Diana

Lady Diana Frances Spencer was born on July 1, 1961, in Norfolk, England. The third of four children born to the 8th Earl Spencer and his then-wife, ...

Even today, people leave bouquets and other gifts outside the gates of Kensington Palace on the anniversary of her death. The song, later released as a single, topped charts in the U.K. Elton John performed a rewritten version of his song “Candle in the Wind” dedicated to her. The vehicle crashed in the Pont de l'Alma underpass as the driver, who French authorities said was inebriated, was trying to evade paparazzi. The two, often photographed by paparazzi, sailed around the Mediterranean, stopping in the French Riviera resort of St. She began a relationship with Dodi Fayed, the son of the billionaire and former owner of Harrods, Mohamed al-Fayed. After her divorce, Diana resigned from many of the charity positions she had held as a working member of the royal family. The couple received a final decree of divorce in August 1996. Amid speculation about the state of the royals’ marriage, royal reporter Andrew Morton’s "Diana: Her True Story" was published in 1992. Princess Diana was a glamorous figure but also charmed the public. The 20-year-old wore a voluminous silk taffeta dress with a 25-foot train that filled the aisle of St. After a whirlwind courtship, Lady Diana married Prince Charles, the heir to the British throne, on July 29, 1981, in one of the most-watched events in royal history.

“We often come back and say 'If Princess Diana was here today, what are the issues that she would be championing?'” says Tessy Ojo CBE, Chief Executive Officer ...

But it also continues to live through the brothers' own work, the impact of The Diana Award and in many ways through all the people inspired by her. For William, it seems that the decision to make the 20th anniversary of her death a one-off when it comes to sharing his personal feelings will continue to hold firm. And the way she approached her role continues to impact the future of the monarchy, with her sons following in her footsteps despite their now very separate paths. She was the Daily Mirror's Royal Correspondent and is a frequent contributor to Good Morning America. The philosophy is an affecting reminder of Diana’s unrivaled capacity for and determination to move the dial. We feel we at least owe her 20 years on to stand up for her name and remind everybody of the character and person that she was. “Harry walking through the minefield in Angola; William out on the streets selling magazines for the homeless. [share with the world some of their most personal thoughts about their mother](https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/tradition/a10372852/prince-william-prince-harry-talk-about-princess-diana/) on the 20th anniversary of her death. Yet, as we reach the 25th anniversary of Princess Diana’s death on August 31, something that remains strong is William and Harry’s shared determination to protect her legacy. [and fictionalized](https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/tradition/g33016345/princess-diana-actresses-movies-tv/)) in popular culture than ever before, meaning that reminding people of who she really was is an increasingly necessary task. Curating Diana’s legacy, says Tessy Ojo CBE, Chief Executive Officer of The Diana Award, is “not static” and “has to revolve around the people that it serves.” “We often come back and say ‘If Princess Diana was here today, what are the issues that she would be championing?’” she explains. Taking part in two landmark documentaries—by the BBC and ITV—they sat before the cameras and opened up about their last phone calls with Diana, how their father broke the news to them at Balmoral, and [their feelings about walking behind her coffin](https://www.townandcountrymag.com/society/tradition/g10365665/princess-diana-funeral-photos/).

Princess Diana's fatal car crash inside a Paris tunnel shocked the world 25 years ago. Here is a look at where some of those connected to the accident are ...

[CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP](https://www.foxnews.com/apps-products?pid=AppArticleLink) As far as I knew, when she was in the ambulance, she was alive and I expected her to live. In June 2021, Gourmelon spoke to the Daily Mail and recounted the final moments of Diana’s life. Lord John Stevens is the investigator behind Diana’s death and is a former police chief. Al Fayed was the owner of Harrods, a department store in England, until he sold it for 1.5 billion pounds in 2010. He was the sole survivor of the accident and spent 10 days in a coma immediately following the crash. I held her hand," he told the outlet. Tourists and fans of the late princess visit the site regularly. Dodi and Diana were returning from a vacation when their car crashed into a pillar at the entrance to the Pont de l'Alma tunnel. 31, 1997, when he came across the tragic accident in the tunnel. The Flame of Liberty monument nearby now stands as He recalls the smoking Mercedes split in two.

Author publishes her family's story, full of mystery and bad luck, as part of her path to wellness, and is hosting an upcoming book signing in September ...

August 31, 1997 was a very dark day. In fact, it can be likened to my generation's version of asking, “Where were you when President Kennedy was ...

But the disregard for humanity that added an extra sting to her death was anathema to every ounce of kindness and compassion the woman valued and practiced. The same people that chased her into the tunnel, photographed her dying on the backseat of that car.” But Prince Harry summed up the inhumanity best in a 2021 Apple TV+ documentary, “The Me You Can’t See,” when he said, “I was so angry with what happened to her — and the fact that there was no justice at all. And sadly, that kind of selective blindness not only remains today, but has almost become the norm. And then, nearly two years to the day after Versace’s death (July 15), Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, who had also attended his funeral, perished in a July 16 plane crash off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard, along with her husband John F. As a budding teenager who was already prone to fatalistic anxiety, I couldn’t comprehend the close timing of it all — that six weeks after sitting in solemn silence at Versace’s funeral, Diana herself would be dead. That’s because the deaths of Gianni Versace and Princess Diana were a blow to my entire belief system, however immature and flawed, that famous and powerful people who make an impact on the world are somehow spared from violent death. While it’s true that the driver, Paul, had been driving under the influence of alcohol (French authorities confirmed this the Monday after the accident), we were all reminded of the inhumane consequences of treating human beings solely as subjects of tabloid photographs. I didn’t want to leave my beloved middle school and my graduating class of 80 friends and enter the overwhelming jungle of high school (complete with 2,000 students), so I clung to anyone and anything that offered me a sense of familiarity and comfort. There was a reason that Diana was lovingly called “The People’s Princess”; she was beloved by millions worldwide. Over 2,000 people attended his funeral at Milan Cathedral, including Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, Elton John and Diana, Princess of Wales. That summer, I was struggling.

Diana's death shocked the world, and, like her life, was doggedly covered in the media. Here's how The Inquirer and Daily News reported on the death of ...

[, The Inquirer reported](https://www.newspapers.com/image/legacy/177894258/?terms=princess%20diana&match=1). [offered a keepsake pullout](https://www.newspapers.com/image/legacy/187294251/?terms=princess%20diana&match=1) called “Death of a Princess,” and [a 12-page special section on her funeral](https://www.newspapers.com/image/legacy/187302834/?terms=princess%20diana&match=1). Reporter Alan Sipress wrote that it had “become Philadelphia’s simple tribute to its love affair with Princess Diana,” and one of the only public ways the city had to mourn, as Philadelphia had no British consulate. A real light will go out and Britain will become gray and miserable and boring again.” [a massive, front-page spot on the Aug.](https://www.newspapers.com/image/legacy/178067358/?terms=princess%20diana&match=1) [ 31, 1997, edition of The Inquirer](https://www.newspapers.com/image/legacy/178067358/?terms=princess%20diana&match=1). While Diana “was compassionate and had her own charities,” Paddock said, Mother Teresa “was Mother Teresa.” Carrie Paddock, then a 20-year-old college student, told The Inquirer the attention heaped on Diana was “repulsive” in comparison to the lack of attention for Mother Teresa. The pair discussed the Birds, and Diana told Edelstein green and silver were her favorite colors. Before the crash, Diana and Fayed had been eating dinner at the Ritz Hotel in Paris, where they were staying in a $2,000-per-night room. Paul, French authorities later found, was intoxicated at the time of the crash, and was driving recklessly, reaching a speed of 121 mph, Reporter Fawn Vrazo wrote that Diana, “Britain’s beautiful and tragic Princess of Wales,” died in a car crash in Paris at age 36. Here is how The Inquirer and Daily News reported her death:

PRINCESS DIANA wore an array of stunning outfits over her lifetime, but some ensembles, like her wedding dress and pink gingham trousers, go down in fashion ...

[Princess Diana](/latest/princess-diana), and her dress sense changed throughout her life as a royal and after her divorce from Prince Charles in 1996. But her eye for fashion was clear from the outset when Diana posed in a tailored blue suit that matched her new sparkler for her engagement photocall in 1981. Ms Watkins explained: “When Princess Diana and Prince Charles got engaged in 1981, the soon-to-be Princess stepped out in a beautiful blue ensemble from Harrods, marking the first power suit of many, complete with a neckerchief and shoulder pads.

The occasion will be marked in private by Princes Harry and William and without the fanfare seen during the last major milestone.

William and Harry conducted an unscheduled walkabout outside the palace to view the tributes in scenes reminiscent of 1997. The reality, however, is that there were no official events to upstage. The gates to Kensington Palace were again filled with flowers, notes and photographs left by members of the public. "I want it to be a day filled with memories of her incredible work and love for the way she did it. This has not only made any collaboration between the brothers unlikely but also created another lightning rod for media interest. "I can't really necessarily remember what I said, but all I do remember is, probably, regretting for the rest of my life how short the phone call was. I'm coming to you, what do I do?' The tragedy sent Britain into an occasion of public mourning never seen before or since, with a sea of floral tributes swamping the gates of Kensington Palace. You know, 'See you later' and we're going to go off. I don't think it would happen today," he said. "Looking back now, it's incredibly hard. And if I'd known that that was the last time I was going to speak to my mother, the things that I would have said to her," he said.

Above all, there was shock. That's the word people use over and over again when they remember Princess Diana's death in a Paris car crash 25 years ago ...

Diana had her own struggles with the palace, airing her grievances in a 1995 BBC interview that continues to make headlines. Beyond that, there’s the decision of Harry and his wife, Meghan, to give up royal duties for life in Southern California. They set about to better understand why Diana’s death had prompted such an overwhelming spectacle, said Sally Bedell Smith, a historian and author of “Diana in Search of Herself.’’ Nor the extent to which it would affect both my public duties and my personal life, in a manner that’s been hard to bear.” “I don’t think many people will want me to be queen.” She reached out and took the hands of a young patient, demonstrating the virus couldn’t be transmitted by touch. A member of the aristocratic Spencer family, Diana was known for flouncy bows, sensible skirts and a boyish blond bob when she started dating the future king. Bouquets of flowers, many including personal notes, carpeted the grounds outside Diana’s home in Kensington Palace. That alone forced the royals to recognize that Diana’s common touch had connected with people in ways that hadn’t yet occurred to the House of Windsor. When she realized some photographers didn’t get the shot, she turned around and did it again. There were rock bands and opera singers, dancers and lasers painting pictures of corgis on the sky. From that moment on, reporters and photographers followed Diana wherever she went.

Fans of the late Princess Diana have placed tributes outside the gates of her Kensington Palace home, marking the 25th anniversary of her death in a Paris ...

She was in newspapers, magazines. The public watched as she blossomed from a shy teenager into an international style icon who befriended AIDS patients, charmed Nelson Mandela and walked through a minefield to promote the drive to eradicate landmines. 31, 1997, at the age of 36, stunning people around the world who felt they knew the princess after seeing her successes and struggles play out on TV screens and newspaper front pages for 17 years.

Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer announced their engagement in February 1981, with Diana wearing a chic skirt set and pussy-bow blouse in a hue to match ...

From the moment her engagement to Prince Charles was announced in February 1981, Princess Diana became a worldwide fashion phenomenon. The daring frock, designed by Christina Stambolian, marked the start of her bolder post-Charles style. The princess looked like Sleeping Beauty in a shimmery off-the-shoulder Bellville Sassoon gown at a 1981 event, with her nap prompting the palace to announce her pregnancy with Prince William the next day.

Fox Nation remembers Princess Diana's legacy with a three-part "Scandalous" special, 25 years after a "tragedy of epic proportions" killed the princess and ...

[Fox Nation](https://nation.foxnews.com/featured/?cmpid=org=NAT::ag=owned::mc=referral::src=FNC_web::cmp=Boiler::add=DigitalBoilerUnit_&utm_source=referral&utm_medium=FNC_web&utm_campaign=Boiler&utm_content=DigitalBoilerUnit_) programs are viewable on-demand and from your mobile device app, but only for Fox Nation subscribers. ["Scandalous,"](https://nation.foxnews.com/featured/?cmpid=org=NAT::ag=owned::mc=referral::src=FNC_web::cmp=Boiler::add=DigitalBoilerUnit_&utm_source=referral&utm_medium=FNC_web&utm_campaign=Boiler&utm_content=DigitalBoilerUnit_) "but it was a complete, ineffective security arrangement on behalf of Mohamed Al Fayed that attempted to protect probably the most known woman in the world." [said on the show](https://nation.foxnews.com/featured/?cmpid=org=NAT::ag=owned::mc=referral::src=FNC_web::cmp=Boiler::add=DigitalBoilerUnit_&utm_source=referral&utm_medium=FNC_web&utm_campaign=Boiler&utm_content=DigitalBoilerUnit_). NEW ‘SCANDALOUS’ SPECIAL GOES INSIDE PRINCESS DIANA'S TRAGIC DEATH](https://www.foxnews.com/media/scandalous-princess-diana-fox-nation) Subscribe to "She resented having policemen with her all the time. Theories of culpability range from the driver of the car to paparazzi hunting her – to the On her final evening in Paris, Diana was dining at the Ritz with her lover, Dodi Al Fayed. [on the Fox Nation special.](https://nation.foxnews.com/featured/?cmpid=org=NAT::ag=owned::mc=referral::src=FNC_web::cmp=Boiler::add=DigitalBoilerUnit_&utm_source=referral&utm_medium=FNC_web&utm_campaign=Boiler&utm_content=DigitalBoilerUnit_) "This is not a time for recriminations, but for sadness. [at the hand of the Royal Family.](https://www.foxnews.com/category/world/personalities/british-royals) From the moment she died in 1997, conspiracy theorists have proposed a slew of theories on what happened during her final moments.

Arrangement of white chrysanthemums spelling out 'Princess Diana' sat among dozens of photos and messages left by admirers, some of whom said they make ...

She was in newspapers, magazines. The public watched as she blossomed from a shy teenager into an international style icon who befriended AIDS patients, charmed Nelson Mandela and walked through a minefield to promote the drive to eradicate landmines. 31, 1997, at the age of 36, stunning people around the world who felt they knew the princess after seeing her successes and struggles play out on TV screens and newspaper front pages for 17 years.

Diana, Princess of Wales, was known for championing humanitarian causes and redefining celebrity. She died 25 years ago today.

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Princess Diana represented a vision of what the royals could be. That dynamic has only grown stronger since her death in 1997.

[Kate Middleton](https://time.com/4315009/kate-middleton-british-vogue/) and [Meghan Markle](https://time.com/5284344/royal-wedding-meghan-markle-prince-harry-time-cover/)—but also in the charitable causes championed by her children, like their [Heads Together initiative](https://www.headstogether.org.uk/) to promote mental health awareness. 29 [profile](https://www.thecut.com/article/meghan-markle-profile-interview.html) for New York magazine’s The Cut, Markle discussed how “toxic tabloid culture” strained the relationship between Prince Harry and his father. [Prince Harry and Meghan Markle](https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people-2021/6096108/prince-harry-meghan/)‘s sit-down with Oprah Winfrey in 2021 after giving up their royal duties and moving to the U.S. The [anniversary of her death](https://time.com/6205449/the-princess-hbo-documentary-diana/) comes at a time of controversy and tension within the royal family, and TIME asked experts on the royals to weigh in the similarities between then and now—as well as on Diana’ enduring legacy. For example, this summer, Kate Middleton and Prince William [visited a children’s hospice](https://people.com/royals/kate-middleton-hand-painting-childrens-hospice-visit/) in East Anglia that Diana opened in the 1980s. That interview was widely seen as disastrous for the prince, and he later settled a sex abuse lawsuit with the alleged victim. But, 25 years later, Diana’s impact on the royal family endures, in ways both big and small. As TIME pointed out, the royal family had been cool towards Diana even before her divorce from Charles, due to the attention she attracted from the tabloids. In a special report on Diana’s death at age 36 that ran in the Sep. The royal family’s silence drew criticism that they did not realize the pain many people in the public felt about Diana’s death. She represented a vision of the royals that it could and should be. She openly talked about her mental health struggles and was not afraid to meet with the most vulnerable populations—including famously

Flowers and photographs adorned the gates of Kensington Palace on the 25th anniversary of Princess Diana's death.

Fans of Princess Diana place tributes outside the gates of Kensington Palace in London on the 25th anniversary of her death in a Paris car accident.

From 'The Crown' to 'Spencer,' here are the best movies, documentaries, and tv shows about the late Diana, Princess of Wales.

In the 25 years since Princess Diana's death, people have only continued to make money off of her story.

The Sun-Times' Michael Sneed was in England after Diana's Aug. 31, 1997, death to cover the outpouring of grief and services for the beloved icon.

Princess Diana, who died tragically in a car crash in Paris 25 years ago Wednesday, remains a figure of popular fascination, with her depiction in recent ...

Culture Official Says](https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2020/11/29/netflixs-the-crown-should-include-disclaimer-that-its-fiction-uk-culture-official-says/?sh=321cdb227636) (Forbes) Harry’s one-year-old daughter, [Lilibet Diana](https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2021/06/06/heres-why-harry-and-meghan-named-their-daughter-lilibet/?sh=517bd2a84594), is named for both Harry’s mother and grandmother, Queen Elizabeth. Diana will once again be brought to life on screens when season 5 of The Crown premieres on Netflix in November. No members of the royal family have made public statements about the anniversary of Diana’s death. At the time, William told reporters that it was the only time [he would speak candidly](https://www.newsweek.com/why-princess-diana-25th-death-anniversary-more-low-key-20-years-prince-harry-william-1738436) about his mother’s death. [Princess Diana’s Wedding Tiara Goes On Display For Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee](https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2022/05/18/princess-dianas-wedding-tiara-goes-on-display-for-queen-elizabeths-platinum-jubilee/?sh=599a76f195f1) (Forbes) [Here’s Why Harry And Meghan Named Their Daughter Lilibet](https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2021/06/06/heres-why-harry-and-meghan-named-their-daughter-lilibet/?sh=517bd2a84594) (Forbes) [Princes William And Harry Slam ‘Deceitful’ BBC Interview With Princess Diana](https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2021/05/20/princes-william-and-harry-slam-deceitful-bbc-interview-with-princess-diana/?sh=67eccb012fc2) (Forbes) [Netflix’s ‘The Crown’ Should Include Disclaimer That It’s Fiction, U.K. [flowers](https://twitter.com/byQueenVic/status/1564904796364197888) and [mementos](https://twitter.com/abbyjourno/status/1564978783463133195) at the south gate of Kensington Palace Wednesday to mark the princess’ death—as they have for 25 years—but Diana’s two sons are expected to mark her death privately at home. Harry, who now lives in California with his wife Meghan Markle, said at a charity polo match last week he wants to spend the anniversary of his mother’s death “with my children, who I wish [could have met her](https://www.newsweek.com/why-princess-diana-25th-death-anniversary-more-low-key-20-years-prince-harry-william-1738436)." [The Princess](https://www.rd.com/article/hbo-princess-diana-documentary/), which delves into Diana’s life through her relationship with the media using 16 years of footage, including clips of a controversial 1995 interview she gave to BBC Panorama reporter Martin Bashir, who last year was found by [an investigation ](https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2020/11/18/bbc-taps-ex-judge-to-probe-1995-interview-with-princess-diana/?sh=ada6dbb29ef8)to have [deceived and manipulated](https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2021/05/20/princes-william-and-harry-slam-deceitful-bbc-interview-with-princess-diana/?sh=67eccb012fc2) the princess into taking part in (after the investigation made its findings public, Diana’s sons William and Harry issued [harsh statements](https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2021/05/20/princes-william-and-harry-slam-deceitful-bbc-interview-with-princess-diana/?sh=67eccb012fc2) and William has insisted footage from the interview never be used again). [the Spencer family tiara](https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2022/05/18/princess-dianas-wedding-tiara-goes-on-display-for-queen-elizabeths-platinum-jubilee/?sh=599a76f195f1) Diana wore during her 1981 wedding to Charles was put on display in London for the first time since the 1960s as part of an exhibit of aristocratic tiaras to celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee. [initial controversy](https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2020/06/17/kristen-stewart-to-play-princess-diana-in-pablo-larrans-spencer/?sh=336c7a94348b) over her casting). [ include a disclaimer](https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2020/11/29/netflixs-the-crown-should-include-disclaimer-that-its-fiction-uk-culture-official-says/?sh=321cdb227636) that plot points in the series have been fictionalized, with Spencer saying that “Americans tell me they have watched The Crown as if they have taken a history lesson.”

Before she passed, Princess Diana worked with several charities, stood up for many incredible causes, and volunteered with various organizations.

During this time, she started working alongside the [HALO Trust,](https://www.halotrust.org/) which is dedicated to remove the debris after wars, and from landmines. A year later, she attended the National Aids Trust's first ‘Women, AIDS & the Future’ conference, and eventually delivered a speech on ‘Women & Children with AIDS.' [Centrepoint](https://centrepoint.org.uk/), which supports homeless youth with housing and support in the U.K. This ultimately led to the passing of the International Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Treaty, which has worked to remove landmines globally. "Princess Diana invented the idea of the famous person who does good, and she was extremely radical." She continued donating to the cause until she passed away in 1997. According to NPR, she proved wrong the assumption that HIV/AIDS could be spread by touch, by being photographed shaking hands with a patient. The award is supported by Prince William and Prince Harry, as well as by their team at the Royal Charities Forum of The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry. According to NPR, the clinic offered those diagnosed with AIDS and HIV treatment and support. Four years later, she opened the Wolfson Children’s Cancer Unit, and ended up raising over $1 million for cancer research during an event. I'm going to shake hands, we're going to communicate and I'm going to raise consciousness.'" "In the 21st century we completely take it for granted that famous people will also be a U.N.

But one of the most coveted Beanie Babies was also the one LeMay would never sell: “Princess,” a purple bear released two month after Princess Diana died, ...

“I still need it because of the historical aspect of how big and important Diana’s death was,” she said. “I said, ‘Maybe you can just give them to the kids.’ They were thrilled,” she said. The myth of this particular Beanie Baby’s value is strong enough for Anna Peele, a 34-year-old living in Manhattan, to hold on to her two Princess Beanie Babies through these years. It gets a lot of people’s hopes up, because a lot of people have a Princess,” Schlossberg said. “The Princess Diana one was the one I spent the most money on — $25,” she said. “The more people see the prices, the more people think it’s valuable. “I found out later that she also bought a second one to keep thinking it would be worth something one day so we had one pristine and one that the two-year-old played with,” Christie said. [$500K](https://www.ebay.com/itm/303689833763) markets itself as the “holy grail” for collectors, saying it’s one of 20 made in Indonesia. The toys retain a sheen of value to this day, largely thanks to asking prices on eBay, which range from the single digits to the high six figures. Because that’s the most anybody’s willing to pay,” he said. Princess’ reputation as a doll had a lot to do with the unusual rollout. Ty, as Schlossberg explained, needed to get permission from the Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund to create the toy.