Paul Costelloe, Personal Fashion Designer for Princess Diana, Dies at 80

Irish designer Paul Costelloe has died at age 80.

Costelloe, personal fashion designer to Princess Diana of Wales, died on Saturday, Nov. 22, surrounded by his loved ones, his family said in a statement.

“We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Paul Costelloe following a short illness,” his label said in a statement. “He was surrounded by his wife and seven children and passed peacefully in London.”

Born in 1945 in Dublin, Costelloe learned how to handle textiles and fabrics from his father, a tailor who specialized in making raincoats, according to the Associated Press. He studied at the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture in Paris, “but found he learnt more just by living in Paris during the era of Ungaro and Cardin,” per his label’s site.

He entered the fashion industry as a design assistant to designer Jacques Esterel and later moved to Milan, where he first worked for British chain Marks & Spencer and department store La Rinascente.

After moving to America to work as a designer for Anne Fogarty, Costelloe later launched his own fashion house, which placed an emphasis on luxury fabrics, creative elements and nods to Irish culture, in 1979, according to the BBC.

Costelloe got his first glimpse of royalty when one of Princess Diana’s ladies-in-waiting recognized one of his designs and set up a meeting between the designer and the princess, according to AP News. Costelloe was later appointed as Princess Diana’s personal designer and remained in the post until her death in 1997, per the BBC.

“I looked out at Hyde Park and I said: ‘God, this is it, Paul, you have made it!’” Costelloe told Irish broadcaster RTE earlier this year, of his early days working with the princess, AP News reported.

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Costelloe’s label produces designs in womenswear, menswear, bags, accessories, jewelry, homeware, eyewear and occasionwear for children, per the site. The label has also created a line of businesswear for various corporations and groups, including British Airways, Delta Airlines and the Irish Olympic Team.