On Aug 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. She died in the early hours of Aug 31, 1997, at Pitie-Salpetriere Hospital.
Above all, there was shock. That’s the word people use when they remember Princess Diana’s death in a Paris car crash 25 years ago on Aug 31.
It was that 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, multi-cultural nation in the internet age. Those lessons have since inspired other royals, including Diana’s sons, Princes William and Harry, to be more informal as they strive to keep the monarchy relevant in the 21st century.
A member of the aristocratic Spencer family, which had close ties to the royal family and a 500-year-old stately home in central England, Diana was known for flouncy bows, sensible skirts and a boyish blond bob when she started dating the future king. After leaving school at 16, she spent time at a finishing school in the Swiss Alps and worked as a nanny and pre-school teacher while living in London.
Such ribbon-cutting ceremonies were 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.
FILE - Diana, Princess of Wales, right, and her companion Dodi Fayed, walk on a pontoon in the French Riviera resort of St. Tropez in this Friday, Aug 22, 1997. William, his wife, Kate, and Harry have underscored Diana’s legacy by making improved mental health services a primary goal, going so far as to publicly discuss their own struggles. Harry also is a champion for wounded military veterans.
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