Diana Inc: Why the Princess of Wales is still big business ahead of 60th birthday

As Diana, Princess of Wales, reaches what would have been her 60th birthday, her legacy is still proving to be a big business almost 24 years after her death.

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 who would have celebrated her 60th on July 1 that makes her life and legacy so enduring? Was it her beauty, fashion sense, kindness, campaigning, or her tragic life and death?

It’s all these and something less tangible, say royal commentators, that keeps us endlessly fascinated by her.

“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 tells The Sunday Telegraph.

“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 …”

Princess Diana’s legacy lives on 24 years after her death. Picture: Tim Graham/Getty

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,” she says.

“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,” says 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 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.

Diana understood the power of clothes for communicating a message, but she was more than a fashion plate, she was a breath of fresh air in the royal family, paving the way for a much more modernised approach by the institution.

Prince Harry is often likened to his mother Diana. Picture: Dominic Lipinski/Getty

Her back-then fairly “radical” hands-on parenting style, doing things like taking young William and Harry to Thorpe Park theme 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 also resulted in them referencing her in their charity work and endeavours, from William and Catherine’s mental health programs 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 Netflix show reportedly pulled in more viewers in the UK than watched the real wedding of Charles and Diana, so mesmerised were we by the fairy-tale romance that wasn’t.

To cash in on the interest, 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.

Emma Corrin plays Diana, Princess of Wales, in The Crown. Picture: Netflix

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.

“There is something a bit magical about Princess Diana, and despite the difficulties in her personal life she managed to use her connection with people to do huge amounts of good,” Diana producer David Glover says.

“Her 60th birthday feels like the perfect time to re-examine her life and legacy and explore just how she went from a relatively unknown teenager to the most mourned person who ever lived.”

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.

Supplied Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana. Picture: Neon

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. Andrew has continued to write royal biographies, having just published Margaret & Elizabeth: The Intimate World Of The Windsor Sisters.

Another bestseller 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.

Diana’s former butler Paul Burrell appeared in Australia’s I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here! Picture: Nigel Wright

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 by director Ed Perkins, which has already secured a cinema release and book The Princess by Wendy Holden.

Meanwhile, Diana is still hitting the headlines – this week there were news stories on her on everything from the Martin Bashir Panorama investigation to her 1981 Ford Escort being auctioned for around $70,000 and her friend Dr James Colthurst revealing what she would have thought about Harry’s Oprah interview.

What she 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.