Lady Diana: 25 years after her disappearance, what remains of her legacy?

Solène Delinger 6:00 p.m., August 31, 2022

It was 25 years ago.

On August 31, 1997, the United Kingdom wakes up in mourning, numbed by the shock of terrible news which crossed the English Channel: Diana Spencer, known as Lady Di, died in Paris, after a tragic car accident in the tunnel from the Alma bridge.

The mother of princes Harry and William, accompanied by her lover Dodi Al Fayed, then fled the paparazzi who had been tracking her since leaving the Ritz.

The shock is planetary, the emotion international.

Twenty-five years later, the "dianamania" has disappeared but the memory of the princess is more alive than ever.

Not least thanks to his sons, who carry on his legacy by expressing their feelings for Harry, and both continuing their mother's humanitarian commitment.

Lady Di's first legacy is to have completely transformed the image projected by the British monarchy throughout the world.

The princess's empathy and sensitivity have durably softened the face of the institution, once perceived as cold and disconnected, unable to be in tune with the aspirations of the people.

She abolished the gap between the crown and the people

Lady Di has abolished this gap, dug by years of silence and traditions.

And, she did it very quickly, as soon as she arrived at the Windsors.

She married Prince Charles in 1981, aged just 20.

He already has 33, and is not really the most rock'n'roll royal in the family.

"She was much younger than Charles and she had a lot more empathy," said Katia Alibert, journalist and author of

.

At the time, Diana brought a breath of fresh air to the monarchy by moving away from propriety and showing her true face: that of a young woman ready to do anything to live her fairy tale.

Diana's desire to be accepted by her in-laws softened the Brits.

Because Elizabeth II and her husband Prince Philip pushed their son Charles into Diana's arms, not for her beautiful eyes, but because she was, according to their criteria, the ideal bride: Protestant, of noble blood and a virgin.

The Windsors see their interest in it, while Charles has had a love affair since 1970 with a married woman, Camilla Parker Bowles.

It is in this context that Diana arrives at the Windsors, full of aspirations and yet already in the grip of some disappointments.

She knows it, her husband, Charles doesn't love her.

He told her in front of millions of viewers, when announcing their engagement.

When the journalist then asks the Prince of Wales and Diana if they are in love, the princess immediately replies: "Of course!".

Charles, for his part, replies: "It all depends on what you mean by 'being in love'. It's open to interpretation."

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She changed the Windsors' relationship with the media

Despite the birth of their two sons, William, in 1982, and Harry, in 1984, Charles and Diana are an undeniably unhappy couple.

Diana suffers, like any wife rejected by her husband, even a little more than the others.

Suicide attempts, betrayal of Prince Charles, bulimia, mutilation sessions...

In a shock interview given to BBC journalist Martin Bashir in 1995, Lady Di recounts all her misfortunes.

She was then separated from Prince Charles for three years.

"The People's Princess" says with a sad smile that there were "three people" in her marriage, referring to the relationship Charles had with his rival Camilla.

An unprecedented media coverage in the history of the royal family, which prefers to remain silent in all circumstances.

These confessions, too violent for the Windsors, push Elizabeth II to order Charles and Diana to divorce as soon as possible.

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Contrary to the motto "Never complain, never explain" ("Never complain, never justify yourself"), wisely applied by the queen, Lady Di has therefore delivered her moods.

Was she manipulated by Martin Bashir to make such confidences?

In 2021, an independent report denounced the methods deemed

"misleading" methods used by journalist Martin Bashir to obtain this interview.

Former Supreme Court Justice John Dyson has revealed that the interviewer allegedly forged documents to obtain this interview.

According to her brother Charles Spencer, Diana confided in this interview because she was convinced that the royal family wished her harm. 

Since this famous interview and then the death of their mother, hounded by the paparazzi, William and Harry hate the press.

When the Duke of Sussex speaks, he chooses the journalists he wishes to speak to, such as his friend Tom Bradby or the popess of American television Oprah Winfrey, close to his wife Meghan Markle. 

Traumatized by Lady Di's death, Harry lives with the fear that history will repeat itself.

It is partly for this reason that he decided to leave Buckingham to settle in Los Angeles with Meghan.

This distancing from the public scene, which caused a real earthquake, came after a particularly trying year in 2019 for the former actress.

In a documentary made during the couple's trip to South Africa in the fall of 2019, the young mother confessed to Tom Bradby her difficulty in living with her over-mediatization and the constant pressure that has accompanied her since her marriage to Prince Harry.

A few days before the "Megxit", the grandson of Elizabeth II denounced "the ruthless campaign" waged against his wife and explained that he was starting legal proceedings against several tabloids.

"My deepest fear is history repeating itself. I've seen what happens when someone I love is trivialized to the point where they are no longer treated or seen as a real person. I've lost my mother and I now see my wife falling victim to the same powerful forces," he wrote in a statement. 

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She gave a more humanistic face to the monarchy 

After publicizing her sorrows, Lady Di used her audience to defend the causes that were dear to her.

She notably used her voice and her image for the fight against AIDS.

"AIDS patients need to be embraced, like everyone else": no one has forgotten this sentence pronounced by the princess at the National Aids Trust, an association of which she was the godmother.

At the time, Diana's objective was clear: to change the image of the disease, which was still poorly understood.

And, on April 9, 1987, his handshake with a person with AIDS went around the world.

With Lady Di, the monarchy is no longer just a symbol, it becomes useful.

“Diana made people feel like they were unique and, with her engagements, she showed that royals could have heart,” says Katia Alibert. 

In addition to her fight against AIDS, Lady Diana has been involved in dozens of organizations related to health, education and animal welfare.

Her commitment against anti-personnel mines made an impression thanks to a photo: that of Diana, protected by a bulletproof vest and a transparent helmet, crossing a minefield in Angola, a country at war since 1975. There, she also visits mutilated survivors and warns of wounds caused by anti-personnel mines, even after the conflict has ended.

“Even if the world decides tomorrow to ban these weapons, this terrible legacy will continue to weigh on the poor nations of the globe,” she warns. 

The influence of Lady Di is such that she contributed to the signing of the Treaty for the prohibition of anti-personnel mines (or Ottawa Treaty) on December 3, 1997 by 122 countries.

25 years later, his son Harry took over.

He denounces, despite the treaty, the slowness of mine clearance in certain African countries.

© The HALO Trust / AFP

Credits: Bestimage

For their part, Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton work for several associations via the Royal Foundation, their philanthropic organization.   

She became a fashion icon

An archetype of elegance, Diana's style of dress has forever become part of popular culture.

It has even become a sort of bible for all women in power and international crowned heads, from Michelle Obama to Letizia of Spain.

In the early 1980s, before her marriage to Charles, Diana had a classic style.

She wears printed cardigans, pleated skirts or even short Claudine collars.

See this post on Instagram

A post shared by Lady Diana, Princess of Wales (@lady.diana._)

It was after her wedding and then her honeymoon that Lady Di asserted herself with more modern looks.

The French designer Catherine Walker, who has been living in London since 1977, helps her identify the cuts that flatter her and give, through her outfits, a contemporary vision of royalty.

Among the striking pieces of this era: the "Elvis" dress, the strapless dress adorned with blue and pink roses, the one in pale blue silk muslin worn in Cannes in 1987 and the sequined mermaid dress worn in May 1989. also during this period that the Princess of Wales will wear a long black velvet dress during a trip to the United States where she will dance with John Travolta.

See this post on Instagram

A post shared by Lady Diana, Princess of Wales (@lady.diana._)

In all, more than 1,000 outfits worn by Lady Diana are signed Catherine Walker.

After her separation from Charles in the early 1990s, Diana opted for a more liberated wardrobe: the dresses were short, low-cut, and the princess accessorized them with beautiful adornments, in particular a pearl and diamond choker, her signature necklace. 

See this post on Instagram

A post shared by Lady Diana, Princess of Wales (@lady.diana._)

At this time, Diana also began to wear pieces by foreign designers such as Valentino, Versace, Dior, Chanel and Christian Lacroix.

She thus became a fashion symbol of the time internationally.

Among the cult silhouettes worn by the Princess of Wales in the 1990s: a little black dress revealing the shoulders and accessorized with a light train and a huge pearl necklace.

This creation, signed by the Greek fashion designer Christina Stambolian, is better known as the "revenge dress".

Diana wore it to a Vanity Fair party in June 1994, just after Prince Charles confessed to infidelity. 

See this post on Instagram

A post shared by Lady Diana, Princess of Wales (@lady.diana._)

25 years after the death of their mother, princes Harry and William will meditate in private, each on their own.

According to the

, the two brothers "have decided to draw a line under their public commemorations".

Harry let it be known that he would be spending the day with family.

"Every day I hope to make her proud," he said last week in the United States at a dinner for an association for aid patients with AIDS.

"I want it to be a day filled with memories of his incredible work and love."

So that no one ever forgets who Diana was...