She was the most photographed woman in the world. Here, the shots that stand the test of time
Cara Lynn Shultz is a writer-reporter at PEOPLE. Her work has previously appeared in Billboard, Forbes, and Reader’s Digest.
People Editorial Guidelines
The Bride-to-Be
Rex USA
Diana – then, in 1980, a kindergarten teacher at the exclusive Young England school in Pimlico, London – keeps a close hold on two of her students in one of the first shots of the future princess, which would also be among her first controversies. The backlit Diana didn’t realize her skirt was transparent.
02of 16
The Royal Engagement
Hulton Archive/Getty
In the first photograph of the royal couple, Charles, Prince of Wales, then 32, poses with his fiancée, Lady Diana Spencer, 19, outside Buckingham Palace on Feb. 24, 1981 – just moments after announcing their engagement to the world. Nearly three decades later, Diana’s son William proposed to longtime girlfriend Kate Middleton with his late mother’s iconic engagement ring.
03of 16
The Princess Bride
Anwar Hussein/Getty
The train of Princess Diana’s Emmanuel ivory taffeta and antique lace wedding gown was 25-feet long, and it took her three and a half minutes to walk down the carpeted aisle at St. Paul’s. The planning of the dress was a lonely affair, as designer Elizabeth Emanuel recalled, “Nobody really came to fittings with her.”
04of 16
The Big Event
Rex USA
More than 600,000 people crowded the streets of London to see Lady Diana Spencer and Prince Charles make their way through the streets of London on July 29, 1981, their wedding day. Their international audience was even larger: Almost 1 billion people watched from home.
05of 16
Sleeping Beauty
Tim Graham/AP
“I felt compelled to perform,” Diana had said, “To do my engagements and not let people down.” Still, she filled her schedule – but couldn’t help but fall asleep during a 1981 event. (It was later revealed that, at the time, she was pregnant with William.
06of 16
Baby Talk
Jim Bennett/Camera Press/Retna
“I felt the whole country was in labor with me,” Diana said of her pregnancy with William, who was born June 21, 1982. Diana stayed only a day in the hospital. “It had been quite a difficult pregnancy,” she later admitted. “I hadn’t been very well throughout it, so by the time William arrived, it was a great relief.”
07of 16
A Full Dancing Card
Tim Graham/AP
During the royal couple’s first visit to the U.S., in 1985, Princess Diana danced at the White House with John Travolta, while then-Prince Charles chatted up Nancy Reagan. Later that night, the Princess waltzed with Neil Diamond and Clint Eastwood.
08of 16
The Game’s Afoot
David Levenson/Getty
Amid rumors of living separate lives within their troubled marriage, Princess Diana openly flirted with polo players while her husband looked the other way at a November 1985 polo match in West Palm Beach, Fla.
09of 16
Reaching Out
John Redman/AP
The Princess raised awareness and understanding of the HIV virus – then a new and frightening illness – by reaching out and holding hands with an infected man on April 19, 1987. “HIV does not make people dangerous to know, so you can shake their hands and give them a hug,” she had said. “Heaven knows they need it.”
10of 16
A Vision in White
Tim Graham/AP
Princess Diana cemented her role as a fashion icon with memorable looks like this pearl-encrusted dress — described as the “Elvis look” — by designer Catherine Walker. Worn during a trip to Hong Kong in 1989, she topped it off with a pearl and diamond tiara that was a wedding gift from the Queen.
11of 16
No Storybook Ending
AP
“Here was a fairy story that everybody wanted to work,” Diana had said about her marriage to Prince Charles. But relations between the two were visibly frosty on Nov. 3, 1992, at a memorial service in Korea. A month later, on Dec. 9, Prime Minister John Major announced their separation. “I desperately wanted it to work,” Diana later said. “I desperately loved my husband.”
12of 16
Time to Go Yet?
Tim Graham/AP
While their parents looked the other way, Prince William and Prince Harry checked their watches during a lengthy veteran’s parade on April 12, 1995.
13of 16
In Danger for a Cause
Tim Graham/AP
The Princess famously donned a flak jacket and a face shield while touring an Angolan mine field, on behalf of the Red Cross, on Jan. 15, 1997. Diana later said that land mines – and the destruction they cause – is “something to which the world should urgently turn its conscience.”
14of 16
Sisters in Charity
Bebeto Matthews/AP
Mother Teresa and Princess Diana – both active champions for human rights – met on June 18, 1997, at the Missionaries of Charity in the south Bronx. “Diana is my daughter,” the nun often said.
15of 16
A Doomed Romance
Bauer-Griffin
“Diana is besotted,” PEOPLE reported when the Princess was photographed with her beau, Dodi Fayed, on his father’s $32 million yacht off the coast of Sardinia. It would be one of the last photos taken of the couple, who died in a fatal car crash in Paris the following day, Aug. 31, 1997.
16of 16
A Sad Goodbye
Peter Dejong/AP
More than a million people lined the streets on Sept. 6, 1997, as Princess Diana’s casket made the four-mile-long journey from London’s Westminster Abbey to the Spencer family home in Northamptonshire. A card addressed to “Mummy” from Harry, then 12, rested among the flowers.
News
Elizabeth Debicki on Queen Elizabeth’s Death and What Surprised Her Most About Princess Diana (Exclusive)
‘The Crown’ star tells PEOPLE she studied up to delicately depict the Princess of Wales Queen Elizabeth in December 2021; Elizabeth Debicki at The Crown’s Los Angeles…
Princess Diana’s Former Bodyguard Shares Personal Memories of Late Royal — and How She Changed the Monarchy
As the 25th anniversary of Princess Diana’s death is marked this week, her former bodyguard Ken Wharfe reflects upon her impact and legacy Photo: Jayne Fincher/Getty Images…
Meghan Markle Perfectly Recreates Princess Diana’s Iconic Blazer Outfit as She Returns from Nigeria
The Duchess of Sussex returned home to Los Angeles in an outfit inspired by the late princess on May 13 Escher Walcott is a Writer/Reporter at PEOPLE,…
Prince William Reveals the Real Reason He Didn’t Go to Paris Olympics Was to Protect Kate Middleton
The Princess of Wales was still undergoing chemotherapy at the time, and her husband “didn’t want to risk bringing COVID home” Prince William and Kate Middleton in…
Prince Harry Surprises on Tonight Show, Joins Jimmy Fallon for Haunted Maze Experience
The Duke of Sussex capped off a whirlwind New York City trip by getting into spooky season on Sept. 26 Rachel Burchfield serves as digital editor, royals…
Prince Harry’s Emotional Plea: ‘My Lock Screen Is a Picture of My Kids—What’s Yours?’ as He Highlights Social Media Dangers
The Duke of Sussex received a standing ovation after his remarks at the Clinton Global Initiative meeting in New York City Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex attends…
End of content
No more pages to load