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Diana legacy lingers as fans mark late royal’s 60th birthday

Danica Kirka

Associated Press

Tags: Queen Elizabeth II, Duke of Kent, Daniel Craig, Prince Philip, Government, entertainment, Prince Edward, Arts, Princess Diana, Elizabeth Emanuel, Sophie Rhys-Jones, Prince Charles, politics
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FILE - In this Thursday, Jan. 16, 1996 file photo, Britain's Princess Diana faces photographers as she leaves Luanda airport building to board a plane to Johannesburg at the end of her four-day visit to Angola. For someone who began her life in the spotlight as Shy Di, Princess Diana became an unlikely, revolutionary during her years in the House of Windsor. She helped modernize the monarchy by making it more personal, changing the way the royal family related to people. By interacting more intimately with the public -- kneeling to the level of children, sitting on edge of a patients hospital bed, writing personal notes to her fans -- she set an example that has been followed by other royals as the monarchy worked to become more human and remain relevant in the 21st century. (AP Photo/Giovanni Deffidenti, File)
FILE - In this Aug. 9, 1987 file photo, Britain's Princess Diana of Wales smiles as she sits with her sons, Princes Harry, foreground, and William, on the steps of the Royal Palace on the island of Mallorca, Spain. For someone who began her life in the spotlight as Shy Di, Princess Diana became an unlikely, revolutionary during her years in the House of Windsor. She helped modernize the monarchy by making it more personal, changing the way the royal family related to people. By interacting more intimately with the public -- kneeling to the level of children, sitting on edge of a patients hospital bed, writing personal notes to her fans -- she set an example that has been followed by other royals as the monarchy worked to become more human and remain relevant in the 21st century. (AP Photo/John Redman, File)
FILE - In this Monday, Nov. 2, 1987 file photo, Britain's Diana, the Princess of Wales, is pictured during an evening reception given by the West German President Richard von Weizsacker in honour of the British Royal guests in the Godesberg Redoute in Bonn, Germany. For someone who began her life in the spotlight as Shy Di, Princess Diana became an unlikely, revolutionary during her years in the House of Windsor. She helped modernize the monarchy by making it more personal, changing the way the royal family related to people. By interacting more intimately with the public -- kneeling to the level of children, sitting on edge of a patients hospital bed, writing personal notes to her fans -- she set an example that has been followed by other royals as the monarchy worked to become more human and remain relevant in the 21st century. (AP Photo/Herman Knippertz, File)
FILE - In this file photo dated Tuesday, June 28, 1989, Britain's Princess Diana wearing a white dress, races ahead during the mother's race, held during a sports day for Wetherby school, where her son Prince William is a pupil. T For someone who began her life in the spotlight as Shy Di, Princess Diana became an unlikely, revolutionary during her years in the House of Windsor. She helped modernize the monarchy by making it more personal, changing the way the royal family related to people. By interacting more intimately with the public -- kneeling to the level of children, sitting on edge of a patients hospital bed, writing personal notes to her fans -- she set an example that has been followed by other royals as the monarchy worked to become more human and remain relevant in the 21st century. AP Photo, FILE)
FILE - In this file photo dated Feb. 2, 1989, Princess Diana, centre smiles as Henry Street Settlement Director Verona Middleton-Jeter laughs, at New York's Henry Street Settlement, USA. For someone who began her life in the spotlight as Shy Di, Princess Diana became an unlikely, revolutionary during her years in the House of Windsor. She helped modernize the monarchy by making it more personal, changing the way the royal family related to people. By interacting more intimately with the public -- kneeling to the level of children, sitting on edge of a patients hospital bed, writing personal notes to her fans -- she set an example that has been followed by other royals as the monarchy worked to become more human and remain relevant in the 21st century. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)
FILE - In this April 24, 1991 file photo, Britain's Princess Diana, the Princess of Wales, hugs and plays with an HIV positive baby in Faban Hostel, San Paulo, on the second day of her visit to Brazil.For someone who began her life in the spotlight as Shy Di, Princess Diana became an unlikely, revolutionary during her years in the House of Windsor. She helped modernize the monarchy by making it more personal, changing the way the royal family related to people. By interacting more intimately with the public -- kneeling to the level of children, sitting on edge of a patients hospital bed, writing personal notes to her fans -- she set an example that has been followed by other royals as the monarchy worked to become more human and remain relevant in the 21st century. (AP Photo/Dave Caulkin, File)
FILE - In this file photo dated Feb. 11, 1992, Britain's Princess Diana sits alone backdropped by the Taj Mahal in Agra, India. For someone who began her life in the spotlight as Shy Di, Princess Diana became an unlikely, revolutionary during her years in the House of Windsor. She helped modernize the monarchy by making it more personal, changing the way the royal family related to people. By interacting more intimately with the public -- kneeling to the level of children, sitting on edge of a patients hospital bed, writing personal notes to her fans -- she set an example that has been followed by other royals as the monarchy worked to become more human and remain relevant in the 21st century. (AP photo/Udo Weitz, File)
FILE - In this file photo dated Friday, March 5, 1993, Britain's Diana talks with Nepalese children in the village of Panauti, in the foothills of the Himalayas, as some thousands of villagers, mostly children, turned out to greet her. For someone who began her life in the spotlight as Shy Di, Princess Diana became an unlikely, revolutionary during her years in the House of Windsor. She helped modernize the monarchy by making it more personal, changing the way the royal family related to people. By interacting more intimately with the public -- kneeling to the level of children, sitting on edge of a patients hospital bed, writing personal notes to her fans -- she set an example that has been followed by other royals as the monarchy worked to become more human and remain relevant in the 21st century. (AP Photo/Barbara Walton, File)
FILE - In this April 13, 1992 file photo, Princess Diana leaves the Natural History Museum after a dinosaur exhibition with her sons Prince Harry, left, and Prince William. For someone who began her life in the spotlight as Shy Di, Princess Diana became an unlikely, revolutionary during her years in the House of Windsor. She helped modernize the monarchy by making it more personal, changing the way the royal family related to people. By interacting more intimately with the public -- kneeling to the level of children, sitting on edge of a patients hospital bed, writing personal notes to her fans -- she set an example that has been followed by other royals as the monarchy worked to become more human and remain relevant in the 21st century. (AP Photo/Gill Allen, File)
FILE - In this June 5, 1996 file photo, Princess Diana pauses at the bed of a seriously injured man as she visits Cook County Hospital in Chicago. For someone who began her life in the spotlight as Shy Di, Princess Diana became an unlikely, revolutionary during her years in the House of Windsor. She helped modernize the monarchy by making it more personal, changing the way the royal family related to people. By interacting more intimately with the public -- kneeling to the level of children, sitting on edge of a patients hospital bed, writing personal notes to her fans -- she set an example that has been followed by other royals as the monarchy worked to become more human and remain relevant in the 21st century. (Beth A. Keiser,Pool Photo via AP, File)
FILE - In this file photo dated Nov. 1980, Lady Diana Spencer, faces the media near her flat in the Earls Court district of London. For someone who began her life in the spotlight as Shy Di, Princess Diana became an unlikely, revolutionary during her years in the House of Windsor. She helped modernize the monarchy by making it more personal, changing the way the royal family related to people. By interacting more intimately with the public -- kneeling to the level of children, sitting on edge of a patients hospital bed, writing personal notes to her fans -- she set an example that has been followed by other royals as the monarchy worked to become more human and remain relevant in the 21st century. (AP Photo, File)
FILE - This is a Wednesday Dec. 6, 1995 file photo of Diana, the Princess of Wales as she smiles after receiving bouquets of flowers from admirers as she leaves the English National Ballet school opening in London. For someone who began her life in the spotlight as Shy Di, Princess Diana became an unlikely, revolutionary during her years in the House of Windsor. She helped modernize the monarchy by making it more personal, changing the way the royal family related to people. By interacting more intimately with the public -- kneeling to the level of children, sitting on edge of a patients hospital bed, writing personal notes to her fans -- she set an example that has been followed by other royals as the monarchy worked to become more human and remain relevant in the 21st century. (AP Photo/Jacqueline Arzt, File)
FILE - In this June 18, 1997 file photo, Mother Teresa, left, says goodbye to Princess Diana after receiving a visit from her in New York. For someone who began her life in the spotlight as Shy Di, Princess Diana became an unlikely, revolutionary during her years in the House of Windsor. She helped modernize the monarchy by making it more personal, changing the way the royal family related to people. By interacting more intimately with the public -- kneeling to the level of children, sitting on edge of a patients hospital bed, writing personal notes to her fans -- she set an example that has been followed by other royals as the monarchy worked to become more human and remain relevant in the 21st century. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File)
FILE - In this Tuesday, Jan. 14, 1997 file photo, Diana, Princess of Wales, talks to amputees, at the Neves Bendinha Orthopedic Workshop in the outskirts of Luanda. For someone who began her life in the spotlight as Shy Di, Princess Diana became an unlikely, revolutionary during her years in the House of Windsor. She helped modernize the monarchy by making it more personal, changing the way the royal family related to people. By interacting more intimately with the public -- kneeling to the level of children, sitting on edge of a patients hospital bed, writing personal notes to her fans -- she set an example that has been followed by other royals as the monarchy worked to become more human and remain relevant in the 21st century. (AP Photo/Joao Silva, File)
FILE - In this Jan. 15, 1997 file photo, Diana, Princess of Wales, wearing protective gear, watches a land-mine clearing demonstration in Huambo, central Angola, one of the most densely mined areas in the country. For someone who began her life in the spotlight as Shy Di, Princess Diana became an unlikely, revolutionary during her years in the House of Windsor. She helped modernize the monarchy by making it more personal, changing the way the royal family related to people. By interacting more intimately with the public -- kneeling to the level of children, sitting on edge of a patients hospital bed, writing personal notes to her fans -- she set an example that has been followed by other royals as the monarchy worked to become more human and remain relevant in the 21st century. (AP Photo/Giovanni Diffidenti, File)
FILE - In this file photo dated Sunday Aug. 10, 1997, Britain's Diana, Princess of Wales, right, speaks with 15-year old landmine victim Bosnian muslim girl Mirzeta Gabelic, in front of Mirzeta's home in Sarajevo, while Diana was on a visit to the region as part of her campaign against landmines. For someone who began her life in the spotlight as Shy Di, Princess Diana became an unlikely, revolutionary during her years in the House of Windsor. She helped modernize the monarchy by making it more personal, changing the way the royal family related to people. By interacting more intimately with the public -- kneeling to the level of children, sitting on edge of a patients hospital bed, writing personal notes to her fans -- she set an example that has been followed by other royals as the monarchy worked to become more human and remain relevant in the 21st century. (AP Photo /Hidajet Delic, File)
FILE - In this Saturday, Aug. 9, 1997 file photo, Diana, Princess of Wales, sits and talks to members of a Zenica volleyball team who have suffered injuries from mines, during her visit to Zenica, Bosnia. For someone who began her life in the spotlight as Shy Di, Princess Diana became an unlikely, revolutionary during her years in the House of Windsor. She helped modernize the monarchy by making it more personal, changing the way the royal family related to people. By interacting more intimately with the public -- kneeling to the level of children, sitting on edge of a patients hospital bed, writing personal notes to her fans -- she set an example that has been followed by other royals as the monarchy worked to become more human and remain relevant in the 21st century. (Ian Waldie/Pool via AP, File)
FILE Diana, Princess of Wales, smiles at the United Cerebral Palsy's annual dinner at the New York Hilton in this Dec. 11, 1995 file photo. For someone who began her life in the spotlight as Shy Di, Princess Diana became an unlikely, revolutionary during her years in the House of Windsor. She helped modernize the monarchy by making it more personal, changing the way the royal family related to people. By interacting more intimately with the public -- kneeling to the level of children, sitting on edge of a patients hospital bed, writing personal notes to her fans -- she set an example that has been followed by other royals as the monarchy worked to become more human and remain relevant in the 21st century. (AP Photo/ Mark Lennihan, file)
FILE - In this 1980 file photo, Lady Diana Spencer, Prince Charles's girlfriend, is pictured at the Kindergarten in St. Georges Square, Pimlico, London, where she works. For someone who began her life in the spotlight as Shy Di, Princess Diana became an unlikely, revolutionary during her years in the House of Windsor. She helped modernize the monarchy by making it more personal, changing the way the royal family related to people. By interacting more intimately with the public -- kneeling to the level of children, sitting on edge of a patients hospital bed, writing personal notes to her fans -- she set an example that has been followed by other royals as the monarchy worked to become more human and remain relevant in the 21st century. (AP Photo, File)
FILE - In this Feb. 24, 1981 file photo, Britain's Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer pose following the announcement of their engagement. For someone who began her life in the spotlight as Shy Di, Princess Diana became an unlikely, revolutionary during her years in the House of Windsor. She helped modernize the monarchy by making it more personal, changing the way the royal family related to people. By interacting more intimately with the public -- kneeling to the level of children, sitting on edge of a patients hospital bed, writing personal notes to her fans -- she set an example that has been followed by other royals as the monarchy worked to become more human and remain relevant in the 21st century. (AP Photo/Ron Bell, Pool, File)
FILE - In this July 29, 1981 file photo, Britain's Prince Charles kisses his bride, Princess Diana, on the balcony of Buckingham Palace in London, after their wedding.For someone who began her life in the spotlight as Shy Di, Princess Diana became an unlikely, revolutionary during her years in the House of Windsor. She helped modernize the monarchy by making it more personal, changing the way the royal family related to people. By interacting more intimately with the public -- kneeling to the level of children, sitting on edge of a patients hospital bed, writing personal notes to her fans -- she set an example that has been followed by other royals as the monarchy worked to become more human and remain relevant in the 21st century. (AP Photo/File)
FILE - In this July 6, 1993 file photo, Princess Diana, the Princess of Wales,smiles during her visit to the Elmhurst Ballet School, in Camberley, Surrey. For someone who began her life in the spotlight as Shy Di, Princess Diana became an unlikely, revolutionary during her years in the House of Windsor. She helped modernize the monarchy by making it more personal, changing the way the royal family related to people. By interacting more intimately with the public -- kneeling to the level of children, sitting on edge of a patients hospital bed, writing personal notes to her fans -- she set an example that has been followed by other royals as the monarchy worked to become more human and remain relevant in the 21st century. (AP Photo, File)
FILE - In this March 21, 1983 file photo, Diana, Princess of Wales is pictured amid a large group of schoolchildren during her visit to Alice Springs, Australia. For someone who began her life in the spotlight as Shy Di, Princess Diana became an unlikely, revolutionary during her years in the House of Windsor. She helped modernize the monarchy by making it more personal, changing the way the royal family related to people. By interacting more intimately with the public -- kneeling to the level of children, sitting on edge of a patients hospital bed, writing personal notes to her fans -- she set an example that has been followed by other royals as the monarchy worked to become more human and remain relevant in the 21st century. (AP Photo/Dave Caulkin, FIle)
FILE - In this file photo dated Feb. 11, 1985, Britain's Princess Diana stoops to speak to children during a visit to Macedon, Australia. For someone who began her life in the spotlight as Shy Di, Princess Diana became an unlikely, revolutionary during her years in the House of Windsor. She helped modernize the monarchy by making it more personal, changing the way the royal family related to people. By interacting more intimately with the public -- kneeling to the level of children, sitting on edge of a patients hospital bed, writing personal notes to her fans -- she set an example that has been followed by other royals as the monarchy worked to become more human and remain relevant in the 21st century. (AP Photo / Jim Bourdier, File)
FILE - In this Aug. 4, 1987 file photo, Britain's Diana, Princess of Wales, left, and Britain's Queen Elizabeth II smile to well-wishers outside Clarence House in London.For someone who began her life in the spotlight as Shy Di, Princess Diana became an unlikely, revolutionary during her years in the House of Windsor. She helped modernize the monarchy by making it more personal, changing the way the royal family related to people. By interacting more intimately with the public -- kneeling to the level of children, sitting on edge of a patients hospital bed, writing personal notes to her fans -- she set an example that has been followed by other royals as the monarchy worked to become more human and remain relevant in the 21st century. ( (AP Photo/Martin Cleaver, File)

AP1997

FILE - In this Thursday, Jan. 16, 1996 file photo, Britain's Princess Diana faces photographers as she leaves Luanda airport building to board a plane to Johannesburg at the end of her four-day visit to Angola. For someone who began her life in the spotlight as Shy Di, Princess Diana became an unlikely, revolutionary during her years in the House of Windsor. She helped modernize the monarchy by making it more personal, changing the way the royal family related to people. By interacting more intimately with the public -- kneeling to the level of children, sitting on edge of a patients hospital bed, writing personal notes to her fans -- she set an example that has been followed by other royals as the monarchy worked to become more human and remain relevant in the 21st century. (AP Photo/Giovanni Deffidenti, File)

LONDON – Most people wouldn’t volunteer to walk through a minefield. Princess Diana did it twice.

On Jan. 15, 1997, Diana walked gingerly down a narrow path cleared through an Angolan minefield, wearing a protective visor and flak jacket emblazoned with the name of The HALO Trust, a group devoted to removing mines from former war zones. When she realized some of the photographers accompanying her didn’t get the shot, she turned around and did it again.

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Later, she met with a group of landmine victims. A young girl who had lost her left leg perched on the princess’s lap.

The images of that day appeared in newspapers and on TV sets around the globe, focusing international attention on the then-languishing campaign to rid the world of devices that lurk underground for decades after conflicts end. Today, a treaty banning landmines has 164 signatories.

Those touched by the life of the preschool teacher turned princess remembered her ahead of what would have been her 60th birthday on Thursday, recalling the complicated royal rebel who left an enduring imprint on the House of Windsor.

Diana had the “emotional intelligence that allowed her to see that bigger picture … but also to bring it right down to individual human beings,” said James Cowan, a retired major general who is now CEO of The HALO Trust. “She knew that she could reach their hearts in a way that would outmaneuver those who would only be an influence through the head.”

Diana’s walk among the landmines seven months before she died in a Paris car crash is just one example of how she helped make the monarchy more accessible, changing the way the royal family related to people. By interacting more intimately with the public — kneeling to the level of a child, sitting on the edge of a patient’s hospital bed, writing personal notes to her fans — she connected with people in a way that inspired other royals, including her sons, Princes William and Harry, as the monarchy worked to become more human and remain relevant in the 21st century.

Diana didn’t invent the idea of royals visiting the poor, destitute or downtrodden. Queen Elizabeth II herself visited a Nigerian leper colony in 1956. But Diana touched them — literally.

“Diana was a real hugger in the royal family,’’ said Sally Bedell Smith, author of “Diana in Search of Herself.’’ “She was much more visibly tactile in the way she interacted with people. It was not something the queen was comfortable with and still is not.’’

Critically, she also knew that those interactions could bring attention to her causes since she was followed everywhere by photographers and TV crews.

Ten years before she embraced landmine victims in Angola, she shook hands with a young AIDS patient in London during the early days of the epidemic, showing people that the disease couldn’t be transmitted through touch.

As her marriage to Prince Charles deteriorated, Diana used the same techniques to tell her side of the story. Embracing her children with open arms to show her love for her sons. Sitting alone in front of the Taj Mahal on a royal trip to India. Walking through that minefield as she was starting a new life after her divorce.

“Diana understood the power of imagery — and she knew that a photograph was worth a hundred words,’’ said Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine and author of “Diana: An Intimate Portrait.’’ “She wasn’t an intellectual. She wasn’t ever going to be the one to give the right words. But she gave the right image.”

And that began on the day the 20-year-old Lady Diana Spencer married Prince Charles, the heir to throne, on July 29, 1981, at St. Paul’s Cathedral.

Elizabeth Emanuel, who co-designed her wedding dress, describes an event comparable to the transformation of a chrysalis into a butterfly, or in this case a nursery school teacher in cardigans and sensible skirts into a fairytale princess.

“We thought, right, let’s do the biggest, most dramatic dress possible, the ultimate fairytale dress. Let’s make it big. Let’s have big sleeves. Let’s have ruffles,’’ Emanuel said. “And St. Paul’s was so huge. We knew that we needed to do something that was a statement. And Diana was completely up for that. She loved that idea.’’

But Emanuel said Diana also had a simplicity that made her more accessible to people.

“She had this vulnerability about her, I think, so that ordinary people could relate to her. She wasn’t perfect. And none of us are perfect, and I think that’s why there is this thing, you know, people think of her almost like family. They felt they knew her.”

Diana’s sons learned from their mother’s example, making more personal connections with the public during their charitable work, including supporting efforts to destigmatize mental health problems and treat young AIDS patients in Lesotho and Botswana.

William, who is second in line to the throne, worked as an air ambulance pilot before taking on full-time royal duties. Harry retraced Diana's footsteps through the minefield for The HALO Trust.

Her influence can be seen in other royals as well. Sophie, the Countess of Wessex and the wife of Charles' brother Prince Edward, grew teary, for example, in a television interview as she told the nation about her feelings on the death of her father-in-law, Prince Philip.

The public even began to see a different side of the queen, including her turn as a Bond girl during the 2012 London Olympics in which she starred in a mini-movie with Daniel Craig to open the games.

More recently, the monarch has reached out in Zoom calls, joking with school children about her meeting with Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. What was he like, ma'am?

“Russian,'' she said flatly. The Zoom filled with chuckles.

Cowan, of HALO, said the attention that Diana, and now Harry, have brought to the landmine issue helped attract the funding that made it possible for thousands of workers to continue the slow process of ridding the world of the devices.

Sixty countries and territories are still contaminated with landmines, which killed or injured more than 5,500 people in 2019, according to Landmine Monitor.

“She had that capacity to reach out and inspire people. Their imaginations were fired up by this work,’’ Cowan said. “And they like it and they want to fund it. And that’s why she’s had such a profound legacy for us.’’

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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