Princess Diana: On the 27th anniversary of her death in Paris, a look at the legacy of the People’s Princess

BBC newsreader Martyn Lewis broke the news of Princess Diana’s death on the channel and said: “I was shaken awake at 1am by my daughter saying that the newscasters’ PA was on the phone and that she wanted to speak to me urgently. She told me that the Princess of Wales had been injured in a very bad accident in Paris and I had to go on air with two bulletins.” He went on to say: “It’s unlike anything I’ve ever done in that it was a six-and-half-hour stint, which we just couldn’t plan at all. There was no script for the first few hours, we had to fly by the seats of our pants.”

I even recall my disbelief at watching the news unfold about Princess Diana’s death on television. I knew of course that I had no personal connection to Princess Diana, but just as the nation saw the late Queen Elizabeth II as a constant figure in their lives, this was the way I viewed Diana. 

Long before the days of social media and the likes of Kim Kardashian, Taylor Swift and Hailey Bieber, Princess Diana was a cultural and fashion icon. It is also important to stress that the People’s Princess - a phrase coined by Tony Blair in the aftermath of her death - was called the People’s Princess for a reason.

 Ian Green, the chief executive of the Terrence Higgins Trust reflected on her impact in 2021 (on what would have been Princess Diana’s 60th birthday). “I believe it’s important to look back at the momentous impact she had on public perceptions of HIV and celebrate her legacy,” he said. “Because, with every gloveless handshake and every hug, she helped to challenge the hysteria and fear that was rife at the time."

He went on to say: “In April 1987, at the height of the AIDS epidemic, while many turned away and ignored what was happening, Princess Diana opened the UK’s first specialist HIV/Aids unit at London’s Middlesex Hospital, a space that would exclusively care for patients with the virus.”

Princess Diana was also passionate about helping young and homeless people and became a patron of Centrepoint in 1992. She also made sure her sons Prince William and Prince Harry were fully aware of the issues facing homeless people and took them to shelters to see for themselves. 

In June 2023, Prince William demonstrated the impact of his mother’s legacy on him when he unveiled a five-year initiative to tackle the issue of homelessness. He said at the time “My first visit to a homelessness shelter was when I was 11 with my mother. The visits we made left a deep and lasting impression.”

TIME magazine wrote in 2019 that “Princess Diana brought her signature determination to her campaigning against landmines.” The article also recalled that “At the time of Princess Diana’s visit to Angola in January 1997, Prince William and Prince Harry were 14 and 12 years old, and her divorce from Prince Charles had been finalised the previous year.”

Even years later, it is impossible to forget the photographs of Princess Diana meeting landmine survivors and wearing protective clothing and equipment. Although Prince Harry was only 12 years old at the time, what Princess Diana did in Angola in terms of her advocacy against landmines, clearly had a profound effect on him. 

In 2019, Prince Harry paid tribute to his mother by retracing her steps in Angola. He said: “It’s been quite emotional retracing my mother’s steps along this street 22 years on… and to see the transformation that has taken place from an unsafe and desolate area into a vibrant community of local businesses and colleges.”

Princess Diana’s fashion legacy

It is incredible to think that Princess Diana’s style legacy is still causing waves in fashion 27 years after her death. It is particularly incredible when you think that the influencers and celebrities were born long after she passed away.

The outfits that she wore to the gym in the ‘90s’ such as cycling shorts and oversized sweatshirts are now finding newfound popularity amongst the Gen Z generation and celebrities such as Hailey Bieber. 

It is also important to note the power of Princess Diana’s ‘revenge’ dress which she wore the day that King Charles, then Prince Charles admitted to adultery. Fashion researcher Eloise Moran told CNN: “I think that was the line drawn where she was in control, and she was showing that to everybody. She went on to say “You can truly make people afraid of you - or intimidated by you, or respect you, or whatever it is through clothing.”

I personally couldn’t agree more with Eloise and I would go as far as to say that I think Princess Diana was the the Queen of showing people how she was feeling by what she wore. 

After her divorce from King Charles, then Prince Charles, it was clear to see a seismic shift in her fashion style; formal dresses were replaced by trouser suits and more business/power style dressing. When she attended the Met Gala in 1996, she wore a lingerie-style dress by John Galliano for Christian Dior that was seen as rather risqué at the time. 

Despite it being 27 years since Princess Diana’s death, I believe that her legacy will not only continue to shape the lives of her sons Prince William and Prince Harry, but a younger generation will continue to benefit from the incredible work she did to highlight important issues many years ago.