Diana Inc: Why she is still big business
As Diana reaches her 60th birthday milestone, we look at who is continuing to make a lot of money from the late princess
It’s been almost a quarter of a century since her death, yet Diana is as big a business as ever. Such is the enduring power of the Princess of Wales’ legacy, shortly before what would have been her 60th birthday, her story is still hitting headlines, selling books, the subject of TV shows, movies, exhibitions and even a musical.
So just what was it about the late princess that makes her life and legacy so enduring? Kerry took a look for The Sunday Telegraph this week. Here’s what she found.
“What endeared Diana in the hearts and minds of millions around the world was that, in spite of her luminous beauty and privileged background, she had struggled to discover her true self, living as she did inside an unhappy marriage and a distant and rather chilly institution,” Diana biographer Andrew Morton says.
“The presence of William and Harry on the public stage has ensured that there are constant reminders of the late princess; from Catherine’s engagement ring which belonged to Diana to the way Harry hugs people in crowds - just like his mum...”
Diana’s untimely demise was like a Greek tragedy, says Ingrid Seward, royal biographer and editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine. “Sad stories always make for compelling telling. All these years later it is still difficult to believe she died at the hands of a drunk driver in a Paris underpass with her Egyptian lover at her side.”
But aside from her sorry demise, she had a special quality in life. “There are loads of movie stars and celebrities, but there will be only one Diana,” said Elizabeth Emanuel, one half of the designers who created Diana’s unforgettable wedding gown. The dress has recently gone back on display in Kensington Palace, Diana’s former home.
The exhibition, Royal Style in the Making, coincides with her 60th birthday on July 1 and planned unveiling of her statue by Princes William and Harry in Kensington Palace garden. “It is one of the most famous dresses ever made,” says exhibition curator Matthew Storey, describing it as a “pivotal moment” in fashion. And such is its – and Diana’s - power, people are queuing to see it 40 years after the 20-year-old bride wore it in St Paul’s Cathedral, July 29, 1981.
Her back-then fairly “radical” hands-on parenting style, doing things like taking young William and Harry to Thorpe Park for a day out in 1993, queuing for the rides with the general public and snapped roaring with laughter on the log flume, has directly influenced how her sons are bringing up their own families, albeit across the world from one another.
It’s resulted in them referencing her in their charity work and endeavours, from William and Catherine’s mental health programmes through their Royal Foundation, under the banner “Making a Difference Together” to Harry and Meghan’s Archewell initiatives dubbed “Compassion in Action”, including their Netflix deal, Spotify podcasts and Apple TV mental health series with Oprah.
Diana’s story has been endlessly retold on-screen and shows no sign of ever ending. Series Four of The Crown was so explosive it hit the headlines, mainly because of the portrayal of Charles and Diana. The streaming giant is planning a sequel to its 2017 documentary Diana: In Her Own Words, featuring more unheard audio of Diana’s tapes. And in October, a very different telling of Diana’s story will air on Netflix, as the streaming service previews the stage show Diana: The Musical, some two months ahead of its Broadway debut.
In the UK, a new documentary Diana is running on ITV to mark her birthday, with the channel also commissioning a series Diana’s Decades. She is also the focus of new movie Spencer, penned by Peaky Blinders’ Steven Knight, with Twilight’s Kristen Stewart getting her teeth into the role of the princess.
There has been endless biographies on Diana and they are still appearing over two decades on from her death. The biggest was Andrew Morton’s explosive tell-all Diana: Her True Story, which came out in 1992 and was updated in 2017. Another best-seller was 2007’s The Diana Chronicles by Tina Brown, which hit the top spot on The New York Times Best Seller list.
And those close to her have made careers from their relationship. Diana’s butler Paul Burrell brought out book A Royal Duty in 2001 and still makes his living as a royal pundit and reality show contestant. Her ex-lover James Hewitt has also made a career from their affair – he collaborated with Anna Pasternak on 1994’s Princess in Love, then penned several himself including 2017’s A Love Like No Other: Diana and Me, as well as trying to sell her private letters; her ex-protection officer Ken Wharfe shared his secrets in Diana: Closely Guarded Secret in 2002 and even her voice and “presence coach” Stewart Pearce brought out Diana: The Voice of Change last year.
There will also be another raft of releases to coincide with the 25th anniversary of her death next year, including a documentary which has already secured a cinema release and book The Princess by Wendy Holden.
What Diana would think of her posthumous fame, we can only guess, but Diana Inc doesn’t look like it’s going out of business any time soon.
Catherine’s landmark new launch
It was a busy week for Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, who took a landmark step in her work, by launching her Centre for Early Childhood, to help “transform lives”. The duchess said she thought it “the social equivalent to climate change” and wanted to “create a happier, more mentally healthy, more nurturing society”.
Catherine launched the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood with a video on Instagram. Wearing a necklace engraved with her children’s initials, she said, “The centre hopes to raise awareness of why the first five years of life are just so important for our future life outcomes, and what we can do as a society to embrace this golden opportunity to create a happier, more mentally healthy, more nurturing society. By working together, my hope is that we can change the way we think about early childhood, and transform lives for generations to come.”
The centre’s first report Big Change Starts Small, was done in collaboration with Harvard University and the London School of Economics, and Catherine described it as their first step. “I hope this report inspires you to join this journey. It won’t be easy - transformation never is - but big change starts small,” she said.
We are loving Catherine’s work and vision. And her hair… always her hair.
Sophie’s the style queen of Royal Ascot
Meanwhile, there’s another style queen raising the fashion stakes - Sophie, Countess of Wessex. Who knew a race meeting could bring so much sartorial joy? But after 15 months of slouching about in slippers and elasticated waists we’re blinking at the wardrobe wow outfits.
Even though the Queen chose to miss the first four days of the event – the Royal Enclosure thoroughbreds were furlongs ahead with Sophie definitely scooping Royal Ascot’s prize for Best Turned Out with her chic choices. Attending the event’s first three days, Sophie wore Atelier Soler’s Amanda maxi dress on the first day, then paired a Soler Amanda top with a bespoke floral skirt by Suzannah London on Wednesday.
Coming a close second in the paddock this week, Zara Tindall wore a ME+EM dress for her first public engagement since having baby Lucas in March, and then both royals pulled off cool and chic looks for Thursday’s big one - Ladies Day. Zara rocked out in Erdem, Ray-Ban and a bespoke hat by Sarah Cant, while Sophie was in another Suzannah design - a sustainable palms shirt dress and her third Jane Taylor London hat on the trot. We’d really like to live in Sophie’s wardrobe now.
The Queen bowls over her 13th President
Looking resplendent in pink, Her Majesty hosted tea at Windsor Castle for President Biden and First Lady Dr Jill Biden this week. The hour-long visit came as the Bidens departed the UK at the end of the G7 summit, and the suitably-charmed President – who met the Queen and other royals at an Eden Project reception days earlier - admitted he’s already invited her to the White House. “We had a long talk,” he said. “She was very generous. I don’t think she’d be insulted, but she reminded me of my mother. In terms of the look of her and just the generosity. She was very gracious.”
As Biden notches up the Queen’s Commander-in-Chief count to 13, Joe’s not the first leader of the free world to go ga-ga for the Queen. She first met a US president as a princess, when she visited Harry Truman in 1951, on an official US trip with Prince Philip. Only Lyndon B. Johnson missed out on a regal meet and greet. Known as ‘our secret weapon’ by UK government ministers and diplomats, seemingly every president is unable to resist the monarch’s magic (and who can blame them). From horse-riding with Ronald Reagan in 1982 to Obama’s affectionate tribute marking her 90th birthday: “She is truly one of my favourite people… and a jewel to the world”, the Queen’s forged a special relationship with all of them.
One of our favourite examples of her superb statecraft is a 1960 letter to President Dwight D Eisenhower. “Seeing a picture of you in today’s newspaper standing in front of a barbecue grilling quail, reminded me that I had never sent you the recipe of the drop scones which I promised you at Balmoral. I now hasten to do so,” wrote the Queen. See her royal recipe here. If only her royal drop scones (aka scotch pancakes) could solve all the world’s problems – how charming would that be.
Happy 39th birthday, Prince William
The Royal Family are massive fans of gag gifts, so this June 21 chances are William may be unwrapping that Spider-Man suit Catherine joked about on a call to Hold Still finalist Jason Baird. Still, she’ll be hard pushed to top one of Diana’s hilarious presents celebrating his 13th – a cake shaped like giant naked boobs. According to former royal chef, Darren McGrady: “They all sang happy birthday, William turned bright red, and Harry said, ‘Wow! Can I have that cake for my birthday?’”