'I PAID $800K FOR PRINCESS DI'S DRESS!'

Aussie mum Renae is the new owner of some of Diana's most iconic outfits

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Renae Plant was just 12 years old when she had a chance encounter that would set her on a life-changing course to honour Princess Diana.

With her hair in braids and a lot of spunk, the cheeky schoolgirl, who was living in Yandina, Queensland, at the time, decided to “nick off” and try to meet the most famous woman in the world on what was her first-ever royal tour in 1983.

MEETING DIANA

“Princess Di came down the dirt path and I had a little pocket camera to take photos of her,” Renae tells Woman's Day.

She came out of the ginger factory and there were all these photographers, but she beelined straight to me.”

During this meeting Diana shook Renae’s hand, which left her speechless.

“I was so enamoured when I saw her... she was so beautiful,” the 54-year-old says.

“There are no words to describe the moment you feel when you meet her, especially at a young age.”

Brimming with excitement, Renae snuck under a barricade to walk behind the security guards and ladies in waiting, hoping to get close to Princess Diana, when the royal bride dropped a clay platypus someone gave her.