The Crown may have invented a story of Princess Diana taking her son William to sell The Big Issue for its latest series. But if you want the real story of Diana and The Big Issue, our vendor Frank McGucken has the lowdown.
“Lady Diana used to come to me, privately, on her own, and buy the paper,” Frank told us late last year.
“I used to see her on a regular basis in Beauchamp Place when she was on her way to the gym in Chelsea Harbour. She had it all, but she had respect for homeless people.”
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McGucken was one of our first Big Issue vendors, and has sold the magazine on and off for many years. And he recalled Diana’s visits with pride.
“She used to give me a beautiful smile,” he continued.
“I hope people don’t get offended by this, but I used to think: ‘Does she fancy me?’ because she had that glamorous smile!”