Princess Diana was one of the most famous royals of the 20th century. She continues to be remembered not only for her humanitarian work but also her tumultuous personal life.
When Diana is not in her public role, she spent time doing a few things she enjoyed. For example, Diana worked out a lot and visited a surprising place to exercise.
Princess Diana worked out a lot and had a healthy diet
Like many celebrities, Diana tried to take good care of her physical appearance. This meant working out and eating healthy meals.
According to Best Life, Diana really enjoyed swimming—something she did ever since she was young. She reportedly swam in a Buckingham Palace pool as a part of her morning routine.
As for her diet, Diana’s personal chef, Darren McGrady, revealed to Hello! that the late princess ate dishes low in fat. He said, “When I was cooking for her I had to change my style of cooking. I had to move from cooking food for the Queen – heavy sauces, rich sauces and creams – to start cooking lighter food again, cutting out the fats, cutting out the carbs.”
Additionally, Diana did not eat red meat, opting for chicken, fish, or vegetarian dishes.
Princess Diana liked to work out at a gym for gay men
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One place Diana frequented to better her health was a gym for gay men. According to Pink News, at the time of her death, Diana was a member of Earl’s Court Gym, a gym that attracted many LGBT members.
“She really felt at ease with gay men, she could relate to them and she didn’t feel threatened by them in any way,” said Jeremy Norman, who founded a chain called Soho Gyms. “They were just friends she could hang out with. And when we bought the Earl’s Court Gym when I was expanding the Soho Gyms group, she was a member there.”
Norman also added that, reportedly, the gym would close “for a couple of hours three times a week” to give Diana privacy.
Princess Diana supported HIV/AIDS patients
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Perhaps one of the most well-known way Diana supported the LGBT community was in her advocacy work for HIV/AIDS patients. In the 1980s and 1990s, there was a lot of stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS, which extended to discrimination against gay men. However, Diana pushed back against this.
Diana often visited hospitals and met with AIDS patients. At a time when many people believed one could get infected with HIV by touching someone with AIDS, Diana proved this was not the case. She made headlines everywhere for compassionately hugging and shaking hands with AIDS patients she came across.
In 1991, Diana also gave an impassioned speech urging for the stigma against people living with HIV/AIDS to end.
“HIV does not make people dangerous to know,” she said. “You can shake their hands and give them a hug. Heaven knows they need it. What’s more, you can share their homes, their workplaces, and their playgrounds and toys.”
