My day with Princess Di

Published on 06 May 2026

There’s something special about when a member of the royal family comes to town. In recent weeks we saw Prince Harry spend time here in Melbourne’s west, even giving footy a go down at Whitten Oval.

It’s quite fitting that at the same time as Harry’s visit, I recently took the opportunity to reflect on another royal visit – that of Princess Diana and the then Prince (now King) Charles, 43 years ago.

As I cast my mind back all those years, I can remember the excitement and buzz around when we heard the princess was coming to our neck of the woods.

As a young girl, growing up in social housing here in Hobsons Bay, I adored Princess Diana.

She was everything you could have asked for in a princess – beautiful, personable and full of care for those she met.

I was in grade six at the time, and our school ran a competition. If you wrote a story, you could be selected to be out the front when the motorcade with the Prince and Princess drove by. I was so excited that, of course, I wrote a story and won the competition.

In the end, when we heard Princess Diana would be visiting some new social housing in Altona North, I actually took the day off school just so I could see her again.

Not only did I see her, I had the enormous privilege of receiving a hug from her. She was so welcoming and friendly, and everyone was just in awe of her being in the same vicinity as us.

It is surreal to sit here today as Deputy Mayor of Hobsons Bay, coming from a place of social housing, to have been lucky enough to have that experience.

And more than 40 years on from Princess Diana’s visit, the need for social housing in Hobsons Bay remains significant. With cost of living on the rise, it’s important we continue to shine a light and advocate for accessible housing options.

So as I look back, what made the visit so special, coming from living in a commission flat, was having the most famous princess in the world visit us where we lived.

I think that’s what made her so unique. She took the time to visit places and meet with people who, in their wildest dreams, might not think they would ever get the chance to meet one of the most recognisable people in the world.

So more than 40 years on, I look back with fondness on the day I had with Princess Di.