Princess Diana's most unlikely celebrity pals

Although Princess Diana was a hugely busy person with countless commitments, she was beloved with the public and plenty of famous faces alike, and always made time for her friends. As well as her well documented friendships with Elton John and Julia Samuels, Diana was also close with plenty of other celebrities - find out more about them here...

READ: Six fun activities Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's children can do in Windsor

Hillary Clinton

Hillary met Diana for the first time a year before the Princess' death in 1997. The Princess visited the then-First Lady in Washington DC, where the pair went to an event supporting the Red Cross. Following Diana's death, Bill Clinton said: "Hillary and I knew Princess Diana and we were very fond of her." They also attended the funeral, and Hillary was photographed looking at the memorial to the late royal. According to the New York Times, the royal family got in touch with the Clintons and "sent a fairly strong signal that they believed that the First Lady was the best person to represent the President, the United States, and the American people".

Liza Minnelli

Liza was close with Diana, and has previously opened up about their friendship, saying: "I was lucky enough to count Princess Di as a friend. I was first introduced to her when she came backstage after a concert I did in London. Then we'd bump into each other at premieres or events where she'd be the guest of honour. We'd fall into conversation then we'd meet for tea… My instinct was to protect her. We talked about everything under the sun. She loved music."

George Michael

George and Diana were budding pals, having met up several times before, and the late Wham singer admitted that he wouldn't call her in case it seemed like he was only interested in her fame. Back in 2011, he told Huff Post: "I kind of feel guilty because she did really like me as a person, and I tended to shy away from calling her because I thought she must have so many people calling her for all the wrong reasons. I knew she was so suspicious of people by then, so I would almost treat her the way I know some people treat me. I would presume it was an intrusion to call, when actually you know they're lonely and would hear a friendly voice."  

Gianni Versace

Princess Diana was friendly with the fashion designer, who was shot and killed on the steps of his home by serial killer Andrew Cunanan. Diana released a statement following his shocking death, writing: "I am devastated by the loss of a great and talented man," and attended his funeral while accompanied by Elton John (pictured). 

Michael Jackson

According to Michael Jackson's former bodyguard, Matt Fiddes, the late pop icon was "in love" with the royal, and would talk to her on the phone often after they met for the first and only time in 1988. After attending a memorial for her in 1997, Michael told reporters: "Diana was my friend, she is no longer here. I love her." In a statement, he added: "The sudden loss of Diana, Princess of Wales, is one of the greatest tragedies of the millennium. She was a friend to the world."

Freddie Mercury

Rami Malek, who recently starred as Freddie Mercury in the Oscars biopic, Bohemian Rhapsody, revealed that he heard that Diana and Freddie were good pals. He told People: "There was one moment that I hear he took Princess Diana and disguised her as a man and took her into a bar, just so they could have their own fun moment without anybody else being aware. Now, I don't know if that's true, this might be an urban legend." Cleo Rocos elaborated on the story in her biography, and also revealed that Freddie and Diana would watch Golden Girls together with the sound of mute while making up their own dialogue.

Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington and Cindy Crawford

Imagine having these legends as part of your squad! Not only was Diana pals with the supermodels, she also called on them to embarrass her teenage son, Prince William! During a documentary on the Princess - Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy, the Prince revealed that he returned from school to see all three of them at his house. He said: "I was probably a 12 or 13-year-old boy who had posters of them on his wall. And I went bright red and didn't know what to say and sort of fumbled and I think I pretty much fell down the stairs on the way up. I was completely and utterly sort of awestruck. But that was a very funny memory."

Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise

Before their split in 2001, Nicole and Tom attended Princess Diana's funeral together. The pair had met the Princess at a screening of Far and Away back in 1992, and Tom told CNN that they were "devastated" by her passing. Speaking about her tragic car accident, she said: "They run lights and they chase you and harass you. It happens all over the world, and it has certainly gotten worse."

Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn

Kurt and Goldie liked Princess Diana after meeting her at the 1991 premiere of Backdraft so much that they invited her to stay at their ranch to get away from the intense media scrutiny. Chatting to The Project back in 2016. Kurt revealed that Diana took them up on their invitation and spent some time there with Princes William and Harry in 1995. He said: "I said, 'Well, if you ever get the chance, come over to the ranch, we've got a good long driveway and it's hard for the paparazzi to get in there so maybe you'd think to do that… Our housekeeper Bonnie became very close with her and every Christmas she'd get a nice card from Diana."

Sarah Ferguson

Although the pair had their fair share of rivalry, as both married into the royal family within years of each other, they were also close friends for many years. Diana once revealed that she would compare herself to Sarah, telling biographer Andrew Morton that the Duchess of York "wooed everybody in this family and did it so well. She left me looking like dirt". However, Sarah opened up about their friendship as well, and revealed that they discussed their divorces with one another. "It was the year we first put words to the unspeakable idea that had been nudging us in the ribs for some time: that one or both of us might leave the royal family," she wrote. "We burned the phone wires into the night, trading secrets and jokes that no-one else would understand."