As one of the most popular public personalities in the world at her time, Princess Diana's life is still a great source of inspiration for filmmakers. Here, we take a closer look at The Princess, the latest cinematic release about her.
Despite her tragic death, the life of Princess Diana was rich, not only in wealth but also in the vicissitudes she experienced, making it a perfect cinematic subject for avid filmmakers.
Amid the flurry of on-screen work about the Princess, namely Spencer, The Crown, and Diana: The Musical, the new HBO documentary The Princess is the latest to be released. While all revolve around events in the late Princess's life, each cinematic work has its own angle and points, leaving audiences fascinated and curious about the others.
Here are some essential facts about Lady Diana and the much-buzzed-about The Princess.
Who is Princess Diana?
Diana Frances Spencer was born on July 1, 1961, in Sandringham, England, to a British aristocratic family that bestowed her with enviable privileges. Despite being a commoner by definition, Diana still grew up with the Royal Family members. Her family's mansion was next to the Sandringham estate of the Royal Family, and Prince Andrew was her childhood playmate.
According to People, her education didn't take off, however, rendering her to leave school at the age of 17. She then moved to London and fended for herself by working as a housekeeper. In 1980, at the age of 19, Diana met Prince Charles again, and the two immediately fell for each other. After only six months of dating, the Prince proposed to Diana. The two officially tied the knot a year later, making Diana the first British citizen to marry a British heir in almost 300 years. She gave birth to Prince William in 1982, before welcoming the birth of Prince Harry two years later.
Variety reports that despite the lovebirds' seemingly perfect romance, Princess Diana and Prince Charles' relationship started to deteriorate in 1986 when rumors about the Prince's affair with Camilla Parker Bowles began to spread. In 1996, after 16 years of marriage, the two divorced.
In 1997, the world witnessed a tragic event that sent shockwaves to all. On August 30, Diana and Fayed, her rumored new boyfriend, left the Ritz Hotel in Paris. Just after midnight, they had a tragic car crash that instantly killed Fayed and the driver, while Diana died later in a hospital. The world blamed the media and paparazzi for their incessant onslaught on the Princess' private life and grieved over her unexpected death.
What to expect from Princess Diana
Even after her death, Diana is still being regarded as the People's Princess. Her somewhat controversial life, filled with ups and downs, is the inspiration for a myriad of cinematic works, including the new HBO documentary Princess Diana.
According to Tatler, the 104-minute film is directed by Ed Perkins, the director of the Oscar-nominated Black Sheep, and produced by Simon Chinn, the BAFTA award-winning producer of Man on the Wire, Sugarman, and LA 92.
What sets Princess Diana apart from other much-anticipated Diana titles is that the film will be made up of entirely real content from archival footage of the Princess. It is expected to give audiences a uniquely immersive experience when exploring Princess Diana's life and death, through documentaries, interviews, and audio recordings.
Sharing about his motivation to make the film, Ed Perkins told the USA Today:
‘The day Diana died, I was 11 years old and I remember being woken up by my parents, who were really emotional about it in a way I found surprising. There was this national wave of grief and mourning I had never seen up to that point and I don't think I've ever seen since. Adults were grieving this person as if she was their own mother or daughter’.
After the first trailer has landed, Princess Diana will be nationwide released in theaters on June 30.
The trailer for The Princess depicts how the onslaught of the media took a toll on the Princess' life and eventually led to her death in 1997.
