Diana, Princess of Wales, was 36 when she was killed in a car crash in Paris on August 31 1997 while being pursued by the paparazzi.
Lady Diana Spencer first captured the public’s imagination in the early 1980s when she began to be linked to the Prince of Wales.
Images of the happy couple strolling arm-in-arm through the Buckingham Palace gardens to announce their forthcoming nuptials set the scene for the fairytale royal wedding.
Millions watched the pair’s televised wedding at St Paul’s Cathedral on July 29 1981, with Diana wearing a romantic Emanuel taffeta gown trimmed with bows, and a 25ft sequin-encrusted train.
Royal duty called for the heir to the throne and his wife – a future Queen.
She also helped break the stigma surrounding Aids and HIV.
The royal marriage was, however, struggling behind the scenes.
Andrew Morton’s explosive book, Diana, Her True Story, with which she collaborated, would reveal years later that the princess was deeply unhappy, had suffered from bulimia and attempted to kill herself a number of times.
In 1992, the princess was pictured sat alone at the monument to love, the Taj Mahal, on a tour to India, with the image considered symbolic of the state of her relationship with Charles.
It was finally announced they were separating in December 1992.
Charles went on to admit on national television in 1994 that he was unfaithful to Diana after their marriage broke down.
Diana became known for offering William and Harry more of a normal childhood, taking them on fun day trips to Thorpe Park.
In 1995 came the princess’s controversial Panorama interview, now known to have been secured deceitfully by interviewer Martin Bashir.
Diana declared in the BBC programme: “There were three of us in this marriage”, and she cast doubt on Charles’s suitability to be king.
Diana’s post-divorce life gave her freedom from the restrictions of the establishment.
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She just weeks before her death, she visited Bosnia to further highlight the cause.