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.