Princess Diana was known as the ‘people’s princess’ not because she liked the nickname.
No, thanks to her charitable work and warmth, she became an important figure for the British people, someone they could rely on and be inspired by in difficult times. As she herself once said, she wanted to be queen not on paper, but in people’s hearts.
The tragic accident in Paris that caused her death is one of the most shocking events in modern British history. However, to this day, Princess Diana’s legacy lives on not only through her sons William and Harry, but also, most importantly, in the hearts of the people.
Over the years, we have seen many stunning photos of Diana, but there are other images that have not been so widely circulated.
However, this does not make them any less amazing…
Princess Diana died too young, and her life was complicated by all kinds of trials and misfortunes. Unfortunately, she was hounded wherever she went, and after she became a member of the royal family, her personal life became turbulent.
Princess Diana — raising Harry and William
Despite all this, Diana was a loving mother. She always put William and Harry first — the mother of two wanted their childhood to be as normal as possible.
Princess Diana often took William and Harry with her to theme parks and other places of entertainment. Of course, she knew what royal life was like, including the fact that they were constantly being served food and expected to behave as befits royal children.
But she also understood how important it was for William and Harry to be able to be like other children. So she would sometimes sneak them out of the palace to fast food restaurants.
“I remember once the princess came into the kitchen and said, ‘Cancel dinner 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, ‘Oh my God, Your Royal Highness, I can do that, I can make burgers. And she replied, “No, it’s the toy they want.””
William and Harry naturally loved spending time with their mother. She raised them to feel like they were just like any other children, which in many ways they were!
Not long ago, Prince William also talked about how Diana used to drive, which shows that she and her boys were much like any other members of an ordinary family.
According to William, he often listens to Tina Turner to preserve his memories of his mother, Princess Diana. William said that the song The Best reminds him of his childhood and how his mother would play it in the car to help him cope with his nerves.
‘When I was younger, Harry and I went to boarding school. My mum would play all sorts of songs to distract us from the anxiety of going back to school,’ said Prince William.
‘And one of the songs that I remember very well and that has stayed with me throughout my life, and which I still enjoy in secret, is Tina Turner’s “The Best”, because sitting in the back seat and singing along, I felt like it was a real family moment.’
‘My mum, sitting behind the wheel, sang at the top of her voice. And even the policeman was in the car; he sometimes sang along too.’
The future king added: “You sang and listened to music on your way to school when you were dropped off. When I listen to it now, it takes me back to those car journeys and brings back lots of memories of my mum.”
Diana always strove to be the best mum she could be and knew that the brothers could and would argue with each other from time to time.
She wanted her sons to always be best friends.
Royal historian Robert Lacey once revealed details about Harry and William’s childhood and how their mother wanted the brothers to make an important promise to her.
In his book The Battle of the Brothers, Lacey writes about how William and Harry were close during their early childhood and teenage years. Princess Diana was keen for them to remain close throughout their lives — she wanted the boys to promise that they would always remain ‘best friends.’
In the book, Lacey quotes psychic Simone Simmons, who counselled Diana.
‘You must promise me that you will always be each other’s best friends,’ Simmons claims Diana told her sons. ‘And never let anyone come between you.’
‘Both boys promised they would,’ Simmons recalls. “They patted each other on the back and hugged their mother tightly.
‘Anyone would have melted at the sight,’ she says. ‘Then they went off to play football.’
From the beginning, it was clear that royal life was not the end of the world for Diana. Her children always came first, and she wanted to protect them from anything that might come between them.
This even applied to the royal family itself — rumour has it that Diana was concerned that the Queen and Charles were plotting to separate her from her children.
William and Harry may have made the aforementioned promise to Diana, but in recent years their relationship has been rather poor, starting with Harry’s decision to leave the royal family in 2020.
A year ago, on Diana’s 60th birthday, William and Harry reunited to unveil a new statue of their late mother. Cast in bronze, the sculpture of Diana surrounded by her three children was installed in the Underground Garden of Kensington Palace, her former home in London.
‘Today, on 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,’ William and Harry said in a joint statement.
‘Every day we dream that she is with us, and we hope that this statue will forever remain a symbol of her life and her legacy.’
This year marks the 25th anniversary of Princess Diana’s death. William and Harry did not fail to honour the memory of their beloved mother, but the brothers did so separately.
According to a royal source who spoke to People magazine, William spent the day quietly with his wife Kate Middleton in Windsor.
Ahead of the anniversary on 31 August, Harry spoke about his mother, saying he hoped to make her proud of him.
Princess Diana — Charles’s affair with Camilla
‘I want this day to be filled with memories of her incredible work and the love she had for what she did,’ Harry said on the anniversary. ‘I want to share my mum’s spirit with my family, with my children, who I wish could have known her. Every day, I hope to make her proud.’
In addition to leading an extremely public life, Diana, like anyone else, had her own personal struggles. One of the biggest problems for the princess was related to her husband, then Prince Charles.
A few years after his marriage to Diana, Charles began an affair with Camilla, who later became his wife.
According to Prince Charles’ authorised biography, quoted by Town & Country, their affair began in 1986. At the time, Charles was still married to Princess Diana, and she found out about it.
In 1989, Diana told Camilla about their affair and advised her to back off.
‘I know what’s going on between you and Charles, and I want you to know that,’ Camilla recalled Diana’s words, as quoted by Town & Country.
Diana said to me, ‘You have everything you ever wanted. All the men in the world fall in love with you, you have two beautiful children, what more do you want?’
‘And 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 know what’s going on. Don’t treat me like an idiot,”’ Diana said, according to Camilla.
The Queen broke royal protocol at Diana’s funeral
From the public’s point of view, everything was going as usual, but Charles and Diana’s fairy-tale life did not immediately become history. In 1992, the couple announced their separation, although both continued to perform their official royal duties. Four years later, in August 1996, they reached a final divorce settlement.
In addition to generous compensation, Diana retained the right to keep her apartment in Kensington Palace and the title of Princess of Wales. However, she agreed to relinquish the title of Royal Highness, as well as any future claims to the throne.
Diana’s death came as a shock to the entire country and the whole world. Her funeral took place on 6 September 1997 at Westminster Abbey, and she was then buried at her family home in Althorp Park.
More than 2,000 guests attended Princess Diana’s funeral. After the ceremony, her coffin was carried through London, where the British people had the opportunity to say their final farewells to their beloved princess.
Interestingly, the Queen was never supposed to bow her head to anyone. However, at Diana’s funeral, she broke royal protocol by bowing to the coffin of the late princess as it passed by her on a gun carriage. This was the only time Queen Elizabeth broke this royal rule.
Rare photos of Princess Diana
For most of her royal life, Diana was hounded by paparazzi; it’s no exaggeration to say that Diana was the most photographed person in the world at the time.
In short, everyone wanted a piece of Diana. According to The Guardian, tabloids offered up to $500,000 for grainy photos of her.
Her sons, William and Harry, saw both sides of how the press treated their mother. Harry said he wanted to leave the royal family at the age of 20, partly because of how he saw his mother being treated before her death.
‘Look at what happened to my mum, how can I settle down, get a wife and family, knowing that this could happen again,’ Harry explained. ‘I don’t want to be part of that.’
Nevertheless, over the years, many iconic photographs of Princess Diana have been taken. Of course, some of them were taken by paparazzi desperately trying to sell her photos. But there are also photos that capture great warmth and give us a stunning glimpse into Diana’s life and career.
Hundreds of never-before-seen photos of the beloved late princess can be found in the archives. We’ve collected some of them to show a side of Diana that few have seen.
Diana became a style icon at the height of her fame, and she took that with her to the slopes while skiing.
Skiing, sunbathing and humanitarian work
Below, we see Diana on a skiing trip in Austria with her sons, Harry and William. This photo was taken when Harry turned nine. He is simply adorable, and the whole family looks stunning!
In 1990, Diana took her children and her sister’s children to Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands. The island belonged to Richard Branson’s Virgin company.
Diana knew how to have fun. Look at this lovely photo of her and Harry visiting Thorpe Park amusement park in 1992.
Diana was often referred to as the ‘people’s princess.’ She participated in many humanitarian causes, setting an excellent standard for how a kind and compassionate person should behave. In this photo, Princess Diana visits an orthopaedic workshop in Luanda, Angola, and sits with landmine victims.
We could go on and on about these beautiful photos of Diana. This one was taken in 1971, when she was spending her summer holiday in Itchenore, West Sussex.
And this photo was taken near Diana’s flat in Coleherne Court in London before her engagement to Charles.
Here, Harry can be seen sticking his tongue out at the crowd gathered around Buckingham Palace. Diana looks somewhat surprised.
The Barbour clothing brand is still popular among royalty, but perhaps Princess Diana wore it best.
Diana loved Barbour, and during a visit to the Outer Hebrides in Scotland in 1985, she was perfectly suited to wear her Barbour-style waxed cotton jacket.
Jana Fincher, the royal photographer who took some of the most iconic photos of Princess Diana, followed the royal couple everywhere. She chartered a plane to travel to the Outer Hebrides, where Charles and Diana were on an official visit.
‘When I caught up with her,’ Fincher says, “Charles asked, ‘Where have you been?
The Outer Hebrides are prone to strong winds and rain, and Princess Diana experienced this first-hand during her visit there in 1985.
But in the photographs taken during this trip, she looks stunning, and photographer Jane, looking through the negatives, realised one thing.
“It’s not often you see Diana dressed like that. She looked so happy. It was pouring with rain, but her make-up was perfect and hadn’t run. I, as usual, looked terrible,” she says.
The photo below was taken during the last summer of Diana’s life. It shows her and her boyfriend Dodi al-Fayed on a yacht in Saint-Tropez, France, jumping into the water.
