Princess Diana’s perfume was a well-kept secret while she was alive … but we uncovered the details decades later
This Is the Perfume Princess Diana Never Left Home Without
Updated on Jun. 19, 2025
Princess Diana was known for a lot of things: her charity work, her shy nature, her very public separation from Prince Charles and, of course, her status as a fashion icon. But those closest to her quickly noticed another one of her secret passions: perfume.
“She always, always, always wore fragrance,” her former makeup artist Mary Greenwell told ABC News in 2014. “It’s kind of the final touch of beauty, walking out smelling divine and chic and individual.” But what was Princess Diana’s perfume of choice—revealed only to those lucky enough to be in her presence?
Like a lot of other things related to the royal family, it was a big secret throughout her lifetime. After all, the members of “The Firm” avoid name-dropping at all costs as a matter of royal etiquette, as they’re not supposed to endorse any brands. However, fragrance expert Lorna McKay gives us a clue: “While the royal ladies past and present have very different personalities, they tend to like the green notes of the countryside—fresh and uplifting scents that remind us of the outdoors.”
So was the beloved princess a country girl at heart too, at least when it came to perfumes? We spoke to McKay to find out. Read on for the big reveal, whether you can still buy this fragrance and which perfumes the other royal women favor.
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What was Princess Diana’s favorite perfume?
According to her son Prince Harry, Princess Diana’s perfume of choice was First by Van Cleef & Arpels. Prince Harry recalled in his book Spare how he would bring “a bottle of Mummy’s favorite perfume” to his therapy sessions to help him deal with the grief following Diana’s tragic death in a car crash when he was just 12 years old. “At the start of our session, I lifted the lid, took a deep sniff. Like a tab of LSD,” Harry wrote in his memoir, explaining how “images were rising from what felt like the most primal part of [his] brain” every time he smelled the scent.
On The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Harry revealed that he still keeps Diana’s favorite perfume at his home in Montecito, California, and occasionally sprays it around the house to feel his mother’s presence.
What does this perfume smell like?
First is “a floral perfume with jasmine, rose, tuberose, carnation, iris and citrus notes,” says McKay. “It owes its softness to added vanilla.”
The scent was created by Jean-Claude Ellena in 1976 as one of the first fragrances by a jeweler (and the first scent ever by French company Van Cleef & Arpels). And while First was an instant hit in France, it wasn’t originally that popular (or even available) in the U.K., notes McKay. According to Prince Harry, Diana still managed to get her hands on it—and loved it.
You can still buy the original First fragrance online for around $70. For its 40th birthday in 2016, First’s formulation was tweaked to create a similar yet distinct fragrance. Called So First, it has a blend of bergamot, magnolia, freesia, jasmine, vanilla and sandalwood, and Van Cleef & Arpels calls it a perfume “to wear around your neck, like an invisible jewel.”
What other perfumes did Diana wear regularly?
First wasn’t the (ahem) first or last perfume Princess Diana wore. While her other favorites haven’t been confirmed, here are a few others that have been named as possibilities.
Hermès 24 Faubourg
According to Diana’s former butler Paul Burrel, Hermès 24 Faubourg was another one of Diana’s everyday favorites. McKay describes it as “a floral scent with jasmine, orange blossom, peach and bergamot that was launched in 1995,” just two years before Diana died.
Penhaligon’s Bluebell
Again, we don’t have a confirmation on this scent, but multiple media reports mention it in relation to Diana. “It’s a green floral scent with a touch of roses and some added spiciness thanks to cinnamon, galbanum and cloves,” says McKay. And it seems to fit perfectly with the royals’ preference for light countryside smells.
Houbigant Paris Quelques Fleurs l’Original
This is reportedly the fragrance Diana wore on her wedding day in 1981. On the Houbigant Paris site, this blend of orange blossom, bergamot, jasmine and roses is described as “a plush, ambrosial, delicate floral breath as it’s mingled in nature.”
And it’s a very unusual choice for a wedding scent, says McKay. “Brides tend to not wear very strong perfumes, as there are usually already lots of flowers around at a wedding, and they don’t want to overpower,” she explains. But if we know one thing about Diana, it’s that she was a rule breaker!
Do any other royals wear Princess Diana’s favorite perfume?
While nobody in the royal family is known to wear Princess Diana’s perfume, Meghan Markle seems to share her mother-in-law’s taste. She’s a fan of Wild Bluebell by Jo Malone, which—as you might have guessed it by the name—is quite similar to Penhaligon’s Bluebell. Interestingly, Meghan revealed her favorite the same year she met Prince Harry. Coincidence? We’ll probably never know!
And when Meghan tied the knot with Harry in 2018, she wore a custom Floris scent inspired by the brand’s Bergamotto di Positano. It featured bergamot and orange blossom notes, two of the main ingredients in Diana’s wedding scent.
What fragrances do the other royal women favor?
Just like Diana, the rest of the royal ladies love a good perfume. Here are some of the fragrances rumored to be among their go-to brands.
- Princess Kate: London Orange Blossom by Jo Malone. The Princess of Wales seems to be a fan of citrus aromas. Her perfume of choice includes notes of orange, tangerine and clementine.
- Duchess Meghan: Wild Bluebell by Jo Malone. If the sisters-in-law have just one thing in common, it’s their weak spot for Jo Malone. But unlike Kate’s favorite fragrance, Meghan’s go-to scent is slightly more spicy.
- Queen Elizabeth: Guerlain L’Heure Bleue. The late queen reportedly swore by this spicy citrus perfume, which was created in 1912. A close second was Chanel’s classic No. 5.
- Queen Camilla: Bandit by Robert Piguet. The current queen loves fragrances just as much as the other royals. Robert Piguet describes her signature perfume—a blend of moss, verdant galbanum, jasmine and orange blossoms—as “daring” and “a renowned classic.”
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Reader’s Digest has published hundreds of stories on the British royal family, providing a behind-the-scenes look at the fascinating facets of the monarchy. We regularly cover topics including the latest royal news, the history and meaning behind time-honored traditions, and the everyday quirks of everyone’s favorite family members, from Queen Elizabeth’s daily snack to Prince William’s confessions about his home life. We’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers’ personal experiences where appropriate. For this piece on Princess Diana’s perfume, Astrid Hofer tapped her experience as a London-based journalist with more than 20 years of experience covering topics including the British royal family. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.
Sources:
- ABC News: “Princess Diana’s makeup artist reveals her beauty secrets”
- Spare by Prince Harry
- The Late Show with Stephen Colbert: “Prince Harry”
- The Independent: “Prince Harry reveals how Diana’s perfume helped him cope with her death”
- Vanity Fair: “The bride wore orange blossom: A history of wedding day scents”
- Marie Claire: “Wanting to smell like a Princess? These are the 4 fragrances that Princess Diana loved”
- Express: “Suits actress Meghan Markle: My beauty secrets”
- InStyle: “The two perfumes Kate Middleton absolutely adores”
- Town & Country: “9 royal-worn perfumes and colognes that are fit for everyone”
