This August is an unforgettable milestone for many fans around the world. On August 31, 25 years ago, Princess Diana – an immortal legend in the hearts of the public – suddenly passed away at the age of 36 in a tragic traffic accident in Paris (France).
Although a quarter of a century has passed, the happy and sad stories of her life are still an endless source of inspiration for books, television, movies and musicals.
On August 13, HBO’s new documentary “The Princess” directed by Oscar-nominated Ed Perkins once again uses archival video and audio to tell the story of Princess Diana’s life.
The use of authentic footage, along with perspectives from people close to the late princess, has made this new documentary more popular than ever.
In addition, there is also “Spencer” – a film about the tumultuous ending of the marriage between Prince Charles and Princess Diana or the hit Netflix series “The Crown” also focuses on Princess Diana in recent films.
There have been numerous books, countless articles, and numerous television shows devoted to Princess Diana’s controversial 1995 interview with the BBC. There’s even a Broadway production called “Diana, The Musical.”
“Princess Diana is still very influential, there are still documentaries being made about her, there are still stories being written about her, people are still fascinated by this woman,” said Andrew Morton, whose 1992 biography first exposed the deep divisions in Diana’s marriage and her secret affair before her death. “She is a person of great power, beyond the royal title – she is an extraordinary person.”
Two years before her death in a car accident, Princess Diana said on television that she wanted to be queen. However, that was not the position she had obtained through her marriage to Prince Charles, but rather she wanted to be queen in the hearts of the people.
She has used her fame to raise awareness about a range of issues, from leprosy to domestic violence to mental health.
In 1987, Princess Diana appeared in many newspapers with an image of shaking hands with an AIDS patient – an action to dispel the prejudice that HIV/AIDS can be transmitted through touching.
In January 1997, she went to a minefield in southern Africa at the invitation of the UK-based Hazardous Areas Life Support Organization (HALO Trust).
She also visited the city of Huambo in Angola – a country that was in civil war from 1975 to 2002. Wearing a charity uniform and goggles, Princess Diana walked alone through a minefield that had not been defused…
For members of the British Royal Family, Princess Diana is always present everywhere, not only for her two sons – Prince William (40 years old) and Harry (37 years old), who always share about the psychological impact they experienced after their mother’s death.
When Princess Diana died, Prince William and Prince Harry were just 15 and 12 years old.
Prince William shared: “Every day, we wish that our mother was still with us.”
Meanwhile, Prince Harry said: “I feel my mother’s presence in almost everything I do.”
Filmmaker Ed Perkins commented: “Princess Diana’s death was a truly shocking moment when the whole world seemed to focus on this event. Her fairytale marriage and romance came to the public stage and lit up a lot of people with a ray of hope, about things they really loved and wanted to commit to.”
Meanwhile, writer Andrew Morton commented: “Was Princess Diana a queen in the hearts of the people? Just look at the actual evidence. Those mountains of flowers have proven that people remember her as if she were a member of their family”./.