Lady Diana. Ten moments that built the myth
Twenty years ago, the Princess of Wales died in a tragic accident under the Alma Bridge in Paris. The extraordinary life of Diana Spencer has been scrutinized by photographers around the world, displayed in the tabloids and sometimes severely judged by her contemporaries. Here are ten episodes, tragic, happy or unusual from his life to better understand this emblematic character.
Lady Di, who died in a tragic accident on August 31, 1997, just twenty years ago, was one of the most influential women of the 20th century. A fashion icon and tireless advocate for the left behind, she was only 19 when she first found herself in the viewfinder of photographers and under the eyes of millions of people.
From her marriage in 1981, until her death in 1997, Diana remained one of the most beloved members of the royal family. His style surprises, turns royal traditions upside down and appeals to the public. People appreciate him for his outspokenness, lightness and immense empathy. Her brother, Earl Spencer, describes her as "the very essence of compassion, duty, style and beauty."
1. Her marriage, scrutinized by 750 million people
From the royal family, Diana is chosen to marry Prince Charles after only 13 dates with him. She meets all the requirements of the royal family: she is of aristocratic origin, celibate without much experience, and Protestant.
On July 29, 1981, no less than 35,000 people were invited to the “wedding of the century”. Two million curious people are on the passage of the coach which takes the couple to Saint Paul's Cathedral in London. There, the ceremony is broadcast by the media and 750 million spectators watch the event live. To ensure the security of the marriage, gigantic means are put in place, nearly 4,000 police officers and 2,000 soldiers are deployed.
The wedding numbers are dizzying: the couple have twenty-seven cakes, Diana's dress, with an eight-meter train costs £ 31,000 today, her ring is an eighteen-carat sapphire set of fourteen diamonds. It takes him more than three minutes to cross the cathedral.
2. The first member of the royal family to care for AIDS patients
On April 10, 1987, his handshake with a person suffering from AIDS went around the world, at a time when these patients were ostracized. In her effort to destigmatize those with AIDS, she readily accepts physical contact with those living with HIV, although at the time unjustified fears about modes of transmission remained
At that time, no member of the royal family had ever come into contact with AIDS patients. But in 1989 she opened a specialized care center in South London, the Landmarks Aids Center. She then said: “AIDS does not make people dangerous. You can hug them, hand hold them in your arms. You can even accommodate them in your homes and workplaces ”
3. In a minefield in Angola
The Princess of Wales is involved in dozens of organizations related to health, education and animal welfare. She is notably president of several hospitals and schools in England. This is how she became involved in the 1990s with the Halo trust, an organization tasked with removing the dangerous remains of wars, especially mines.
In 1997, pictures of her in demining gear in Angola once again toured the world. His work is exemplified in facilitating the signing of the Ottawa treaty banning the use of anti-personnel bombs. British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Robin Crook describes his work as "a huge contribution" to mine action.
During the years when she was married, she participated in many charitable events. She was present in 191 official engagements in 1988 and 397 in 1991. When the princess divorced in 1996, she was involved in a hundred charities. She continues to work for six of them, even as she breaks free from her obligations as the wife of Prince Charles.
4. The birth of her children
As Diana became Princess of Wales, it was imperative that she be able to offer heirs to her husband Charles. Only three months after their wedding in November 1981, the couple announced that the princess was pregnant with their first child, William. And the couple are already struggling. The princess suffocates at Buckingham Palace, she does not live with the media pressure and understands that Charles will never separate from his mistress, Camilla.
In January, while in Sandringham Estate, she crashed down a staircase and fell at the Queen Mother's feet. Fortunately the fetus is unharmed. For everyone it is just a simple accident that ends well. But Diana would later explain that she tried to kill herself that day.
Her second son, Harry was born two years after his brother, in 1984. Rumors that he was the son of her then-lover, James Hewitt, were circulating at the time.
5. Alone in front of the "temple of love"
In 1992, no one was fooled anymore, the marriage of Diana and Prince Charles was a failure. For three years, the strong tensions reigning within the couple have made the headlines of the press. The Unes follow one another in the tabloids, sometimes titling "the mirage of the century".
On February 11, the couple flew to India. Three days before Valentine's Day, the meeting point is in front of the Taj Mahal, the "temple of love". Photographers hope to capture a snapshot of the couple in front of the monument, but Diana poses alone. Charles preferred to go to a business meeting in Bangalore, 2000 km away.
The next day, during a polo match, the princess turns her face away when her husband, faithful to protocol, tries to kiss her. The audience is dumbfounded. Nine months later, the couple announced their separation.
6. When traveling, she does not separate from her lucky sex toy
The story of Lady Di's lucky charm begins in France between a meeting with President Jacques Chirac and another with Paul McCartney. Knowing that Diana loves pranks, her bodyguard manages to persuade Lady Di's sister, who is accompanying her on the trip, to slip a sex toy into her bag. After the princess found out, she never wanted to part with it and carried it with her as a lucky charm, as her bodyguard Ken Wharfe recounts in his book Diana: A Closely Guarded Secret .
"She attached an almost superstitious importance to it," he explains. One day on a trip she addresses him and asks, "I hope we have 'The Gadget,' Ken. You know that without him everything will go wrong. "The gadget" was actually the name of the sex toy.
The subject is so serious to her that on a trip to India, when she realizes she has forgotten it, she asks a secretary of state to send her by diplomatic bag.
7. A shocking interview that changes his life
The princess never had her tongue in her pocket. One year before the official separation of the couple, Lady Di gives herself as never before in an explosive interview broadcast by the BBC on November 20, 1995. From her living room in Kensington Palace, she confides everything and settles accounts methodically with her husband but also with his entourage and the royal family.
She doesn't hesitate to bring up her depression, self-harm, bulimia, her husband's infidelity with Camilla Parker-Bowles, and hers in return with her riding teacher. Above all, she questions Charles's ability to reign: "I know his personality, I think this 'top job' would put him under enormous strain, and I don't know if he could adapt to it."
Questioned the next day by ITN, 85% of the British greet her confession of "courageous princess". Her interview represents one of the "finest political performances ever by a woman," writes New YorkTimes. Who adds: "It was at least from François Mitterrand's class. And the Sun headline: "You were beautiful, Di", as the report from Le Point goes.
8. She sells her dresses to fund the causes she defends
A few months after her divorce, Diana wants a change of skin. On June 25, 1997, she auctioned 65 of her evening dresses for $ 5.7 million to help fight cancer and AIDS, two of the many causes she championed. Unheard of in the royal family.
Diana thus breaks with the image of a fashion icon that she has carefully forged, sometimes defying the conventions attached to her status. Because, aware of the power of appearance, Princess Diana used her wardrobe as a standard, helping to dust off the royal wardrobe. She continues to inspire stylists even 20 years after her death.
When she married Prince Charles in 1981, she looked like a young girl in bloom. But within a few years, "Shy Di" ("Shy Di"), as she was known at the time, came out of her shell and realized that her appearance could be a great communication tool. From then on, she swapped her wise floral dresses and frills for more glamorous outfits.
"She had learned very quickly to use fashion as an instrument and used it to send messages or promote causes," Libby Thompson, one of the curators of the exhibition "Diana: her life through la mode ', on display at Kensington Palace through February 28, 2018.
9. Her ultimate romance in the south of France
During or after her marriage, the Princess of Wales had several lovers in her life. Among them are notably James Hewitt, his riding teacher, Philipp Dunne, a banker, David Waterhouse, major of the "Life Guards", David Kerr, owner of an art gallery, Will Carling, ex-captain of the English rugby team, and Oliver Hoare, an antique dealer.
Diana's great love is Hasnat Khan, a Pakistani surgeon. This little-known relationship is however the one that truly made the heart of the princess vibrate. She met him in 1995, during a visit to the Royal Brompton Hospital in London. But the romance came to an end when the doctor's family received her in Lahore, Pakistan. Too Western, not Muslim, the cardiologist's family will reject this union. The two lovers break up in the summer of 1997.
History therefore retains Diana's last relationship: Dodi- Al-Fayed, a wealthy Egyptian heir. Lady Di begins to see him during the same summer of 1997. They go on vacation together in the south of France. Their romance on the Egyptian’s huge yacht is leaked to the press thanks to photos stolen by paparazzi. A few weeks later, the couple will perish together, pursued by press photographers.
10. His deadly pursuit in Paris
The very sudden death of Princess Diana, still very popular, causes an international stir. On August 31, 1997, Diana accompanied by her then-companion, Dodi-Al-fayed, a bodyguard, and a driver crashed into the 13th tunnel pillar of the Alma Bridge.
As he walks out of a dinner party at the Ritz around 12:20 am, the couple are watched by paparazzi outside the hotel. Mercedes S280 driver Henri Paul was under the influence of alcohol and drugs and was traveling 105 km / h on impact.
His companion, Al-Fayed and the driver die instantly. Diana, in very serious condition, is first treated on site. As the paparazzi continue to take pictures, the princess repeats “leave me alone”. She was transported to the Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital, then died around 5 a.m. two hours after being hospitalized, after suffering cardiac arrest.
On September 6, 1997, the state funeral was given in honor of the "Princess of Hearts". It took incredible public anger, widely reported by the press, for Buckingham to organize this last farewell, worthy of a member of the royal family, when Lady Di was no longer one. Millions of flowers are laid out in front of his former home, Kensington Palace, and 2.5 billion people watch the event on television.
Pop singer Elton John pays him a final tribute by performing and rewriting the song "Candle in the Wind".
