Diana was “so warm” and “kind” to work with, says designer Paul Costelloe

Princess Diana’s former personal fashion designer said she was “so warm” and “kind” to work with.

Paul Costelloe, who worked as a personal designer for Diana from 1983 until her death in 1997, told BBC Radio 4 Disks of the Deserted Island program on the time he spent working for her.

He said that going to Kensington Palace to meet her while he was designing her clothes was “one of the most incredible experiences” of his life.

When asked why Diana is conceiving, Costelloe said, “So distinguished, so feminine, so warm, so humorous.”

He said that when he sat in the lounge at Kensington Palace he “couldn’t believe” he was there.

Costelloe recalled seeing photographs of the Princess of Wales meeting Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti in one of his dresses after being caught in a downpour at a concert in Hyde Park.

He said: “She looked so happy and she made me so proud and I’m so grateful to have this picture of her and I’m almost shedding a tear right now, because it was a moment. so special and i continue to cherish every moment.

Costellow is an Irish designer and one of the most established names in British and Irish fashion. He worked in Paris, Milan and New York before creating his own luxury brand, Paul Costelloe Collections.

The creator also commented on the Netflix Royal Family TV series, The crown, saying he did a “nice rip off of my yellow linen print dress” during one of the episodes starring Diana.

“Not as good as the original I might add,” he said.

During the interview, Costelloe was asked if he thought people would turn away from fast fashion after the coronavirus pandemic ended.

He replied, “Unfortunately, probably not. I still think there’s that client out there who wants instant gratification and then throw it away.

“We’re human and at the end of the day we’ll change briefly, but I think we’ll probably go back to bad, bad habits.

“They don’t leave overnight. Never expect too much of human nature.

Listeners can listen to Costelloe’s episode of Disks of the Deserted Island at 11 a.m. on Sunday.