Friday marks the 15th anniversary of Princess Diana‘s tragic death. The mother of Prince William, 30, and Prince Harry, 27, was killed in a car accident in August 1997 while being chased by paparazzi through a tunnel in Paris. She was 36.
After Diana famously divorced Prince Charles in 1996, she reinvented herself as a global humanitarian. At the time of her death, Diana was dating billionaire Dodi Al-Fayed, who died with her in the crash.
Her son, William, married Kate Middleton on April 29, 2011 and told Katie Couric in an ABC special in May of this year that it was “very difficult” getting married without his mother looking on.
“I sort of prepared myself beforehand so that I was mentally prepared,” William said of his wedding day. “I didn’t want any wobbly lips or anything going on. It’s the one time since she’s died where I’ve thought to myself, ‘It would be fantastic if she was here,’ and just how sad really for her, more than anything, not being able to see it.”
“I think she would have loved the day, and I think, hopefully, she’d be very proud,” he continued. “I’m just very sad that she’s never going to get a chance to meet Kate.”
Actress Naomi Watts is currently portraying the beloved royal in the upcoming biopic, Diana. The 43-year-old actress has transformed herself on set to be the spitting image of Diana.
“It is such an honor to be able to play this iconic role,” Watts, 43, said in February after the casting was announced. “Princess Diana was loved across the world and I look forward to rising to the challenge of playing her on screen.”
Directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel and written by Stephen Jeffreys, the film will focus on the last two years of Diana’s life.
