15 years ago today, tragedy struck the royal family and the world when Princess Diana was killed in a car accident. Diana, Princess of Wales, married Charles Prince of Wales, on July 29, 1981 in a lavish ceremony and captured the hearts of the entire world. Diana was devoted to her charity work during and after her reign as princess. Her and Charles divorced on August 28, 1996 out-casting her from the royals but not from the hearts of the people all over world that adored her. There have been many rumors surrounding the Princess’ untimely death and many believe that she could have been survived the crash. Diana is survived by her two sons, William and Harry, who continue to do the charity work that Diana felt so strongly about. Read more below.
Whether you admired her or reviled her (or at least the prurient media coverage she seemed to invite), Diana, Princess of Wales is one of those pop culture icons whose senseless death made you stop in your tracks.
It was 15 years ago that Diana and billionaire boyfriend Dodi Fayed died in a car wreck after their drunk security driver plowed into a tunnel column in Paris while attempting to elude paparazzi. She left behind two sons, Prince William, then 15, and Prince Harry, 12, and millions around the world who mourned her — for her grace, or for her vulnerability, or for the purpose she found at the end of her life in helping those injured by landmines.
Diana’s life (and her death) continues to be plumbed by biographers and filmmakers, most recently in “The Queen,” which earned Helen Mirren an Oscar for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in the wake of the crash. Naomi Watts is currently filming “Diana,” a biopic that focuses on the last few years of life, including her relationship with heart surgean surgeon Hasnet Khan, to be played by “Lost”‘s Naveen Andrews.
Meanwhile, a documentary financed by the Fayed family, “Unlawful Killing,” which alleges that the accident was an elaborate cover-up, was shelved last month after filmmakers could not get insurance to fend off the inevitable libel lawsuits.
The Guardian’s Michael White has an interesting take on Diana’s legacy: “She forced (the royal family) to raise their game, she enlivened their Hanoverian gene pool.”
