Today marks the 21st anniversary of the death of Diana, Princess Of Wales.
The death of Prince William and Prince Harry’s mother sparked an outpouring of public grief, with billions around the world tuning in to watch her funeral on television and tens of thousands of tributes left outside Kensington Palace.
Diana – commonly referred to as the ‘People’s Princess’ – died on Sunday 31 August 1997, when she was aged just 36-years-old.
Many will remember the horror they felt after discovering the princess had been killed after the Mercedes S-280 she was travelling in crashed inside the Pont de l’Alma tunnel in Paris.
The ex-wife of Prince Charles and mother of princess William and Harry suffered fatal injuries in the crash and died at the Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital.
She was travelling with her boyfriend Dodi Fayed and driver Henri Paul, who both died as a result of the collision, as well as her bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones, who survived.
They were travelling from the Ritz Hotel in Paris at around half past midnight with dozens of paparazzi, who took photographs of the crash scene, in pursuit.
An inquest into her death was also held in 2008, concluding that Diana had been unlawfully killed. The inquest attributed this to negligent driving by Henri Paul, who was said to be drunk and on anti-depressants, and the paparazzi recklessly pursuing her and causing the driver to speed up to try to shake them off.
Diana’s funeral was on 6 September 1997 and took place at Westminster Abbey.
It was televised on the BBC, with 2.5billion people tuning in across the globe to say goodbye to the princess.
Tens of thousands of people turned out to leave flowers and tributes outside Kensington Palace in the wake of her death.
She was buried on an island in the Althorn Estate, the Spencer family home. The burial was held in private.
There are several memorials to the ‘People’s Princess’ including the Diana Memorial Playground in Kensington gardens, the Princess Diana Memorial Garden at Kensington Palace (for the 20th anniversary of her death) and the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain in Hyde Park.
Diana Frances Spencer was born on 1 July 1961 and inherited her father Edward John Viscount Althorp’s title Earl Spencer in 1975 becoming Lady Diana Spencer. Her mother was Frances Ruth Burke Roche.
The Spencer family had served the Royal Family for generations with Diana’s great-grandfather being Lord Chamberlain to Edward VII and George V, her father was equerry to George VI and the Queen and four of Diana’s great aunts were also members of the Queen Mother’s household.
When she married Prince Charles at St Paul’s Cathedral on 29 July 1981, she was given the title the Princess of Wales. She also was given the title, the Duchess of Cornwall, Duchess of Rothesay ad Countess of Chester. The couple had met at Althorp when Lady Diana was 16 years old.
Princes William and Harry were born in 1982 and 1984 and the royal couple separated in 1992, five years before her death.
Princes William and Harry led tributes on the 20th anniversary of the death of Diana in London last year.
A number of events took place across London, including an exhibit at Buckingham Palace of the princess’ possessions and several charity events for children through The Diana Award charity.
A documentary with ITV called ‘Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy’ also aired on TV in July 2017, to mark the anniversary.
An interview with the princes aired on the BBC on 31 August 2017.