Photos: I tried Princess Diana’s morning routine while on lockdown

• I tried Princess Diana’s morning routine and it helped me out of my lockdown crisis.
• I started with one morning before having a plate of beans and a pink grapefruit for breakfast.
• Next, it was time to create Diana’s signature look – blue eyeliner and an oversized sweater.
• Visit the Insider home page for more stories.

The world has fallen in love with Princess Diana once again after this first glimpse of royal roller skating at Buckingham Palace was shown in “The Crown”.

The late Princess of Wales led a remarkable life, a life that has been documented by books, documentaries and vivid tales from her former staff.

Like many Diana fans, I’ve always wanted to know what it would be like to spend a day as the Princess – so that’s exactly what I did earlier this week.

Read more: I tried the queen’s lockout routine every morning for a week, and wouldn’t do it again

Use of articles from Insider, the free library and Hello! Magazine, I tried to replicate Princess Diana’s morning routine. Here’s what the princess schedule looked like:

• Woken up at 7:30 am by a royal butler
• Swim or stretch at Buckingham Palace
• Breakfast: a can of beans and a pink grapefruit with orange juice
• Get ready for the gym
• A training session at the Chelsea Harbor Club

There was a part of Diana’s morning routine that I wouldn’t gladly do again

I decided to go through Diana’s morning routine on a work day, which meant the 7:30 a.m. wake-up call wasn’t a major shock to the system. Although, unfortunately, I didn’t have a butler to wake me up.

According to a 1989 article in the Saturday Evening Post which was re-edited by The Free Library, the Princess traveled from her home in Kensington Palace to Buckingham Palace, where she used the swimming pool and went for a stretch.

Since local gyms, leisure centers and swimming pools are currently closed due to the UK lockdown, I stuck with a five minute stretching routine from a video I have found on YouTube.

I’ll admit that I’m usually not the type to do morning stretches – but just five minutes of movement helped me feel energized for the day ahead.

Then it was time to make Diana’s favorite breakfast. I recently interviewed former Princess Chef Darren McGrady, who told me the royal preferred a can of beans, pink grapefruit, and orange juice.

“She wanted Heinz beans because someone told her they were low in carbs, low in fat, and high in protein, which is great for someone who works out,” McGrady said.

Read more: Former Princess Diana chef says he committed the ‘cardinal sin’ of serving his favorite breakfast – a can of baked beans – to Americans

Although baked beans are considered a common breakfast item here in the UK, they are typically served as part of a cooked breakfast rather than eaten on their own. It is really unusual to serve it with grapefruit.

Mikhaila Friel / Insider

I usually have a small bowl of granola and fruit for my breakfast, so having something as filling as baked beans was definitely a challenge.

However, I can see where Diana’s logic came from. The Heinz website describes the UK version of the product as “high in fiber, high in protein and low in fat,” so I knew this would set me up well for my workout later in the day.

That being said, I could have done without the grapefruit. Surprisingly, I had never tried it before – and I won’t be doing it again. The bitter taste meant I could barely pass a bite.

Then it was time to create the “ Diana look ”

Diana was known for her bold blue eyeliner, which she wore on multiple engagements throughout the 1980s. The princess preferred Elizabeth Arden’s Blue kohl 636 pencil, which she applied to her line of hair. lower lashes, Hello! Magazine reports.

I used Rimmel London’s Exaggerate Aqua Sparkle pencil. Here’s how the finished look compared to Diana’s:

Mikhaila Friel / Insider, Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images

Since working from home, I generally don’t wear makeup. Back in my time in the London office (before the first UK lockout last year), I would never have worn such a bold color on my eyes.

I have to say it was a surprisingly pleasant change, and it made me feel like I had something important to be – a rare feeling during lockdown.

Read more: Princess Diana’s wedding dress designer said she was ‘horrified’ when she saw the royal wearing it because of its crease

I also tried to recreate one of the princess outfits. As I was planning on working out later in the day, I decided to emulate the royal’s oversized sweater and bike shorts she wore at Chelsea Harbor Club in 1997.

Hulton Archives / Getty Images, Mikhaila Friel / Insider

I chose to wear my Inglewood / California sweater – which I bought for £ 32 ($ 43) at Nasty Gal last year – with a pair of black shorts.

There were different options when it comes to Diana’s exercise routine.

I ended my morning with a Diana-inspired workout.

According to Diana’s former personal trainer Jenni Rivett, the princess enjoyed a variety of exercises, including step aerobics, power walks and roller skating. She was also frequently spotted at her local gym, the Chelsea Harbor Club.

The Princess was an avid cyclist, and there are several photos of her cycling around Kensington before her engagement to Prince Charles, as well as to his family while on vacation in the Isles of Scilly in 1989.

PA Images via Getty Images

Unfortunately, I don’t have all of the equipment to keep up with most of the royal’s favorite activities – but I do have an exercise bike.

I spent 30 minutes cycling home. Since the gyms are closed at the moment, it was a welcome activity and something that I missed doing regularly.

Mikhaila Friel / Insider

Having the beans for breakfast earlier that day also meant I had a lot of energy for training, which I have found myself struggling with every now and then in the past.

Read more: Former Head of Princess Diana told us what it was like living with the Royal Family at Kensington Palace

All in all, it was a fun and productive end to an already great morning routine – with the exception of the grapefruit.

My favorite part had to be recreating the “Diana look”. Blue eyeliner forced me out of my comfort zone. It helped me feel less stuck at home, even though I had no particular reason to leave home that day.

Spending the morning like a princess was a fantastic distraction from the lockdown and the ultimate boost. I encourage everyone – especially those who work from home – to give it a try.