Entertainment to the night that Princess Diana disguised her man to find Freddy Mercurybiography narrates the princess’s escapada to a gay bar in London, camouflaged under sugar glasses, leather cap and military jacket

Decades after his death, the fascination around the Princess Diana remains more alive than ever – and now, a new book brings up a surprising story about the eternal Lady di: The night she disguised her man to go unnoticed in a gay bar in London, next to none other than Freddie Mercury.

The episode is narrated in DIANAWORLD: AN OBSESSIONbiography written by Edward White that investigates the life and legacy of the Princess of Wales under a new look. The book reconstructs from the bonds of your family with British royalty to its little known ambitions after the divorce of Charlesbefore his tragic death in Paris in 1997.

Among the most striking stories is the night when Dianaaccompanied by the vocalist of Queenof the comedian Kenny Everett and the actress Cleo Rocaosdecided to visit the iconic Royal Vauxhall Tavernone of the best known gay bars in London. Everett He would have tried to dissuade her, saying the place was “full of hairy gays and it wasn’t for you.” But Diana It was determined.

With the help of friends, she set up a disguise: military jacket, leather cap, aviator -style sunglasses and hidden hair. At half light, the group concluded that it could go through a half eccentric male model. It worked. Second Rock“It was scandalously fun … and the strange thing is that no one, absolutely no one, recognized Diana“. They took a drink and left discreetly. The next day, she returned the clothes of Everett to the palace.

The episode seems out of a modern fable – and maybe it’s really. But there are other similar reports, such as the time when Diana accompanied your then boyfriend Hasnat Khan To a jazz club in London, wearing wig and glasses to camouflage in the crowd.

These moments are contemporary rereading of an old archetype: that of the princess who, in search of herself, leaves behind pomp and dives anonymously in the real world. Including the queen Elizabeth II It has its own version, in the story (romanticized in the movie A real night) About when he took to the streets with his sister Margaret to celebrate the end of World War II.

Fact or legend, the disguise of Diana In a gay bar it became a symbol of its connection with the LGBTQia+ community – and, more than that, its search for belonging, for a space where it could be who it really was.

This feeling inspired the writer Desmond O’Connor to create Royal Vauxhalla cabaret musical based on this iconic night. At the time of its creation, several London gay bars were closing the doors, and the Royal Vauxhall Tavern It was also at risk. To O’Connorthe story of Diana echoed the reality of the Queer community: both needed a safe place to exist authentically.

Even having palaces such as Kensington, Highgrove and Althorp available, Diana He often felt trapped in “golden cages”, where only his material needs were met. Node Royal VauxhallEven if only one night, she was free – under a new identity, but perhaps closer to herself than ever.

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