The many faces of Diana, Princess of Wales

It’s often said there was only one Diana. Arguably, there were more than half a dozen versions of the woman who blazed through our lives like a comet from the first sighting of her in the summer of 1980 until her untimely end, just seventeen years later.

Firstly there was “shy Di”, the earl’s daughter, who giggled and blushed her way into everyone’s hearts when she started dating the heir to the throne. With her pie crust collars, frilly dresses and pearls she epitomised the Sloane ranger look and, for the first time, found herself a fashion influencer.

In theory she was the ideal choice for a royal bride. Both her grandmothers – Ruth Fermoy and Cynthia Spencer – had been appointed ladies in waiting to the Queen Mother. Her father John “Johnny” Spencer had been an equerry to the Queen at the start of her reign.

Her perfect pedigree masked an insecure personality, dating back to her parent’s divorce when she was seven years old. Just a few days before the royal wedding at St Paul’s Cathedral, Diana, agitated by all the press interest, burst in to tears at a polo match in Hampshire. It was a worrying foretaste of things to come.

I first encountered Diana when I started out as a photographer in the mid-80s. This was the second Diana, the mother of two small boys and still very much part of a strong team with her husband. She was evolving her own style, relaxed and happy with the crowds who flocked to see her, chatting about her sons and happy to shake hands with her fans. It was the start of a new type of monarchy – empathetic, sensitive and able to communicate with people from all walks of life. I lost count of the number of times, particularly on walkabouts, when the crowd would scream for Diana and groan when she swapped to talk to the fans on the opposite side and they had to make do with Charles instead.

The third Diana only became apparent later on, when it was revealed the marriage had broken down. Charles resumed his relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles and Diana embarked on a five-year relationship with James Hewitt, a Household Cavalry officer, who had been asked to give her riding lessons. By now she had started to completely overshadow the other royals, not just through her work for headline grabbing causes such as HIV and AIDS, but by her ever changing style and growing confidence. She also knew how to manipulate the press. I remember being at the polo at Smith’s Lawn on the Windsor estate, when the princess sat on the bonnet of Charles’s beloved Aston Martin and swung her legs round to face the photographers. The prince angrily ordered her to get down, making him seem petulant, and her a naughty school girl.

The fourth Diana again dominated the headlines, this time during the Queen’s “annus horribilis” of 1992, which saw the publication of the Andrew Morton biography which told the world the fairy tale marriage that had begun so promisingly a decade earlier was a total sham. The year ended with the couple’s separation.

What I remember most from 1992 is her discomfort at royal gatherings – from the Queen Mother’s birthday appearance where she seemed to me to be desperately holding on to Harry’s hand, to the Earl’s Court gala marking the Queen’s 40 years as monarch when the strain of having to appear with Charles was palpable.

The fifth Diana was the the four years from her separation to divorce, when she dropped the traditional royal round of engagements to concentrate on themes including mental health, homelessness, and children’s cancer. Looking more confident and toned she adopted a new: Catherine Walker suits, Versace gowns and her Jimmy Choo/Manolo Blahnik teetering stilettos she dubbed “my tart’s trotters”.

The final Diana was the twelve months from her divorce in August 1996 to her untimely death a year later. Her behaviour was at times erratic. She had broken of relations with her mother and friends including Sarah, Duchess of York, embarked on a controversial campaign to eradicate landmines which saw her labelled a “loose cannon” for straying into what was then a political issue, and for her involvement with playboy Dodi Fayed. Newspapers began to question her judgement – both personal and professional.

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Diana headlines came thick and fast, with memorable images of her walking beside an active minefield, holding hands with Mother Theresa in the Bronx, mourning the murdered fashion designer Gianni Versace, jet-skiing with her sons in St Tropez and her first kiss with Dodi during a Mediterranean cruise. The never-ending Diana story fuelled the ambitions of countless paparazzos, many of whom were permanently stationed outside Kensington Palace, ready to roar after the princess on motorbikes the minute her car left the grounds.

When I was told the news of the car crash beneath the Pont d’Alma, my first thought was “I’m not surprised”, as I’d guessed a swerving bike could end the life of a snapper. What I didn’t expect was that the princess herself would become a fatality. Later that day I stood on the tarmac at RAF Northolt as Diana’s body was returned home with the trappings of royal ceremonial. As the cortège headed for London I drove across the Western Avenue where, from the roundabout, I could see the traffic on the opposite side had stopped in its tracks and men and woman stood on A40 to witness her passing. Next to me a woman was tying to the railings a banner bearing the words “Diana, Queen of Hearts”.

Her death at the age of only 36 was beyond reason. Diana personified life, with all its richness, variety and flaws. It was inconceivable that the woman we had seen progress from vulnerable ingenue to global superstar was no longer part of our lives. By wearing her heart on her sleeve and sharing her thoughts, fears, anger and insecurities, she’d made an indelible impact on the Britain of the 80s and 90s. Her legacy is her modern style of monarchy, which is evident in the work of her two sons. William is adapting Diana’s approach to suit his vision for the future, while Harry, like his mother before him, is a more freelance ambassador of goodwill, living and working outside the constraints of the family firm.

Ian Lloyd’s latest book: The Queen: 70 Chapters in the Life of Elizabeth II (The History Press) is available now