As we mark the 20th anniversary of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, the legacy of ‘The People’s Princess’ is as strong as ever. Diana was loved for her glamour and beauty, for her fashion and frocks, but above all, she was adored for her genuine kindness. What truly made her ‘the People’s Princess’ was her tireless work for charity. She was passionate about the causes she supported and her devotion to them went way beyond raising funds and turning up to the odd gala dinner. She spent hours talking to those less fortunate than herself, both at home and abroad, and in the process changed lives and gave hope to people who had none. A tireless worker for the sick and the poor, her warmth and empathy gave hope to sufferers around the globe.
Perhaps the campaign she’s best remembered for is the one she waged against landmines, almost single-handedly bringing the issue to the world’s attention. Sandra Txijica, whose leg was blown off by a mine, was 13 when she met Diana in January 1997. The princess was in war-torn Angola launching the Red Cross appeal for an international ban on antipersonnel landmines. Pictures of the young girl wearing a single red shoe and sitting shyly next to Diana were beamed around the world. Recalling their meeting later, Sandra said: “She smiled, then sat beside me. She stroked my face and I could tell from the way she spoke that she was saying very nice things. We sat and chatted about landmines and children. We talked for a long time about the accident which took away my leg. When she left I felt like I was saying goodbye to a friend.”
“We will do everything we can to make sure that she’s never forgotten, and carry on all the special gifts as such, that she had and that she portrayed while she was alive.”
– Prince William
At homeless young person’s charity ‘Centrepoint’, many were at a low ebb when Diana became patron in 1992 – a position she held until her death in 1997. Prince William has now taken on his mother’s mantle and continues her good work. Sharon Lewis was a young project worker when Diana first visited ‘Centrepoint’ in Hammersmith and was particularly impressed with the princess’s ability to make everyone feel at ease. “She did what she did for goodness’ sake and not just for the media.”
Two decades after her untimely death, her legacy persists beyond the constructs of a media frenzy and asserts itself in her children. Prince William and Prince Harry have inherited their mother’s compassionate nature, and are determinded to carry on her charity work. Both siblings are gradually feeling more comfortable about talking about their late mother. Speaking during the BBC One documentary ‘Diana, 7 Days’, William and Harry talked openly about appearing in public for the first time after the death of their mother, the days following the tragedy and the men they have grown into with their mother’s memories shaping a future that is removed from the dictionary definition of an English Rose, captured within photographs.
In the documentary, Harry spoke of Diana as “an ordinary 20-year-old”; then checked himself, remembering she was an aristocrat. The knee jerk reaction was reminiscent of the Princess, frank, open, and full of feeling.
William spoke about how he hopes to make Diana proud. Two decades later, her loss is tactile, yet he said, “I wouldn’t let it break me. I wanted it to make me. If I can be a fraction of what she was I’ll be proud.”
Royal biographer Duncan Larcombe tells OK! he believes the Princes have achieved their goal: “William and Harry have done so much to continue Diana’s legacy. There’s no doubt she would be incredibly proud – not only of their charity work, but also of the young men they’ve grown into.”
Many of the causes she fought so passionately for have been picked up by her sons. In 2006, Harry created his charity, ‘Sentebale’ to support young victims of HIV and AIDS. Speaking about the decision, Harry said: ‘I really feel that by doing this, I can follow in my mother’s footsteps and keep her legacy alive.’ Harry has also continued Diana’s work to ban landmines regularly working with The HALO Trust, the organisation that Diana visited in Angola when she was pictured walking through an area containing active land mines. “There is no doubt that the charities William and Harry have put their names to are inspired by Diana. They’ve made deliberate decisions to follow in her footsteps. It’s obvious that Diana ignited a life-long passion for humanitarian work in both of her sons,” says Duncan.
Both William and Harry are evidently reflective of their mother’s genoristy of spirit and an ordinary frankness that creates the enchanting aura that Diana the woman was. William asserts that his mother is never far from his thoughts, even when he proposed to Kate, he decided upon a 12-carat sapphire ring which previously belonged to Diana. This gesture was his way of making sure that the Late Princess of Wales, Diana Spencer–Charles, didn’t miss out on her son’s wedding day.
Kensington Palace is paying its own tribute to the stylish princess with a year long exhibition, ‘Diana: Her Fashion Story’, which features some of her memorable outfits, including her wedding dress and the blue velvet gown she wore to dance with John Travolta at the White House. And The Diana Award Charity is holding a year of events with its Legacy Awards presented to 20 youngsters from around the world vwho have made a ‘monumental impact on society’.
“We couldn’t protect her. 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. Do our duties as sons in protecting her.”
– Prince William
In Memoriam
August 31st, 2017 – 20 years after her fatal car crash, Princess Diana receives a star-studded tribute from her celebrity friends.
Elton John
One of her closest friends, the British pop star, Sir Elton John remains bereft. He describes the experience of losing a friend as ‘surreal’. His tribute to Diana at her funeral was a rendition of ‘Candle in the Wind’ – raw and heartfelt – that harmonized a world in mourning.
Today he describes the experience as ‘surreal’. “What was going through my mind was, Don’t sing a wrong note. Be stoic. Don’t break down and just do it to the best you can possibly do it without showing any emotion whatsoever.” His performance was so emotional that Prince Harry later said it was “like someone firing an arrow” through his heart.
Tom Cruise
Hollywood celebrity Tom Cruise was part of the inner circle that the Princess remained friends with. Visibly shaken like all of the 2000 people attending her funeral he spoke not just of her charisma and charm but also of the frenzied paparazzi mob that drove her to her death.
“They run lights and they chase you and harass you,” he said. “It happens all over the world. And it has certainly gotten worse.”
George Clooney
George Clooney delivered a fiery speech in her honour at the Screen Actors Guild office. “Princess Di is dead, and who should we see about that? The driver of the car? The paparazzi? Or the magazines and papers who purchased these pictures and make bounty hunters out of photographers?” he said. Today he stands by the criminalization of a gruesome invasion of privacy: “If you weren’t hiding behind the profession of journalism, you would be an accomplice to a crime, and you would go to jail.”
Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson first met Diana at his concert in London. Her dynamic personality stuck with Jackson his entire life. Although Jackson admitted that they weren’t close, he canceled his concert due to “shock” the night Diana died, according to a statement by Sony. A few days later, he told ABC, “I said, ‘I can’t, I cannot handle this. It’s too much. Just the message and the fact that I knew her personally.”
Madonna
The 1997 MTV Music Awards occurred just five days after Princess Diana’s death. Madonna used her stage time to beg viewers to stop the vicious tabloid culture. “I am not going to stand up here and rant and rave about paparazzi, or the irresponsible behavior of the editors of all the tabloids. Because even if they never change, there’s still something that all of us can do,” she said. “It’s time for us to take responsibility for our own insatiable need to run after people to scrape out scandals, lies and rumors…It’s time that we realise that everything we say and do has an effect on the world around us.”
Diana’s haute couture evolution
– From demure Sloane to an uber cosmopolitan socialite
When she first caught the public eye, Diana’s style was typical Sloane Ranger.
As her confidence grew, Diana became more daring, dazzling a celebrity arena with her customized style that became daring yet maintained an aristocratic sophistication. Diana turned heads in stunning, figure-hugging evening gowns, christened the ‘mermaid dress’ – when she wore a sequined gown by Catherine Walker – because of the way it shimmered and clung to her figure. Her sense of style remains a hallmark in the fashion industry, her dramatic statements paired with traditional pieces made her a power figure that is emulated to date.
August 31st 1997, 7:00 am, Paris
When Diana died, a crack appeared the tightly lidded vial of grief. Vast crowds gathered to mourn an idea. As Diana was a collective creation, she was also a collective possession. The mass-mourning, first of it’s kind, a testament of the struggle for self-expression of individuals who released their own suppressed sorrow in grieving for a woman they did not know. The term “mass hysteria” was a facile denigration of a phenomenon that eluded the commentators and their framework of analysis. They did not see the active work the crowds were doing. Mourning is work. It is not simply being sad. It is naming your pain. It is witnessing the sorrow of others, drawing out the shape of loss. It is natural and necessary and there is no healing without it.
August 31st 2017 was a graceful wisp of the candle that was blowing in the air. The flame lives on with the lives she saved, the work she did to break the silence around mental illness, the health and safety awareness in war torn areas. She refused the aristocratic silence and clutched on to herself, her children, the people she loved and the laughter that was a testament to her spirit. The car crash was not fatal, the imagined princess died, the woman lives on. Tracing a journey that started at the end, removed the breathless wild chase and found an equilibrium within the family she created.
FEATURE BY CLARE FISHER
REPORTED BY LAURA HILL
PHOTOGRAPHS: GETTY, WENN
