Springfield, VA

Princess Diana once visited J. C. Penney on a visit to Virginia with King Charles III

Cheryl E Preston

Princess Diana and King Charles shopping in J C PennyPhoto byJoe Macaluso Youtube screenshot

The day the royals came to Springfield Virginia

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been living in the US since 2019 but they have not had an occasion to travel to the Commonwealth. Prince William and Princess Kate Middleton came stateside in December but they did not come this far East. Queen Elizabeth made 4 tracks to the US with the last one being to Blacksburg in 2007 after the shooting at Virginia Tech. King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla have not visited this area but In 1985, then Prince Charles and then wife Princess Diana did grace the State of Virginia with their presence at a JC Penny store.

"Chuck and Di" as they were referred to back then were in Virginia to visit the Best id Britan showcase according to Jezebel. At the time J.C. Penney had just purchased $50 million worth of U.K. merchandise so this visit was probablyone of goodwill. Charles and Diana arrived by limo at the J.C. Penny location inside a Springfield Mall. according to ABC News 7 on Your Side.

Princess Diana in J.C. Penny

Princess Diana was able to wear expensive tiaras and her gowns were created by the top designers in the world. She had people at her beck and call and could have had anything she chose. Almost 40 years ago, however, while in Virginia she felt the need to purchase an $8.00 scarf from J.C. Penny. The idea of the first Princess of Wales shopping "off the wrack" seems unreal based on her usual attire when she was photographed by news media.

Watching the video of Charles and Diana so young and new in their marriage easily browsing through the Penny store seems like a lifetime ago and it actually was. Perhaps King Charles III and Camilla or Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry might find their way to Virginia one day as anything is possible.

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# Princess Diana# King Charles III# Springfiled Virginia# J C Penny

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I write, about breaking news, and current events. I wrote a newspaper column from 1997 to 2007 and have written for various online platforms since 2012 including Yahoo Contributor Network, Hubpages, and Vocal Media.

Roanoke, VA
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