Appeal of the People’s Princess still endures two decades on

Princess Diana is an iconic and contradictory figure whose appeal still endures 20 years after her death.

She championed the disadvantaged, from those with Aids to the homeless, and was labelled “the People’s Princess” because of her common touch which could bridge social divides.

But she also fought personal demons like her battle with bulimia, and appeared to be a lonely figure troubled by the media attention her looks and status attracted.

Her death in a Paris car crash on August 31 1997 shocked the globe and saw unprecedented expressions of grief from thousands of ordinary people who felt a connection with Diana.

Her appeal began almost from the moment she appeared on the world stage as a shy teenager in the early 1980s, who was living in a London flat with her girlfriends and working in a children’s nursery.

Lady Diana Spencer’s fairytale wedding to Prince Charles on July 29 1981 at St Paul’s Cathedral was watched by a television audience of hundreds of millions and turned the self-dubbed “Sloane Ranger” into a world superstar.

Diana bore the prince a son, William, in June 1982 and two years later another, Harry, in September 1984.

The princess had her critics. She was dismissed by some as a “clothes horse” for her love of designer dresses, while others accused her of trying to emulate the reputation of Mother Teresa through her charity work.

But she championed causes that, at the time, were not fashionable – publicly shaking hands with Aids patients, supporting homeless charities and taking William to meet rough sleepers, and campaigning to outlaw landmines.

Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer were married in St Paul’s Cathedral.