diana attend a reception in Hobart, Tasmania. She wears a red Bruce Oldfield dress with the Spencer family tiara.
March 1983
Diana wears a blue, ruffled Bruce Oldfield dress while dancing with the Prince of Wales in Sydney.
March 1983
While visiting Newcastle, Australia, with Charles, Diana wears a light pink dress by Catherine Walker and a hat by John Boyd.
March 1983
Charles and Diana arrive in Hobart, Tasmania. The princess wears a Bellville Sassoon suit and John Boyd hat.
April 6, 1983
While driving through Memorial Oval in Port Pirie, Australia, Diana wears a Jan Van Velden suit and a John Boyd hat. Charles smiles at the crowd in a gray suit.
April 7, 1983
In one of her most iconic looks, a pink polka-dot ensemble by Donald Campbell and hat by John Boyd, the Princess of Wales greets fans in Perth, Australia.
April 7, 1983
Diana smiles at the crowds gathered in Perth.
April 8, 1983
The princess greets a well-wisher during a ride at the Hands Oval sportsground in Bunbury, Australia.
April 14, 1983
Diana wears a red polka-dot ensemble at the opening of the Bourke Street Mall in Melbourne.
April 17, 1983
Dressed in a blue hat and red printed dress, Diana waves goodbye as she and Charles board the plane to leave Melbourne.
April 18, 1983
The Princess of Wales greets a Maori woman at the Eden Park stadium in Auckland, New Zealand.
April 20, 1983
Diana wears a dress designed by the Emanuels, who made her wedding gown, to a state banquet in New Zealand. She's joined by the prime minister of New Zealand, Robert Muldoon, and Charles.
April 1983
Diana and Charles play with William on the gardens of the Government House.
