Princess Diana was not known as “The People’s Princess” just because it was a catchy moniker for her.
No, she became an essential person for the British to draw on and be inspired by through her charity efforts and compassion. As she famously declared, she didn’t intend to be the Queen on paper but rather the Queen in people’s hearts.
Her death was caused by a catastrophic accident in Paris, which is one of the most devastating occurrences in contemporary British history. Princess Diana’s legacy remains on to this day, not just via her sons William and Harry, but most importantly, in people’s hearts.
We’ve seen a lot of wonderful Diana photos throughout the years, but some of them haven’t gotten quite as much attention.
Princess Diana died at a young age, and her life was plagued by many challenges and tribulations. Unfortunately, she was followed everywhere and had a rough private life after joining the royal family.
Princess Diana was responsible for the upbringing of Harry and William.
Despite everything, Diana was a caring mother. She always put William and Harry first because the mother-of-two wanted her children to have as normal a childhood as possible.
Princess Diana frequently took William and Harry to amusement parks and other pleasant places. Of course, she was aware of what royal life meant, such as having food provided to them at all times and being expected to behave like perfect royal children.
She was also aware of the necessity of giving William and Harry the opportunity to be like any other youngster. She would slip them out of the palace to get fast food with this in mind.
“I remember the princess came into the kitchen one day and said, ‘Cancel lunch for the boys, I’m taking them out, we’re going to McDonald’s,” Diana’s former personal chef Darren McGrady told Marie Claire.
“And I said to your Royal Highness, ‘Oh my God – your Royal Highness, I can do that, I can do burgers.’” ‘No, it’s the toy they want,’ she replied.
Naturally, William and Harry enjoyed spending time with their mother. She raised them to be just like any other child, which they were in many ways!
Diana always tried to be the best mother she could be, knowing that brothers may and would quarrel from time to time.
She desired that her sons always be best buddies.
Royal historian Robert Lacey previously revealed facts about Harry and William’s childhood, including how their mother wanted the two boys to make an important vow to her.
Lacey describes the friendship William and Harry had during their youth and adolescence in his book Battle of Brothers. Princess Diana was determined that they would remain close throughout their lives, and she wanted the boys to pledge that they would always be “best friends.”
Lacey references psychic Simone Simmons, who used to consult Diana, in the book.
“You must promise me that you will always be each other’s best friends,” Diana allegedly told Simmons’ sons. “And never let anyone come between you.”
“Both boys promised they would keep to that,” Simmons said. “They high-fived each other and cuddled their mother tightly.”
“‘Anybody would have melted at sight,” she stated. “Then they went out to play soccer.”
It was evident from the start that Diana’s existence as a royal was not the end of the world. Her children were always her top priority, and she tried to shield them from anything that might come between them.
This included the Royal Family itself; Diana was said to be concerned that the Queen and Charles were planning to separate her from her children.
A statue of their mother was unveiled by William and Harry.
Although William and Harry made the aforementioned pledge to Diana, their relationship has deteriorated in recent years, beginning with Harry’s decision to leave the Royal Family in 2020.
William and Harry reunited a year ago on what would have been Diana’s 60th birthday to unveil a new statue of their late mother. Diana’s bronze sculpture, surrounded by three children, was installed in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace, her former London home.
“Today, on what would have been our mother’s 60th birthday, we remember her love, strength, and character – qualities that made her a force for good around the world, changing countless lives for the better,” the couple wrote in a joint statement.
“Every day, we wish she were still with us, and we hope this statue will be seen forever as a symbol of her life and legacy.”
It was the 25th anniversary of Princess Diana’s death this year. William and Harry paid tribute to their mother, but they did it separately.
A royal source told People Magazine that William spent the day quietly with his wife, Kate Middleton, at Windsor.
Ahead of the anniversary on August 31, Harry spoke about his mother, saying he hoped to make her proud.
Princess Diana – Charles’s affair with Camilla
“I want it to be a day filled with memories of her incredible work and love for how she did it,” Harry said on the anniversary. “I want it to be a day to share the spirit of my mum with my family, with my children, who I wish could have met her. Every day, I hope to do her proud.”
Besides leading an extremely public life, Diana had personal issues like any other person. For the Princess, one of the biggest problems involved her husband, then-Prince Charles.
Just years after his wedding to Diana, Charles engaged in an affair with Camilla, who would later become his wife.
According to Prince Charles’ authorized biography, as quoted by Town Country, their affair started in 1986. Charles was still married to Princess Diana then, and she found out about it.
In 1989, Diana confronted Camilla over the affair, telling her to back off.
“I know what’s going on between you and Charles, and I just want you to know that,” Camilla recalled Diana saying, as quoted by Town Country.
“[Diana] said to me: ‘You’ve got everything you ever wanted. You’ve got all the men in the world falling in love with you, and you’ve got two beautiful children; what more do you want?’”
“So I said, ‘I want my husband.’ And I said, ‘I’m sorry I’m in the way, and it must be hell for both of you. But I do know what’s going on. Don’t treat me like an idiot,’” Diana said, as per Camilla.
The Queen broke royal protocol at Diana’s funeral.
From the public’s perspective, things continued as normal, but it didn’t take long before Charles and Diana’s fairytale life was history. In 1992, the couple announced their separation, though both continued with their official royal duties. Four years later, in August of 1996, they reached a final agreement for the divorce.
Besides getting a generous settlement, Diana was given the right to retain her apartment at Kensington Palace and her “Princess of Wales” title. However, she agreed to give up her title of “Royal Highness” as well as any future claim to the throne.
The passing of Diana was a shock to the entire nation and the world. Her funeral was held on September 6, 1997, in Westminster Abbey before she was buried at her family home of Althorp Park.
Princess Diana’s funeral had more than 2000 guests in attendance. Her coffin was drawn through London after the ceremony, where the British people had the chance to give their beloved Princess a last farewell.
Interestingly, the Queen was never required to bow her head to anyone. At Diana’s funeral, though, she breached royal protocol, bowing to the late Princess’s coffin as it passed her on a gun carriage. It was the only time Queen Elizabeth broke that royal rule.
Rare photos of Princess Diana
Diana was pursued by the paparazzi press for much of her royal life; it’s not a leap to claim Diana was the most photographed person in the world at the time.
In a nutshell, everyone wanted a piece of Diana. According to The Guardian, tabloids were willing to pay up to $500,000 for grainy photos of her.
Her sons, William and Harry, witnessed the press’s treatment of their mother. Harry stated that he wished to quit the Royal Family in his early twenties, mainly because of how his mother was treated prior to her death.
“Look what it did to my mum; how am I ever going to settle down and have a wife and a family when I know that it’s going to happen again,” Harry said. “I don’t want to be part of this.”
Throughout the years, many memorable photographs of Princess Diana have been taken. Sure, some of them were snapped by photographers seeking to sell her images. However, several photographs exhibit wonderful warmth and provide a breathtaking look at Diana’s life and profession.
A search through the archives yields hundreds of never-before-seen images of the late Princess. Some of these have been assembled in an effort to reveal a side of Diana that has rarely been seen.
Diana became a style icon at the height of her fame, and she took that with her to the slopes while skiing.
In 1990, Diana and the children – alongside her sister’s children – went to Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands. Virgin’s Richard Branson owned the island.
Diana sure knew how to have fun. Look at this beautiful picture of when she and Harry visited the amusement park Thorpe Park in 1992.
Diana was often referred to as “The People’s Princess.” She participated in many humanitarian efforts, setting an excellent standard for how a kind and compassionate person should behave. Here, Princess Diana is seen visiting an Orthopedic workshop in Luanda, Angola, sitting with victims of land mines.
We can go on and on about these beautiful pictures of Diana. This one was taken in 1971 when she was on a summer holiday in Itchenor, West Sussex.
This one was taken outside Diana’s flat in Coleherne Court, London, before her engagement to Charles.
Here, Harry sticks out his tongue to people gathered around Buckingham Palace. Diana looks somewhat surprised.
The clothing brand Barbour is still a favorite among royals, but perhaps Princess Diana wore it best.
Diana loved Barbour, and during a visit to the Outer Hebrides in Scotland in 985, it was a perfect time to sport her Barbour-style waxed cotton jacket
Jayne Fincher, a royal photographer who took some of Princess Diana’s most iconic shots, followed the royal couple everywhere. She had chartered a plane to get out to the Outer Hebrides, where Charles and Diana were on an official visit.
“When I caught up,” says Fincher, “Charles said, ‘Where have you been?’”
The Outer Hebrides are exposed to the extremes of wind and rain, and Princess Diana got to experience some of that during her visit there in 1985.
But she looks terrific in the photos from the trip, and photographer Jayne realized one thing after checking the negatives.
“You don’t see Diana dressed like that very often. She looked so happy. It was pouring rain, but her makeup was perfect and un-smudged. I looked a mess, as usual,” she said.
The photo below was taken during Diana’s last summer alive. She is seen with her boyfriend, Dodi Al Fayed, on a boat in St. Tropez, France, jumping into the water.
We will always remember Diana as a genuinely kind and wonderful human being.