Princess Diana's Death 26 Years Ago: Remembering the Key Figures — and How Their Lives Changed Forever

The world stopped on Aug. 31, 1997 when a car crash killed Princess Diana and two others. Twenty-five years later, Diana still has an impact on those whose lives were intertwined with hers

Princess Diana was starting a new chapter following her divorce from Prince Charles, but her life was tragically cut short on Aug. 31, 1997, when a car accident killed her and two others, Dodi Al Fayed and driver Henri Paul. She was 36.

"There are very few moments like those in history. I remember where I was in every tiny detail when I heard about Diana," says royal biographer Ingrid Seward, who knew Diana personally. "It affected everybody."

Twenty-six years later, Princess Diana's legacy continues to impact those whose lives were intertwined with hers.

PEOPLE presents The Story of Diana: Archival footage and conversations with those who knew the Princess of Wales best reveal how her story remains relevant today. Now on PeopleTV.

Queen Elizabeth

The Queen, who died in Sept. 2022, was criticized for her silence in the days that followed Diana's death, but she spoke out in a televised speech on Sept. 5, 1997, as both "your Queen" and "as a grandmother."

Although the monarch is usually stoic, she's shown her ability to express warmth, especially in the years before her death — participating in comedy skits like at the 2012 Olympics with James Bond and sharing the screen with Paddington Bear for her Platinum Jubilee in summer 2022.

"The Queen can now see Diana's legacy is a huge force for good," says Seward.

King Charles

Andrew Morton, Diana's biographer, says that despite King Charles' many achievements as the longest-serving Prince of Wales and current monarch, his first marriage will "always haunt him."

"Just as Henry VIII is remembered for his six wives, Prince Charles is remembered for his first wife," Morton says. "It will always haunt him. His life has been defined by his marriage."

Prince William

Prince William was just 15 when his mother died. Today, as a 41-year-old man and father of three, he carries on Diana's legacy— from supporting her causes to his hands-on approach as a dad to Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5. His decision to move his family from London to the countryside of Windsor last year reflects Diana's wishes for him to have as normal an upbringing as possible.

"William is the living example of his mother," says Diana's former bodyguard Ken Wharfe.

Prince Harry

Prince Harry was just 12 when he walked behind his mother's casket during her funeral, something he later criticized.

"I don't think any child should be asked to do that, under any circumstances," he said in 2017.

Harry, now 38, has called himself "my mother's son," keeping her presence close through his charitable causes and his own family.

"Harry has made it perfectly clear that every decision he has made he refers upstairs to his mother," says Morton. "His decision to go to America — he felt she was watching over him and giving him the thumbs-up."

Charles Spencer

Princess Diana's brother memorably slammed the royal family and the press for their treatment of Diana in his eulogy, and he continues to defend her. Last year, Spencer, 59, called for a police investigation into the methods used by BBC journalist Martin Bashir to secure the infamous Panorama interview with Diana.

Queen Camilla

The public's blame largely fell on Camilla and her affair with the then-Prince Charles. However, the pair married in 2005, and Queen Elizabeth announced her desire for Camilla to be known as "Queen Consort" when Charles took the throne in 2022.

"Her life has turned around perhaps more than anybody else's," says Morton. "Diana's death has put her right in the constitutional center of Britain."

Sarah Ferguson

Fergie, as the Duchess of York is known, was often pitted against her sister-in-law: "We were positioned as saint and sinner," she told PEOPLE in 2021.

When Princess Diana died, the already fractured royal family broke apart even more, leaving Sarah outside the orbit. "She taught me so much of public life," said Fergie. "She was so brave."

Hasnat Khan

Princess Diana and the Pakistan-born heart surgeon had a quiet romance from 1995 until shortly before her death, as he wasn't comfortable with the spotlight that came with dating the royal.

Khan, 65, spoke to the Daily Mail in 2021 against Bashir for the methods he used to secure his Panorama interview. "One of her most attractive qualities was her vulnerability," he said. "I later realized that Martin picked on those vulnerabilities and exploited them."

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