August 31, 1997

On this day in 1997 Princess Diana died in a car crash.

The People's Princess

Diana, Princess of Wales

Princess Diana was the first wife of King Charles III while he was still the Prince of Wales. She gave birth to two sons, Princes William and Harry. William is next in line for the throne. She was an international icon due to her activism and glamour and she had enduring popularity with people all across the world. She was born into British nobility and grew up close to the royal family. She married King Charles III in 1981 and became the Princess of Wales. Theirs was not a marriage of passion and their incompatibility, combined with the King's extramarital affairs, led to a doomed marriage. They divorced in 1996. Although she had to relinquish her title of "Her Royal Highness" she was still known as "Diana, Princess of Wales" after the divorce.

A Life Cut Short

Princess Diana and her boyfriend Dodi Fayed, an Egyptian-born socialite, were vacationing in Paris in August 1997. They left the Ritz Paris and were heading toward Dodi's apartment when they were swarmed by paparazzi. Within minutes of leaving the hotel the driver lost control of the car and crashed into a pillar at the entrance of the Post de l'Alma tunnel.

Princess Diana's funeral was watched by over 2 billion people across the world

Both Dodi and the driver were pronounced dead at the scene. Princess Diana was taken to a nearby hospital where she was declared dead at the age of only 36. The only survivor was a fourth passenger, Princess Diana's bodyguard.

Her death became a media sensation. A formal investigation was conduced which concluded her driver was under the influence of both alcohol and prescription drugs.