Diana and the Gottex swimsuit that kept Camilla's 50th birthday party off the front pages: CLAUDIA JOSEPH on the Princess's risqué holiday poses in 1997 - and the Israeli queen of fashion who made the look possible By Claudia Joseph Published: 07:13 BST, 18 July 2024 | Updated: 07:13 BST, 18 July 2024 e-mail View comments It was at Highgrove, on July 18, 1997, where Prince Charles hosted a £30,000 party for Camilla Parker Bowles to celebrate his future Queen's 50th birthday. The glitzy celebration and Camilla's birthday a day earlier would have been lapped up the by the Press - if a mischievous Princess Diana had not been determined to knock her erstwhile rival off the front pages. Guests such as novelist Jilly Cooper and broadcaster Melvyn Bragg sipped champagne on the lawn as a clarinettist played jazz music, before they enjoyed a five-course dinner in the lavish 120ft marquee.
But Diana became the centre of attention by making a splash in the Mediterranean, where she was holidaying with her sons, Princes William and Harry. Wearing a leopard print swimsuit, the Princess, who was staying with boyfriend Dodi Al Fayed at his father's villa in the south of France , was snapped by the paparazzi as she purposely frolicked in the sea, on July 17, 1997. So, when Camilla woke up the following morning, on the day of her party, she was greeted with the headline: 'Dear Camilla.
This will keep you off the front page. Happy Birthday & Breast Wishes. Love Diana.
' On July 17, 1997, the .