Wednesday 3 May 2017

5 ways Diana is being remembered, twenty years on


(photo Wiki Commons)

There is a focus, like never before, on remembering Diana in 2017. As the 20th anniversary of her death approaches, memories of the princess are ever more present. Since Diana died following a car crash in Paris on August 31st 1997, her life and work have been commemorated but never like this. The princess whose passing was mourned around the world is being remembered and celebrated on a global scale this year, too. Here are five ways Diana will be remembered in 2017.


1. Diana on film




Diana was a media star as well as a royal icon and this summer her life will be celebrated on TV. A major documentary from HBO will air ahead of the 20th anniversary of her death featuring interviews with the Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry. It is produced by Oxford Film and Television for the ITV network. The US network, ABC, is planning a two part serial about Diana to run this summer while the FX series, Feud, is to focus on Diana and Charles. Expect plenty of news coverage on TV, radio, online and in the press, too as Diana's story makes headlines once more. 


2. Photos of a Princess




The last official portraits of Diana, taken by Mario Testino, are part of a new exhibition at her childhood home, Althorp, which opened to the public on May 1st 2017. This summer, admission to this rare chance to see so many of the photos together is included in the ticket price of a visit to the Spencer family home.  This summer will also see the redesign of part of the estate's gardens, including the Oval Lake where Diana was laid to rest on September 6th 1997, with work incorporating designs to honour her memory. And on June 14th 2017, Earl Spencer will host a fundraising gala with the Diana Award at Althorp.
3. Kensington Palace and Diana



Diana's London home, Kensington Palace, became the centre of a nation's grief following her death and this year it has, in some ways, become a focal point for her memory. In February, a major exhibition telling her story through her clothes opened there. Diana: Her Fashion includes some of her most famous outfits including the 'Travolta' dress and the frock Diana loved to call Elvis.  It's already brought in huge crowds and massive media coverage with some dates sold out. Diana: Her Fashion Story runs until 2018. Visitors to Kensington Palace will also enjoy the White Garden, planted in her memory, and now in full bloom and filled with some of Diana's favourite flowers. Meanwhile, plans are under way for a statue of Diana to be placed at Kensington Palace in her memory.



 4.  A library of new books


Books marking anniversaries seem almost compulsory and there are several already announced to mark the twenty years since Diana died.  The princess' former private secretary, Patrick Jephson, will release his '' Shadows of a Princess'' in June this year, described as an intimate account of life with Diana. Ken Wharfe, her former royal protection officer, also has a book out in August called ''Guarding Diana: My Journeys with Diana, Princess of Wales''.  On July 1st, the date of Diana's birthday, journalist Phil Dampier brings out ''Diana, I'm Going to Be Me'' telling the princess' story through her own words. TV journalist, Nicholas Owen, releases a retrospective of her life in June called '' Diana, the People's Princess, a Celebration of her Life and Legacy, Twenty Years On'' while Andrew Morton is bringing out a 25th anniversary edition of his ''Diana: Her True Story'', the book which rocked the royals and signalled the beginning of the end of the Wales' marriage.


5. The Diana Legacy Award

''Nothing brings me more happiness than trying to help the most vulnerable people in society''. Diana wanted to make a difference and to help others and in just a few weeks' time, those who do the same will be honoured with an award in her name. The first Diana Legacy Award will be presented by William and Harry at St James' Palace on May 18th 2017. Twenty young people from across the world will be recognised for their kindness, for their service and for their compassion.  Helping others and her two boys were the main focal points of Diana's life - this way of remembering her sums up a princess who will be commemorated in many different ways, twenty years after her death.
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