Lady Diana was born in 1961 into one of the most important and influential families in the country: the Spencers. She is the fourth of five children, she experiences the divorce of her parents as a child and, after a short period of cohabitation in London with her mother, she is entrusted to the care of the father with whom she grows up. Princess Diana was a magnet for the media , for the British people and, more generally, in that year she was proclaimed “the most famous woman in the world”.
Icons in history are often represented by lives lived intensely and ended too soon: this is the case of Lady Diana Spencer. In her biography the most important, joyful and painful stages of her life: from the relationship with her parents to the film tributes after her death. Continue to read and learn more about Princess Diana.
Princess Diana death
25 years since the death of Lady Diana. August 31, 1997. The Princess of Wales, former wife of the heir to the throne of the United Kingdom, Charles, died in a car accident at the age of 36 in Paris. The black Mercedes S-Class Sedan in which the woman was traveling, around 00.30, crashed into a tunnel tunnel under the Pont de l’Alma. Joining her were her new partner, Dodi Al-Fayed, driver Henri Paul and bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones. Al-Fayed and Paul died instantly. Lady Diana and Rees-Jones were, however, transported to the hospital. There, the woman died of her injuries.
The tragic death of Lady Diana, the sad princess, had a strong resonance all over the world. Many conspiracy theories about the events of that night all agree that someone wanted to kill the princess. There are those who claimed that the accident was the fault of a white Fiat Uno, never found. There was only a small trace, a mustache of paint. What emerged was that the car was traveling at high speed, possibly also to get rid of the paparazzi. Additionally, toxicology tests revealed that the driver was driving under the influence of alcohol and antidepressants.
Many theses, one certainty. Lady D was not wearing a belt. A “mistake” that has affected the chances of her salvation, but the members of the Royal family usually do not fasten them because in case of danger they must move quickly and be free to get out of the cockpit in the best possible time. Apparently, Diana hadn’t changed this habit. The only one who wore them that night, the bodyguard, saved her.
Mistakes and accidents have also enriched the mystery of the princess’s death. There are 14 surveillance cameras in the Alma Tunnel. The accident occurred in a blind spot on the route and there are no images of the crash. And then the car in which Diana and Dodi were traveling had already been involved in a terrible accident at 160 km / h. It was caused by a prisoner who stole it from a French manager in 1995. The Mercedes still bore the (invisible) signs of the impact, but it ended up among the means of transport used by the hotel where Diana was staying. At the Ritz no one wanted to drive it.
Princess Diana movie
Diana, In The Spotlight
The figure of Princess Diana in recent years has been at the center of numerous films, TV series and documentaries, meeting successes such as The Crown or Spencer. After all, the fairytale marriage of the princes of Wales, the birth of the future heirs to the throne, the separation and the tragic death have been retraced, fathomed and dissected by the press for almost twenty years. And no detail has escaped the vulgar pen of British tabloid journalists.
And she did not live happily ever after
“The life and death of Diana Frances Spencer marked the history of the 20th century,” said Ed Perkins, the director of the film Sky The Princess. “There were all the elements of a modern fairy tale: love, power, betrayal, revenge, broken hearts, tragedy. But there was no happy ending. They didn’t all live happily ever after. On the contrary, it all resulted in the drama, which became a myth due to its intrinsic characteristics ”. “I was 11 when Diana died so tragically in the summer of 1997,” Perkins continued. “I remember that many people around me were overwhelmed by a wave of national turmoil and shared pain, never seen before or since. It was as if everyone had lost a member of their family. But most of them had never met the princess but she had only seen her in the media. I remember I was confused. What connection did the whole world have with Lady D? Why were they all so sad? ”.
Spencer
«The artistic interpretation of an idea». Jacqueline Durran says this about the work done for the costumes of Spencer, the long-awaited film by Pablo Larraìn dedicated to Princess Diana . She already warns the public, anticipating the criticisms she knows will be leveled when the film finally lands in theaters. After all, when to take care of the costumes for a film there is a big hit like the winner of two Oscars in the Costume design category (for Little Women in 2020 and for Anna Karenina in 2012) you cannot expect the homework of who strives to recreate reality for what it is.
It is good to remember that the film is set in Sandringham, the estate where the royal family traditionally spends Christmas at Queen Elizabeth’s court: three days between the holidays in 1991, the year in which the wife of the heir to the throne decides to sever those golden chains and go back to becoming simply Spencer, taking back the identity he had before the wedding.
Princess Diana revenge dress
It was August 31 when Lady Diana lost her life in a terrible car accident in Paris and, despite exactly 25 years having passed since then, the princess continues to be remembered with sweetness and melancholy in every part of the world. She brought her revolutionary touch within the Royal Family, was not afraid to rebel against the labels by divorcing King Charles due to his betrayal and was considered an undisputed style icon, just think of the fact that still today her looks are glamorous, modern and iconic. Among the most talked about dresses worn by the Duchess there is certainly ” the dress of revenge “, better known as the ” revenge dress.”Diana wore it in June 1994, that is after Carlo had formalized his extramarital affair with Camilla.
It was June 1994, Diana would soon have turned 33 and for institutional reasons she had to participate in a garden party organized at the Serpentine Gallery in London by Vanity Fair. At the event, the princess showed off a look that she did not just discuss and the reason is very simple: in addition to hiding a deep symbolic meaning, it also went against the rules of royal protocol because it was too low-cut, too tight, too short. It was a black silk minidress signed by the Greek designer Christina Stambolian, a model with a skirt above the knee and a boat neckline that left the shoulders uncovered. Lady D. combined it with décolleté with a medium heel in the same color, a precious and eye-catching pearl necklace and a clutch bag, thus distinguishing herself for beauty and elegance.
Princess Diana wedding dress
Every detail is known of the dress that David and Elizabeth Emanuel made for the wedding of the wife of the heir to the throne of England. It was July 29, 1981: the young Diana Spencer entered our imagination without ever leaving it again with that cloud of tulle and taffeta full of pearls and sequins and with the longest train ever seen in a royal wedding. With what was already known was going to be a museum piece, the brand new princess slipped on the first of a series of outfits that would feature throughout her royal career. The ensemble consisted of a pink silk dress with buttons and tight at the waist combined with a jacket with a collar equal to the recovery of the sleeves and a nice bow on the front.
Behind this outfit there is a story that deserves to be told. When Diana had to choose her dress to announce her engagement to Charles, she took a tour of the shops in central London. Among those beaten, there was also Bellville Sassoon in Knightsbridge, a tailor shop known to the then nineteen-year-old because her mother, Frances Shand Kydd, was among her regulars.
Princess Diana funeral
On 31 August 1997 Diana Spencer died in Paris, known as Lady Diana or the princess of the people, the most beloved figure of the royal family. The event shook the world, painful and unexpected: the ex-wife of Prince Charles and mother of William and Harry was 36 years old and had just begun to rebuild her life after the stormy divorce from her husband (and the royal family). 25 years and many memories later, the summary of the tears that swept London, as Queen Elizabeth changed her mind about her public funeral, and the most sadly famous photo of her two children.
The death of Lady Diana split the world, a collective shocked reaction that forever changed the concept of public grief. When the news spread, which arrived at 4.41 am with an Associated Press agency from the Parisian hospital where Diana had been taken in very serious condition, the BBC schedule was changed and thousands of people poured into the streets of London in a public vigil that lasted days, assisted by volunteers for food and water. Flowers and affectionate messages were deposited for days in the most famous and significant places in the city, such as outside the Kensington Gardens, where they exceeded nine meters of accumulation. The shock of Lady Diana’s death is the backdrop to two small milestones in pop culture: the second book in the Bridget Jones saga written by Helen Fielding, and the filmThe fabulous world of Amélie with Audrey Tatou.
Lady Diana ‘s public funeralit officially began at 9.08 am on 6 September 1997 with the tolling of the Westminster bell, a week after the incident in Paris. The body, repatriated by Charles and Diana’s two sisters, remained in a private morgue until two days before the funeral, when it was moved first to the Chapel room of St. James Palace, then to Kensington Palace. From here began the funeral procession, which lasted an hour and forty-seven minutes through the streets of London, also touching Buckingham Palace where members of the royal family, including Elizabeth II, waited outside the palace gates. To allow thousands of people to take part in Lady Diana’s funeral, two giant screens were set up in Hyde Park and the route was changed a couple of times, to reach as many crowded people as possible.
Princess Diana interview
During the interview, Princess Diana spoke openly about her unhappiness, confirming speculations that had become increasingly insistent on the British tabloids. Among her revelations, Diana she said she suffered from depression, bulimia and that she had been through phases of self-harm. Furthermore, she spoke of “a threesome marriage” and she stated that she was not convinced of Charles’ potential to ascend the throne. Phrases that, it is said, led Queen Elizabeth to order the couple’s immediate divorce.
For years there had been unofficial talks about the means by which Bashir would persuade Diana to talk about her marriage situation for the first time. At the end of 2020, the British network launched internal investigations which confirmed the suspicions. Last May, the resignation of Bashir, who nevertheless declared that “he had done everything as Diana wanted: from the timing in informing Buckingham Palace to the content of the broadcast”.
In a press release issued by the Duke of Cambridge William, the first son of Diana and Charles, the second heir to the English throne said: “The interview contributed to the deterioration in the relationship between my parents and has hurt countless others since then.” According to William, the interview “contributed significantly to the fear, paranoia and isolation” of the last years of Diana’s life, who died on August 31, 1997 in a car accident in Paris with her partner Dodi Al-Fayed. ” What saddens me the most, ”William said,“ is that if the BBC had properly investigated the complaints as early as 1995, my mother would have known she had been deceived ”.
Words that leave no doubt about the prince’s resentment towards the television station, but that only partially suggest what that damned November 20, 1995, may have felt, when the interview was aired. “ William watched the interview in his director’s office in Eton. He revealed to a classmate that as soon as he saw his mother’s face appear on the screen he had a shiver of terror. When Warden Andrew Gailey re-entered his study to take William back to their room and his friend found the prince sunk on the sofa, his eyes red from tears.
Princess Diana wedding
On 29 July 1981 TV screens all over the world broadcast live the highly anticipated royal wedding between Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, and the very young and beautiful Lady Diana Spencer. Who crossed the nave of the Saint Paul Cathedral under the eyes of all in her white dress with a train of 7 and a half meters, entirely hand-embroidered, very sumptuous and…. stained.
This is in fact one of the behind-the-scenes curiosities of the wedding of the (last) century that emerged years later. Diana’s make-up artist, Barbara Daly, revealed that the princess while trying to put her favorite perfume, Quelques Fleurs, on her wrists, accidentally spilled a few drops on her dress, visibly staining it on the front of her. Daly then suggested that she pick up her skirt with her hands, suggesting that she lift her dress slightly to walk better than her and Diana did so. The ruse worked: her stain was hidden in world vision and no one noticed.
On her wedding day, held at St. Paul’s Cathedral and broadcast worldwide, Princess Diana had two identical bouquets, created with gardenias, orchids, lily of the valley, Earl Mountbatten roses, freesia, veronica, ivy, myrtle and tradescancies. As reported by the Mirror, a documentary revealed the background and reasons for the request. The Wedding of the Century, produced by Birtbox, retraces all the main passages of the wedding of Charles and Diana, using restored images taken from the original shots. “[Diana] she was an easy person to talk to, she wasn’t particularly demanding and she was always charming. -said the florist David Longman, in charge of the floral creations at the 1981 wedding-She had been asked that her bouquet be placed on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, so she asked ‘can we do two?’ “
Princess Diana engagement ring
Lady Diana ‘s engagement ring is one of the best known in history, but it caused a sensation because the princess chose it from a jewelry catalog. Imagine the reaction of Queen Elizabeth: it was unacceptable for Diana to choose a ring that any commoner could have (as long as they had £ 47,000 available). But the fault (perhaps) was also of Carlo di lei who suggested that she take a look at the available proposals (not even the men of the past had inventiveness?).
Crown jeweler Garrard then created this stunning white gold ring embellished with 14 diamonds and a massive sapphire, which reminded Lady D of what her mother had. British sources also say that the jeweler was inspired by a brooch that Prince Albert gave to Queen Victoria as a wedding gift in 1840 (and which she wore on her wedding day under the “something blue” rule). Today the brooch in question belongs to Queen Elizabeth, but Lady Diana’s sapphire is on the finger of the new “people’s princess”.
The famous ring, in fact, was one of the objects that his children asked to keep after his death in 1997, but it was not Prince William who requested it, but his brother Harry.
Princess Diana outfits
There are many outfits that have marked Diana’s history, such as the 1981 blue dress with which she announced her official engagement with Prince Charles, accompanied by Lady Diana’s wonderful aquamarine ring (the same ring that is now on Kate Middleton ‘s finger ). Or the pink dress worn on several occasions, such as the departure for the honeymoon, the pompous blue dress in which she fell asleep during an exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, but also the more casual outfits such as dungarees and sportswear, a symbol of his spontaneous and free personality.
Iconic in a bathing suit too – the leopard-print one-piece swimsuit and bikinis are memorablefluo worn after the divorce from Prince Charles – Lady Diana is still today a style icon copied by many celebrities. Just a few days ago the shot portraying Sarah Jessica Parker on the set of Sex and the City that she wears a coat dress inspired by one of Lady Diana’s looks, and even Kate Middleton has often paid homage to the princess by copying her looks. We celebrate the memory of the People’s Princess with a journey through the most beautiful outfits of Lady D.
Lady D’s black dress
We begin our journey with one of the first outfits of the (then future) princess that caused a sensation. On March 9, 1981, Diana showed up at a reception at London’s Goldsmiths Hall in a plunging black dress two sizes smaller. The dress was chosen as a fallback and caused a scandal both for the color and for the neckline, but above all because no one was used to seeing Diana dressed in a provocative way. Grace of Monaco was present as the guest of honor at the event, who is said to have reassured Diana for the mistake she had made.
Lady D’s wedding dress
Lady Diana’s wedding dress is considered to be one of the most beautiful wedding dresses ever. Created by two young designers, David and Elizabeth Emanuel, the dress is remembered for its impressive train, soft and fluffy lines and delicate style. A dress that made history, so much so that on her wedding day Kate Middleton was dressed in a dress in the same style as Princess Diana.
Lady Diana silver dress
In June 1985 Lady D sported a fantastic long metallic dress with a vertiginous neckline on the back, which at the premiere of 007 steals the show from the actors, the actresses of the film, but above all from Prince Charles, completely ignored by journalists from the moment in which Diana made an appearance by getting out of the car.
Travolta Dress
We continue the list of Diana’s most famous dresses with what has been renamed the Travolta dress. The dark blue velvet evening dress is so called because Diana was worn by her for a dinner at the White House, where she was invited to dance by John Travolta during the evening. The dress was so loved by Diana that she wore it eight times during her public outings.
Elvis Dress
One of Lady Diana’s most famous dresses, worn during a trip to Japan but also at the 1989 British Fashion Awards is the Elvis dress. A bolero that hides a white strapless dress, with a long slit up to the knee, adorned with lots of beads. Why Elvis dress? The dress was named after Princess Diana herself, who looking in the mirror wearing her dress said she felt like Elvis Presley.
Sports outfits
We want to close our list of Lady D’s most beautiful outfits by remembering her sporty looks. The princess has always been a sportswoman and was often photographed at the exit of the gym. Each of her sporty outfits has become an example to imitate, like the iconic one from 1997: Virgin Atlantic blue sweatshirt, peach pink cycling shorts, white sneakers and terry socks.
Princess Diana fashion
Her wardrobe was so current that it seems superfluous to wonder how she would have dressed today. Princess Diana left this land 25 years ago but her style is alive more than ever. She was one of the most photographed women in the world (and for this she paid a very high price): from the amount of shots we can still see, she basically seems to have never left. This tragic heroine has also left an indelible mark in fashion in a relatively short period: from the first paparazzi in 1980 to the new acquaintance of Prince Charles to the dramatic car accident in Paris shortly after midnight on 31 August 1997 (the death will be declared around 4 in the morning) are about 17 years old.
When Diana got engaged, she was a clumsy and somewhat clumsy girl, completely lacking in protocol and fashion. She was a Sloane Ranger and adopted the look of well-to-do English girls which included little more than a long skirt just below the knee and a wool sweater.
The magazines soon labeled her as Shy Di and the clothes of this moment matched her mood. Lady D almost immediately had a person who acted as Pygmalion, teaching her the secrets of fashion: Anna Harvey, then fashion editor of British Vogue, shared with the young woman her address book full of addresses and telephone numbers of the best tailors from London. Thus, real partnerships are born between Diana and Catherine Walker, Jasper Conran, Bellville Sassoon and David and Elizabeth Emanuel, the designers of the wedding dress. Thanks to these collaborations based also on her confidence and trust, the Princess of Wales was able to find that security that she lacked, ringing one success after another from the point of view of glamor.
Ditching lace (and gossip about her marriage), she wanted to be taken seriously with jacket and pants, especially when she began to understand that her name could make a difference on the humanitarian issues that were most dear to her. Once separated, she could enjoy certain luxuries that she had not been allowed before such as short skirts, necklines and a hint of sensuality in the dresses she wore to social events and red carpets. Her partner in crime has long been Gianni Versace, unfortunately united in misfortune: he died murdered in Miami just a few months before Diana.
There are many designers who have paid tribute to her (one above all, Virgil Abloh with the spring-summer 2018 collection) and every time a trend comes up there is always a photo of Diana to retrieve in the boundless image archives she is protagonist: the gallery below is a testimony of his looks that are still very current today, to be taken as they are to re-insert them inside. Diana loved fashion and fashion loved her. And this is a sentiment destined to last forever.
Princess Diana net worth
The Spencer family is one of the most famous aristocratic families in England. After all, one of its members got married to the royal family, forever linking the Spencers to the Mountbatten-Windsors. As it turns out, Princess Diana’s family isn’t that different from the royal family, especially when it comes to their net worth.
Aside from the aristocratic titles, one of the closest similarities between the Spencer family and the royal family is their bank accounts. Just like the Queen of England, Prince Charles and other members of the royal family, Princess Diana’s relatives are worth millions.
At the time of her death, Princess Diana’s net worth was around 21 million pounds, which is around 26.5 million dollars today. And while some of her finances came from the Spencer family, much of Princess Diana’s net worth came from her divorce settlement – aka Prince Charles. In addition to her net worth, Princess Diana received approximately $ 1.2 million annually after her divorce. However, as she only lived a year after everything was finalized, the Princess of Wales was unable to manage her money quite the way she wanted. And the executors of her estate even changed parts of her will, which had a big impact on Prince William and Prince Harry’s net worth, as well as the net worth of Princess Diana’s 17 godchildren.
