Princess Diana: How her legend lives on in pop culture
From fake bank notes to flowers and films, the memory of Princess Diana seems firmly preserved for posterity.
Di-faced tenners
Nothing could better underscore one's pop culture street cred than being a muse for the artist Banksy. Now a coveted Banksy print, the "Di-Faced Tenner" created in 2004 is a play of words. The face of the late Princess Diana — popularly called "Lady Di" — replaced Queen Elizabeth II's that traditionally graces the British £10 note. The note, commonly called the "tenner," has thus been "defaced."
An orchid for 'England's rose'
"Goodbye England's rose…" was the first reworded line in Elton John's "Candle in The Wind 1997." Diana's untimely death was met with shock and sorrow in the British Commonwealth countries too. Diana was due to have visited Singapore's Orchid Garden in 1997 to view an orchid named after her: the Dendrobium Memoria Princess Diana. She was however killed in the car crash just two weeks before that.
Never sung live again
Elton John's 1973 hit "Candle in The Wind" was originally a tribute to Marilyn Monroe, who like Diana, had died aged 36. John sang a reworded version at Lady Di's funeral and vowed never to sing it live again, unless asked by one of her sons. Government documents released by the National Archives last year reveal that initially the palace wasn't in favor of it, deeming it "too sentimental."
The myth and the legend
Delivering the tribute at her funeral, Diana's brother, Earl Spencer, drew parallels between her and her namesake mythical Greek goddess. "A girl given the name of the ancient goddess of hunting was, in the end, the most hunted person of the modern age," alluding to her being constantly pursued by the media. Seen here is a statue of the goddess Diana, who's often depicted with a deer by her side.
Silver screen avatars
Kristen Stewart is among several actresses who have portrayed Diana in films. Stewart was nominated for — but didn't win — the Best Actress gong at the 2022 Oscars for her role in the film "Spencer," a psychological drama that focused on Princess Diana's existential crisis during Christmas 1991, when she considers divorcing Prince Charles and leaving the British royal family.
Diana for a season
Emma Corrin, who played Diana in Season 4 of Netflix's "The Crown," won a Golden Globe in 2021 and thanked the late princess in her acceptance speech: "You have taught me compassion and empathy beyond any measure I've ever imagined. On behalf of everyone who remembers you so fondly and passionately in our hearts, thank you." Australian actress Elizabeth Debicki will play Diana in Seasons 5 and 6.
Mindless musical
Meanwhile, Jeanna de Waal (pictured) played the princess in "Diana: The Musical," a short-lived Broadway show that was filmed and premiered on Netflix in October 2021. It won five Golden Raspberry Awards in March this year, including the Worst Screenplay prize for "featuring some of the year's most ridiculed dialogue and lyrics, including rhyming 'Camilla' with both 'Manilla' and 'Godzilla.'"
Dancing queen
Princess Diana had always loved dancing, as proven in this November 9, 1985 photo of her with American actor John Travolta at a White House dinner in Washington D.C. The midnight blue velvet Victor Edelstein gown she wore, nicknamed the "Travolta dress," was featured in a 2017 exhibition of 25 dresses and outfits worn by Lady Di entitled "Diana: Her Fashion Story" at Kensington Palace in London.
Fashionista forever
Diana was once "the most photographed woman," partly for her inimitable style. When she first made headlines as Prince Charles' fiancée, she was known for her "Sloane Ranger" style of clothes consisting sometimes eye-catching knitwear, pie-crust collars, calf-length skirts and a strand of pearls. Thanks to Netflix's "The Crown," the style enjoyed a recent resurgence besides inspiring designers.
Forlorn at monument of love
During a royal tour of India in February 1992, Diana visited the Taj Mahal alone while Prince Charles was engaged elsewhere. This stark image of the princess seated alone on a bench against India's famous monument to love "broke hearts," but royal watchers and detractors saw it as a calculated move on her end to gain sympathy. Later that same year, the royal couple announced their separation.
The 'People's Princess'
While opinions are divided on whether Diana manipulated the press or vice versa, she undoubtedly banked on her celebrity to give worthy causes a platform. This picture of her shaking hands — gloveless — with an unidentified AIDS patient in 1987 was impactful in dispelling fake news about the illness in its early days. She did the same for leprosy, besides championing the cause of the homeless.