Diana is remembered for her humanitarian work. Twenty five years on she remains queen of hearts
Above all, there was shock. That's the word people use over and over again when they remember Princess Diana's death in a Paris car crash 25 years ago this week. The woman the world watched grow from a shy teenage nursery school teacher into a glamorous celebrity who comforted AIDS patients and campaigned for land mine removal couldn't be dead at the age of 36, could she?It was disbelief that cemented Diana's legacy as the woman who brought lasting change to Britain's royal family, helping bridge the gap between centuries of tradition and a new, multicultural nation in the internet age.
First, there was the outpouring of grief from the public who streamed to the princess' home at Kensington Palace to mourn the loss of a woman most had never met. That alone forced the royals to recognise that Diana's common touch had connected with people in ways that hadn't yet occurred to the House of Windsor. Those lessons have since inspired other royals, including Diana's sons, Princes William and Harry, to be more informal and approachable. For proof, look no further than the glitzy concert that was a centerpiece of June's Platinum Jubilee celebrating the queen's 70 years on the throne. It wasn't obvious Diana would be a royal rebel when she married Prince Charles. A member of the aristocratic Spencer family, Diana was known for flouncy bows, sensible skirts and a boyish blond bob when she started dating the future king.
But she blossomed, becoming an international style icon the moment she walked down the aisle of St. Paul's Cathedral shrouded in lace and followed by a 25-foot train on July 29, 1981. From that moment on, reporters and photographers followed Diana wherever she went. While Diana hated the intrusion, she quickly learned the media was also a tool she could use to bring attention to a cause and to change public perceptions. That impact was seen most famously when the princess opened the UK's first specialised ward for AIDS patients on April 9, 1987. Such ribbon-cutting ceremonies are a staple of royal duties. But Diana realised there was more at stake. She reached out and took the hands of a young patient, demonstrating the virus couldn't be transmitted by touch. The moment, captured by photos beamed worldwide, helped combat the fear, misinformation and stigma surrounding the AIDS epidemic. A decade later, Diana was even more media savvy. Seven months before she died, Diana donned a protective visor and flak jacket and walked down a path cleared through a minefield in Angola to promote the work of The HALO Trust, a group devoted to removing mines from former war zones. The images brought international attention to the campaign to rid the world of explosives that lurk underground long after wars end. Today, a treaty banning landmines has been signed by 164 countries.
On August 30, 1997, a group of paparazzi camped outside the Hotel Ritz in Paris in hopes of getting shots of Diana and boyfriend Dodi Fayed pursued their car to the Pont de l'Alma tunnel, where their driver lost control and crashed. Diana died August 31, 1997. A stunned world mourned. Bouquets of flowers, many including personal notes, carpeted the grounds outside Diana's home in Kensington Palace. The public reaction contrasted with that of the royal family, who were criticised for not quickly appearing in public and refusing to lower the flag over Buckingham Palace to half-staff. The mourning prompted soul-searching among members of the House of Windsor. They set about to better understand why Diana's death had prompted such an overwhelming spectacle.
(The writer is a senior journalist)
