THE PEOPLE’S PRINCESS LIVES ON Diana’s life and death, 22 years on
The famous royal would be very proud of her sons, Princes William and Harry, who have carried on their mother’s legacy
It’s hard to believe it’s been almost 22 years since Princess Diana’s death changed the world forever. Billions of people were devastated when news broke that the beloved humanitarian, dubbed ‘the people’s princess’, had died in hospital on August 31, 1997, following a horrific car accident in Paris. Diana’s funeral at Westminster Abbey on September 6 reportedly drew three million mourners in London, and the worldwide television coverage was watched by an estimated 2.5 billion people.
While the planet still grieves for the late princess, in many ways, Diana – who would today be 58 – lives on like before.
A caring mother, fashion icon, humanitarian and royal rebel, the popular royal breathed new life into the British monarchy. Renowned for spreading awareness of HIV/AIDS and advocating for the end of the use of landmines, Diana dedicated much of her life to helping those less fortunate. “Nothing brings me more happiness than trying to help the most vulnerable people in society,” she said.
She also made history many times, bucking royal traditions for a more modern take on life as part of the monarchy.
On her wedding day, she famously refused to say in her vows she would ‘obey’ Charles, a tradition upheld by Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle at their wedding ceremonies. Diana also broke royal protocol by sending the young princes William and Harry to school instead of having them home-schooled. Which, of course, leads to her biggest legacy – her two sons. “Family is the most important thing in the world,” she said. “I want my boys to have an understanding of people’s emotions, their insecurities, people’s distress, and their hopes and dreams.”
William and Harry were 15 and 12 at the time their mother died and were with their grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, at Balmoral Castle, a royal residence in Scotland. “There’s not many days that go by that I don’t think of her – sometimes sad, sometimes very positively,” William, now 37, said in the documentary Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy. “My mother lives with me every day.”
Previous years have seen William and Harry, 34, mark the day of their mother’s death privately at home.
However, both men have made an overwhelming effort to uphold their mother’s legacy in their everyday lives.
Now fathers themselves, they have both also dedicated their lives to helping others.
“I applaud her for all her dedication and drive, and I think the infectious enthusiasm and all the energy she had really rubbed off on me,” William said during a 2013 CNN interview.
Meanwhile, Harry has described his cheeky side as coming from his mum.
“One of her mottos to me was, you know, ‘You can be as naughty as you want, just don’t get caught,’” the prince revealed in Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy.
“I applaud her for all her dedication and drive.” — Prince William
“She was our mum, she still is our mum you know and of course as a son I would say she is the best mum in the world.”
While she will never meet her grandchildren George, 6, Charlotte, 4, Louis, 1, and newborn Archie, there’s no doubt Diana would have been a doting and irreverent grandmother.
“She’d love the children to bits, but she’d be an absolute nightmare,” William joked.