Two pubs on the island are dedicated to Princess Diana.
As an ex-colony of the United Kingdom, Maltese people have cultivated a keen interest in the Royal Family. This interest spans generations and lasts to this day – 58 years after Malta’s independence from British powers.
One member of the Royal Family that has captured hearts across the world – during her lifetime and beyond – is the late Princess Diana. So strong is her following that two pubs in Malta are dedicated to her memory: the Lady Di Pub in Sliema, and Diana’s Pub in Buġibba.
For the past 42 years, Frankie Cutajar, who hails from Valletta, has been operating the Lady Di Pub in Hughes Hallet Street, Sliema. Prior to its opening, the premises housed a bar called ‘Neriku’, which was operated by Cutajar’s grandparents, and later an antique shop.
In an interview with the Times of Malta, Frankie recounts how he once got to meet the Princess of Wales herself when dining with a well-connected friend in London. Frankie had told Lady Di that he would be “naming a bar after her to record the memorable event of her marriage to Prince Charles”.
He saw her a second time shortly after their first meeting, and she reminded him about the bar that was yet to be opened.
On 29th July 1981, Princess Diana married Prince Charles, and the Lady Di Pub was opened that same day. Even though the Pub was rebuilt in 2006, Frankie kept the same aesthetic, retaining “its old British Soul”.
In the wake of all the tall and modern buildings that were taking over the area, he knew that customers would appreciate a traditional corner – and following the development boom that has started since then, that would still ring true today. The pub’s décor is fully Princess Diana-themed, with many framed pictures of the icon hung up on the walls. These photographs were given to Cutajar by the Princess’ photographer, who he later befriended. Customers enjoy looking at them, especially in the years following her tragic death in 1997.
When Princess Diana passed away, fans across the world were distraught – and the ones based in Malta were no exception. Many left flowers at the establishment’s door as a sign of mourning in the days after her death.
A thirty-minute drive from the Lady Di Pub will take you to Bugibba, where one can find yet another pub dedicated to Lady Diana. Diana’s Pub – a family-run business established in 1994 – has its inner walls adorned with countless framed pictures and memorabilia of the late Princess.
Late last year, the pub was featured in a viral TikTok posted by Harry Jones, which garnered 318-thousand views and 32-thousand likes. The TikTok, and thus, the pub, were even featured in The Mirror!
The video in question showcases the pub’s interior, exterior, as well as the menu – with overlayed text stating: “This is your sign to go to the Princess Diana Pub in Malta” and “my personal heaven”.
In these two pubs, the memory of Princess Diana is still alive, kept so by the owners, the atmosphere that they create with the décor, and the visitors that continue make their way there until the present day.
Princess Diana-themed bars aside, Malta actually boasts a number of connections with the British Royal family – one of these concerns Sir Robert Cavendish Spencer, the great-great-great uncle of Princess Diana of Wales!
By Lithographer Maxim Gauci (1774-1854).
Born in 1791, Sir Robert was an English officer in the United Kingdom’s Royal Navy, as well as a member of the British aristocracy. He carried out several tours of duty around the world – including in the Mediterranean.
Following these tours, he fell ill in Alexandria and passed away two days later while quarantined in Malta’s Lazaretto at the age of 39. After the quarantine was lifted, he was buried in Valletta.
His funeral procession made its way through Valletta’s City Gate, going down South Street before reaching his final resting place: St. Michael’s Bastion. The area where he was buried was named Spencer Bastion (pictured above) by royal decree.
In 1831, Spencer’s fellow officers commissioned Maltese architect and professor Giorgio Pullicino to build a monument in his honour, known as the Spencer Monument. This monument was an obelisk, similar in shape and size to Cleopatra’s Needle, which was erected and originally stood in Alexandria.
By Michele Bellanti (1807-1883).
The original site of the monument was at Corradino Hill (as depicted above) – a site that would have been visible from all ships anchored in the harbour. It was then moved to Blata l-Bajda in 1893, where it remains to this day.
Did you know about any of this?
@cisk/Instagram, @champagneizzie/Instagram, @Harry Jones/TikTok, The Curious Explorer - Revealing Malta/Facebook, Sam Weller/Flickr