Princess Diana (opens in new tab) was a pioneer, a game changer, a risk taker, a face to face reality and a rule breaker. These are great qualities in many respects. In particular, the moment Princess Diana was motivated to defy royal tradition (opens in new tab), the Queen saw no justification for defying it.

The Queen seemed irritated by Diana's most iconic and creative fashion moment (opens in new tab) of her royal career. The fashion moment in question occurred in 1985, when Diana and her then husband Prince Charles (open in new tab) attended a gala dinner dance at the Southern Cross Hotel in Melbourne, Australia.

Diana matched David and Elizabeth Emanuel's stunning green satin evening gown with a royal heirloom: an art deco emerald choker that Queen Mary had given her after Diana joined the royal family.

The Queen did not mind Diana showing off the necklace (open in new tab) (it was one of her favorites and she wore it many times over the years). The queen was annoyed that Diana wore it as a headpiece, not as a choker.

Behold:

"What Diana wore while dancing in her husband's arms was actually a necklace that was part of the Crown Jewels, a gift from Queen Elizabeth herself," royal commentator Deborah Attanasio told Marie Claire Italia ( Express article (opens in new tab)). 'Queen Elizabeth loved the jewel so much that she decided to give it to Diana as a wedding gift. According to sources close to the queen, Her Majesty was very frustrated when she saw what Diana did with it.

It was apparently not Diana's real idea to wear the choker that way, and the inspiration for the look came about entirely by accident. According to The Royals, a book by royal biographer Kitty Kelley (opens in new tab), Diana was in such a hurry to get ready for the event that she tried to put the choker on over her head (rather than having someone help her). The choker reportedly got stuck and did not fit over her nose, so Canadian diplomat Victor Chapman convinced her to put the choker on instead.

"Rather than wait for Diana to put the necklace around her neck, she took it and put it over her head. 'She couldn't get it over the bridge of her nose,' Kelly wrote. 'Vic snorted. Leave it there, he said." I'm young and fun, just like you."

So... She did.

By the way, Charles seemed fine with the look. Pictures of him and Diana dancing at the event are some of the happiest pictures of the couple together: