The late Diana, Princess of Wales, has been the subject of intensive discussion in the media over the years, and has been endlessly analyzed and mythologized in numerous books, magazines, documentaries and onscreen dramatizations. 

However, despite the wealth of information available, there are still some things about her which might be unexpected to some members of the public. Here is an alphabetical look at five things Princess Diana loved that might surprise you.

1. Astrology
2. Cadbury’s Chocolate Twirl bars
3. Peach Bellinis
4. Playing the piano
5. Rollerblading and roller skating

Astrology

Diana often turned to spiritual treatments in the hope that they would guide her through difficult times. She consulted astrologers, faith healers, homeopaths, dowsers, and clairvoyants, among many others. 

One person she frequently turned to was an astrologer named Penny Thornton, who also viewed herself as something of a personal coach to Diana. Thornton later told an interviewer: “During our first meeting, my endeavor was to provide her with the means to turn her situation around from being a passive victim to an active member of the royal family who was equal to her husband…I suggested she used her suffering to relate to those who also suffered. I think you could say it worked.” 

Cadbury’s Chocolate Twirl bars

Diana was wealthy enough to have bought chocolate from the most expensive chocolatiers at home and abroad. Yet one of her favorites was actually widely and cheaply available in the shops. This was the Cadbury’s Twirl bar.

Cadbury is a confectionery company that was founded in England in 1824. However, it was the Irish branch of the company, Cadbury Ireland, which invented the Twirl bar in 1985. This was a bar with a swirl-shaped interior covered in a smooth outer coating. Her former chef Darren McGrady later confirmed that this was one of her favorite treats.

Peach Bellinis

Diana did not drink much alcohol, but one she did enjoy was a peach Bellini: a cocktail made from prosecco and pureed peaches. Friends would later reminisce about nights out with her spent drinking these fruit-flavored Bellinis, sometimes in the company of stars like Freddie Mercury. Peach was also a color she seemed to favor; the outfit she wore when leaving for her honeymoon was peach.

Playing the piano

While Diana’s dance to Billy Joel’s “Uptown Girl,” performed at a concert at the Royal Opera House in 1985 with Charles in the audience, is well-known, she is not usually associated with the performing of musical instruments.

However, she was actually a talented pianist, to the extent that she was able to spontaneously perform an excerpt from Rachmaninoff’s “Piano Concerto No. 2” at a public event, although she seemed shy about demonstrating her ability in front of a crowd.

Rollerblading and roller skating

When the TV series The Crown covered Diana in its later seasons, one surprising scene was a sequence showing the princess (played in the fourth season by Emma Corrin) roller skating around the palace. However, this was something Diana actually did in real life, as the production’s research team confirmed. Diana was also photographed rollerblading in later years, as reported by the British press. She was also known to enjoy skiing, tennis, biking, and other athletic pursuits.

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