Twenty-five years after her shocking death at the age of just 36, Princess Diana remains a source of fascination and intrigue to people around the world.
Diana was killed on Aug. 31, 1997, when the limousine carrying her and her boyfriend Dodi al-Fayed crashed in the Pont de L’Alma tunnel in Paris as it sped away from chasing paparazzi on motorbikes.
Her death plunged the monarchy into crisis, as it followed her highly public divorce from Prince Charles. Their relationship was filled with fighting and adultery, and Diana often spoke of the misery she felt being part of the royal family.
But as much pain as Diana felt in the role of the “People’s Princess,” there was no doubt she was an adoring and attentive mother to her two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry. She also often spoke of the joy she felt lending her name and talents to charity and philanthropic efforts around the globe.
The world watched Diana grow from a shy teenage nursery school teacher into a glamorous celebrity who comforted AIDS patients and campaigned for land mine removal, among many other philanthropic and charitable efforts.
“Every day, we wish she were still with us,” William said when the two brothers unveiled a statue in her honour last year at Kensington Palace in central London, her former home.
Princess Diana, wearing a green coat, interacts with crowd at St Joseph’s Hospice in Hackney, London, England, in 1985.
Tim Graham / Getty Images
