Diana’s decades: what is the new documentary on the Princess of Wales about and when was her wedding to Charles?

A new three-part documentary called Diana’s Decades is being aired by ITV, and hopes to take a fresh look at the Princess of Wales’ life.

What is the documentary about?

The three-part documentary will look at how the princess channelled and influenced popular culture at the end of the 20th century.

Every episode will look at how one era of Diana’s life encapsulated the spirit of the age and inspired social change.

It will feature people who met Diana or whose lives intersected with hers, with some interviewees having never spoken on the subject before.

The documentary begins with her early royal life as a shy bride, through her high-profile work for HIV charities and the public’s adoption of Diana as the “people’s princess”.

It features rarely seen archive footage of Diana’s life alongside scenes from the changing eras she lived through, right up to the rise of the Spice Girls during “Cool Britannia”.

The series’ executive producer Teresa Watkins said of the series:

“This is Diana’s story but it’s also the story of us, and how we’ve been marked by her life even in ways we are not fully aware of.”

Daniela Neumann of Spun Gold TV added: “Nearly 25 years on from her death, Diana, Princess of Wales continues to lead our news bulletins and conversations not just in Britain but around the world.”

When is it on?

The first episode of the series aired on July 8.

Episode two will drop on July 15 and the final, third episode coming July 22.

Each episode will be an hour-long and will run from 9pm on ITV, as well as being available on ITV hub afterwards.

When did Charles and Diana marry?

The pair first met in December, 1977, when Diana was 16 years old. Charles was 29 and dating her older sister, Sarah, at the time.

It was in 1980 when Charles took interest in Diana, and by 1981 the two were engaged, when Diana was just 19 years old.

The engagement was announced on 24 February 1981 and they were married on 29 July 1981. Diana was 20 years old when they married - Charles was 32.

They were married in St Paul's Cathedral in a ceremony that was globally televised and drew in millions of viewers. The wedding reception was held at Buckingham Palace.

Diana gave birth to their first child the following year. Prince William Arthur Philip Louis of Wales was born on 21 June 1982. On 15 September 1984, she then gave birth to Prince Henry “Harry” Charles Albert David.

When did Charles and Diana divorce?

Diana famously told of the breakdown of her marriage in a 1992 interview, though rumours had been circulating long before about the state of the couple’s marriage.

According to Charles’s authorised biography, he began an affair with Camilla in 1986, ten years before his divorce to Diana.

Charles later became embroiled in a scandal nicknamed ‘Camillagate’ when private phone calls made in 1989 to her were leaked to the British press. The most explicit content was redacted.

The pair finalised their divorce in 1996.