August 31, 2017

Twenty years ago today, on Aug. 31, 1997, Diana, the Princess of Wales, was killed in an automobile accident in Paris, France. Diana—known popularly as “Princess Di”—captured the world’s attention with her “fairy tale” wedding to Prince Charles of the United Kingdom in 1981, and she went on to become one of the most beloved public figures in the world. In 1997, a flurry of memorials and tributes fell in the wake of her sudden death. And now, 20 years later, Diana’s legacy continues to inspire reflections on what she meant to the United Kingdom and to the British royal family.

Princess Diana attends the groundbreaking for a children’s care center in Harrow, Greater London, on July 21, 1997, roughly five weeks before her death. Credit: © Tim Graham, Getty Images

To mark the 20^th anniversary of her death, numerous Princess Di television documentaries and programs are competing for attention, as are several new books on Diana. Commemorative ceremonies are taking place in London, and temporary memorials have sprung up in parts of the city. At Kensington Palace, a special White Garden was planted in Diana’s honor, a garden “inspired by memories of the Princess’s life, image and style.” The garden, a special exhibit that opened at Easter and runs through September, reflects Diana’s love for white and cream hues. It is filled with Cosmo daisies, forget-me-nots, narcissuses, and white lilies, roses, and tulips. A fashion exhibit inside the palace shows the same colors in the clothes that Diana famously wore.

Flowers and tributes flood the gates of London’s Kensington Palace soon after the death of Princess Diana on Aug. 31, 1997. Credit: Maxwell Hamilton (licensed under CC BY 2.0)

Recent interviews with Diana’s sons, William and Harry—who were just 15 and 12 at the time of her death—gave the princes their first public forum on their mother’s death. Yesterday, on August 30, William and Harry visited Kensington Palace and its White Garden, but the rest of their family has kept a respectful and quiet distance from anniversary events. Prince Charles, his second wife, Camilla, Queen Elizabeth II, and Prince Philip are on a summer break far from the media frenzy at Balmoral Castle in Scotland.

Lady Diana Frances Spencer was born on July 1, 1961, in Norfolk, England. Her father was the eighth Earl Spencer. Her family traces its ancestry to King James I. Diana was educated in England and Switzerland. She taught at a kindergarten in London from 1979 until 1981, when she married Prince Charles. Princess Di’s activities were widely reported. She supported numerous charitable causes. They included AIDS research, a ban on land mines, and many causes benefiting children. Diana and Charles separated in 1992 and divorced in 1996.