Princess Diana – On this day in 1997, Diana, Princess of Wales died in a car crash in the Pont de l’Alma road tunnel in Paris along with her then boyfriend, Dodi Al-Fayed and their chauffeur Henri Paul, at the age of 36. Born Diana Frances Spencer on 1 July 1961 in Park House, Sandringham, Norfolk, England into the Spencer family, a British noble family descended in the male line from Henry Spencer (died c. 1478), male-line ancestor of the Earls of Sunderland, the later Dukes of Marlborough, and the Earls Spencer. Sir Winston Churchill was a grandson of the 7th Duke of Marlborough. She was only 36 at the time of her death. 
The Final Footprint - Princess Diana is entombed in a private mausoleum on the Island on the lake Oval on the grounds of the Spencer Estate in Althorp. Permanent memorials include:
- The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Gardens in Regent Centre Gardens in Kirkintilloch
- The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain in Hyde Park, London
- The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Playground in Kensington Gardens, London
- The Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Walk, a circular path between Kensington Gardens, Green Park, Hyde Park and St. James’s Park, London
- There is an unofficial memorial in Paris, Place de l’Alma: it is the flame of liberty, erected here in 1989.
- There are two memorials inside Harrods department store in London:
- Photos of Diana and Dodi behind a pyramid-shaped display that holds a wine glass still smudged with lipstick from Diana’s last dinner as well as an ‘engagement’ ring Dodi purchased the day before they died and
- A bronze statue titled Innocent Victims of the two dancing on a beach beneath the wings of an albatross
In 2006, the movie The Queen was released starring Helen Mirren as HM Queen Elizabeth II. The movie is a behind the scenes look at the interaction between the royal family and Tony Blair’s government as they struggle to deal with a family’s private loss and the public’s loss of a very popular figure.
I remember where I was when I heard the news. Do you?
Have you planned yours yet?
