The late Princess first became friends with the former deputy editor of Vogue in 1981 when she specifically sought out Anna's fashion expertise following her engagement to Prince Charles.
Well aware that she was about to be thrust into the media spotlight, Diana recalled in a 1991 interview with Royal biographer Andrew Morton that she "literally had one long dress, one silk shirt, one smart pair of shoes" when she got engaged.
In Morton's book Diana: Her True Story – In Her Own Words, the late Princess is quoted as saying: "Suddenly my mother and I had to go and buy six of everything.
"We bought as much as we needed but that still wasn't enough."
In an attempt to overhaul her wardrobe for her new life as a Royal, Diana then enlisted the help of Anna Harvey who she had met through Vogue editor Beatrix Miller the year before.
Advising Diana on how to dress stylishly while also remaining within the confines of Royal fashion etiquette, the late Princess said: "I asked Anna Harvey from Vogue, where both my sisters worked, to come and help me out with the basic things.
"Like two of this, three of this, one of that."
Anna was responsible for introducing Diana to fashion designers Victor Edelstein and Catherine Walker and also helped carve a "niche" for the Princess where she "as happy with the designer" and what was "practical for the job."
After helping Diana find her fashion feet, the two stylish women developed a close friendship and the late Royal added: "Anna definitely helped out for that first year."
Describing their first meeting in a 1997 issue of Vogue, the late deputy editor recalls how Princess Diana "couldn't go anywhere without being mobbed" in the days following her engagement.
Remembering how she was "shaking like a leaf" ahead of their appointment in the Vogue offices, Anna also revealed that she had "called in far too many clothes because I had absolutely no idea of the kind of thing she liked."
But the two women quickly bonded over their enthusiasm for fashion.
Anna added: "I took one look at her and thought, this isn't going to be difficult at all.
"She was about five feet ten and completely in proportion. Her eyes lit up when she saw all the racks – I don't think she had any idea how many lovely things were out there – and her enthusiasm was contagious."
Following this first meeting at Vogue House in London, the two would meet Diana's home in Kensington Palace where Anna helped hone the Princess' styles.
Along with that single "silk shirt" and "one long dress", Anna described Diana's pre-Royal wardrobe as consisting of nothing more than "a few Laura Ashley blouses and skirts and some bobbly jumpers. That was it."
After getting to grips with the media interest in her style sense, Anna recalled how Diana "wanted to wear British because she felt it was something positive she could do for the fashion industry.
"She was a very English girl and the romantic style suited her."
Unsurprisingly, fashion designers were falling over themselves to dress Diana and Anna described how "there was such a feeling of euphoria that here was a young, glamorous girl who loved clothes."
While Diana took the helm of her wardrobe after her marriage ended, Anna observed how she was "much freer" in her fashion choices with no royal rules to ascribe to.
Anna said: "Everything became more streamlines and somehow athletic, in line with her role as a committed charity worker and she moved to navy-blue, greys and pastels.
"The clothes she wore for her trips to Angola and Bosnia – the crisp white shirts, cotton chinos and Connelly shoes – were her own idea and entirely appropriate."
After leaving her role as deputy editor of Vogue in 1996, Anna then went on to assist Conde Nast in the launch of the fashion title in China, Russia and India.
Chairman and chief executive of Conde Nast International Jonathan Newhouse said in a statement: "Anna Harvey was one of the great Vogue directors of our time.
"She possessed impeccable taste and an unequalled ability to animate fashion in the pages of our magazines."
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