Remembering Lady Di, the ‘people’s princess’
Be it a Bansky artwork or an Elton John song, Princess Diana’s legend permeates through pop culture — even 25 years after her death. Her relatability could be key.”It is a point to remember that of all the ironies about Diana, perhaps the greatest was this: A girl given the name of the ancient goddess of hunting was, in the end, the most hunted person of the modern age.”
It is hard to forget these hard-hitting lines that were part of the stirring — sometimes vitriolic — tribute delivered by Charles, 9th Earl Spencer, at his older sister’s funeral 25 years ago.
Diana, Princess of Wales died at the age of 36 in a car crash on August 31, 1997, in Paris together with her then partner, Dodi Al-Fayed, and the vehicle’s driver, Henri Paul. Only her severely injured bodyguard, Trevor Reese-Jones, survived the crash.
While her death itself sent shockwaves worldwide, it was the circumstances surrounding it that prompted an outpouring of grief — and fury.
Once deemed “the world’s most photographed woman,” Lady Di was hounded by paparazzi as her driver sped through a tunnel at the moment of the crash. Tabloid media were blamed for her death, and faced the wrath of not just her brother but her two sons, Princes William and Harry, and the public at large.
However, in 1999, French investigators held driver Paul solely responsible for the crash, as he was found to have been driving under the influence of both alcohol and prescription drugs.
