内容简介
She was, indeed, the People's Princess. She belonged to them,and was beloved by them. For some reason that cannot be pinneddown, this pretty young woman of the aristocracy, who married intoroyalty, connected with the common folk in a way that was uniqueand extraordinary. The people cared for and cared about Diana, andwhen she was killed in a tragic car accident in Paris, theoutpouring of grief-not just in England, but globally-wasoverwhelming. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of DianaSpencer's birth, LIFE has assembled a celebratory chronicle of hertoo short but constantly vibrant time in the public eye. In familyphotos, we re visit Diana's youth and then, quickly enough, thereis her courtship by Prince Charles. The Wedding of the Centuryreally was that, an opulent extravaganza at St. Paul's that seemeda fairy tale, even unto the Glass Coach. LIFE was on the job at thetime and in our pages appeared defining pictures from the day, aswell as behind the scenes shots taken by the royals themselves.Those photographs resurface here, as do others from the magazine,which paid constant attention to Diana as she gracefully assumedthe role of princess-perhaps the most famous princess of all time.LIFE followed her-and follows her here-as she set about doing hergood works. Diana's family life with her handsome young boys inKensington Palace is recounted, as are the travails when hermarriage crumbles. On September 6, 1997, 2.5 billion people aroundthe world watched Lady Di's funeral, televised from WestminsterAbbey. LIFE revisits that sad day, and then parses Diana's legacy,catching up with her charismatic sons today- the older of whom,William, has just taken a bride. Kate Middleton now wears Diana'sring, and will one day be queen the very thing that was predictedfor Diana, not so very long ago.