Despite the Royal family facing criticism over Prince Andrew’s arrest and alleged association with s– offender Jeffrey Epstein, one member remains as beloved as ever. Princess Diana, even decades after her tragic death, continues to be remembered as the “People’s Princess.”
However, while the world remembered and cherished her for her kindness, charity work, and warm smile, one particular celebrity seemed to have some issue with the late Princess Diana. The famous American comedian, Joan Rivers, made it very clear that she was not a fan of the late British Royal.
Back in 2013, when Rivers performed at the Just for Laughs Festival in Montreal, she openly admitted during her stand-up set that she did not like Diana. “I hated her,” the comedian stated bluntly, while adding, “You know why I didn’t like her? ‘Cause she didn’t know when the good times were.”
Joan Rivers on Princess Diana.
Do you agree with her take? pic.twitter.com/33CBvdkPd8
— Queen Esther (@XOQueenEsther) February 12, 2026
Joan Rivers mocked Diana for not realizing how lucky she was when she had it all and was alive. She stated that the Princess was young, beautiful, rich, and part of the royal family, yet often seemed unhappy. According to Rivers, the crown should have been enough to make anyone feel proud.
The comedian then joked that if anybody had a real crown, they would undoubtedly show up to any class reunion and feel better than everyone else. So, according to Rivers, while having a crown should have solved all of Diana’s problems, the Princess still appeared gloomy despite being a privileged member of the royal family.
“Do you understand that if you had a crown, you could go back to any class reunion for the rest of your life? […] They say, ‘How you doing?’ You say, ‘Check my hat! That’s how I’m doing — better than you!’” she said.
Further, Joan Rivers also made jokes about Princess Diana’s troubled marriage to Charles. The former Prince and Princess of Wales had a very public and painful marriage, followed by a headline-making split, as a result of Charles’ confession to having an affair with Camilla Parker Bowles.
Rivers joked about their rocky relationship and claimed to be baffled by why Diana, despite being a gorgeous, wealthy, and slim young woman with “a husband that didn’t want to sleep with her”, was so unhappy. Further, one part of her act also focused on Princess Diana’s famous blue sapphire engagement ring.
As the ring later went to her eldest son, William, Prince of Wales, following Diana’s death, Joan Rivers called it a cursed ring that resembled Diana and Charles’ unhappy marriage. And so when William used it to propose to Catherine, Princess of Wales, Rivers joked that it came with bad luck.
These jokes immediately led to criticism, even though they weren’t the only time that Joan Rivers mocked Princess Diana. The previous year, during a British-themed episode of the TV show Fashion Police, Rivers took things too far when she joked about the car crash that killed Diana in Paris.
Photo showing the damage to the vehicle after crashing in the Pont de l’Alma tunnel in Paris.
Diana’s partner, Dodi Fayed, and the driver of the Mercedes-Benz W140, Henri Paul, were found dead inside the car. Dodi’s bodyguard, Trevor Rees-Jones, was seriously injured, but was… pic.twitter.com/dCbVeGDWox
— Morbid Knowledge (@MorbidKnowledge) September 28, 2023
Her blatant remarks about the beloved Princess’ death left the U.K. audiences upset, who called Rivers and her comments disrespectful. However, as the comedian appeared for the 2013 event and yet again joked about Diana, it appeared that she neither apologized for her 2012 remarks nor did she change her style.
