Princess Diana died in a car crash on August 31, 1997, at age 36 in the Pont de l’Alma tunnel in Paris while the driver was fleeing the paparazzi.
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The crash also resulted in the deaths of her companion Dodi Fayed and the driver, Henri Paul, who was the acting security manager of the Hôtel Ritz Paris.
Trevor Rees-Jones, who was employed as a bodyguard by Dodi’s father, survived the crash; he suffered a serious head injury.
The televised funeral, on September 6, 1997, was watched by a British television audience that peaked at 32.10 million, which was one of the United Kingdom’s highest viewing figures ever.
Princess Diana was born Diana Frances Spencer into the British nobility on July 1, 1961 at Park House, Sandringham, Norfolk. She was the fourth of five children of John Spencer, Viscount Althorp (1924–1992) and Frances Spencer, Viscountess Althorp.
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Diana grew up close to the royal family on their Sandringham estate.
In 1981, while working as a nursery teacher’s assistant, she became engaged to Prince Charles, the eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II.
Their wedding took place at St Paul’s Cathedral in 1981 and made her Princess of Wales, a role in which she was enthusiastically received by the public.
Princess Diana and Charles III had two sons, Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Prince William, Prince of Wales.
As Princess of Wales, Diana undertook royal duties on behalf of the Queen and represented her at functions across the Commonwealth realms.
Diana’s activism and glamour made her an international icon and earned her enduring popularity as well as unprecedented public scrutiny, exacerbated by her tumultuous private life.
Her marriage to Charles suffered due to their incompatibility and extramarital affairs.
They separated in 1992 and their divorce was finalized in 1996.
Diana remains one of the most popular members of the royal family throughout history.
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