Remembering Princess Diana: 30 Iconic Photos Of The Princess Of Wales

Melia Robinson
Princess diana childAPLady Diana Spencer sits with Souffle, a Shetland pony, at her mother’s home in Scotland during the summer of 1974.

Aug. 31 marks the 17th anniversary of the car crash that killed Diana, Princess of Wales and the “Queen of People’s Hearts.”

The year of her death, 1997, was highlighted by trips to Angola and Bosnia in her high-profile campaign against land mines and Mediterranean holidays with her sons and companion, Emad Mohamed al-Fayed.

Seventeen years after her death, Princess Diana is remembered for her compassion and commitment to her causes. These photos display her endless supply of charm and generosity.

Lady Diana Spencer as a toddler on the Norfolk, England, property where she grew up. Her parents divorced when she was young, and her father, an earl, won custody.

Riding in style at the Park House in 1962. Her family rented the property, owned by Queen Elizabeth II, and arranged occasional playdates with Prince Albert and Prince Edward when Diana was young.

She kept a Shetland pony, named Souffle, at her mother's Scotland home.

In 1977, she met Prince Albert and Prince Edward's older brother, Prince Charles, who was 13 years her senior. They announced their engagement at Buckingham Palace in 1981.

Source: Biography.com

The first official engagement she attended with then-fiancé Prince Charles was a charity event at the Goldsmith's Hall in London.

Their wedding was held at St. Paul's Cathedral in London later that year. The affair cost $US110 million.

Source: Business Insider

The newly-wed princess received a kiss from the Prince of Wales on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.

The young family, including Prince William, took part in a photo shoot at Kensington Palace in 1982.

Here's the couple leaving St. Mary's Hospital in 1984 with Prince Henry in tow.

Princess Diana danced with John Travolta at a 1985 White House dinner.

The Princess of Wales presented her husband with a prize after he played in an England-Chile polo match.

The internationally adored princess received flowers from a young girl during a trip to Madrid.

Princess Diana was a fashion icon, seen in Paris in 1988.

She peeked over her shoulder and smiled during a banquet for the Japanese emperor in 1990.

Taking the day off from royal duties, the princess frolicked in the surf at St. Kitts island.

The Princess of Wales watched the Light Dragoons regiment on parade at their northern Germany base.

A young cancer patient reached out to the princess during her tour of a Pakistani hospital.

The year of her death marked the height of her campaign against land mines. The princess visited with victims in Angola.

The princess walked with the Red Cross in one of the safety corridors of the Angola land mine fields.

Princess Diana sat in front of a British flag during a visit to a cancer hospital in Lahore.

The royal family posed for a portrait in Windsor Castle on the day of Prince William's Confirmation.

South African President Nelson Mandela met with Princess Di in Cape Town to discuss the threat of AIDS in his country.

Princess Di sported a chic bob in the summer of 1997.

She said goodbye to Mother Teresa after a private visit at the Missionaries of Charity in the Bronx.

First lady Hillary Rodham Clinton chatted with the princess at the White House. Diana was in New York City for a Red Cross fundraiser.

Mother and son, Harry, jet-skied during a vacation on the French Riviera a month before her death.

She took holiday at the Saint Tropez residence of Mohamed Al Fayed, the father of her boyfriend Dodi Fayed.

Sting, his wife Trudy Styler, Princess Diana, and Elton John attended the memorial Mass for Gianni Versace.

Swarms of paparazzi descended on Princess Diana and a land mine victim in front of his home in Bosnia.

Princess Di chatted with a 15-year-old Bosnian girl during a three-day visit that called for the complete ban on land mines.

Now get to know Princess Di's first grandson.

Prince George Turns 1: A Glamorous Year In The Life Of The Royal Baby »

Business Insider Emails & Alerts

Site highlights each day to your inbox.

Follow Business Insider Australia on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.