Iconic Photos of Princess Diana Taken the Year of Her Death to Go on Display
"Revisiting them now, 20 years later, seems a fitting tribute to my beautiful, fabulous, sister," Charles Spencer tells PEOPLE
Iconic photos of the late Princess Diana taken by one of her favorite photographers, Mario Testino, will be on display at her childhood home this summer.
The 15 portraits were shot in the last year of her life, 1997, and will be featured in an exhibit spearheaded by her brother, Charles, the 9th Earl Spencer, at Althorp House on May 1 through October 8.
“I have always felt that Mario Testino captured the essence of Diana, quite brilliantly,” Spencer said in a statement.
“These wonderful images made a huge impact on me when I saw them first, and revisiting them now, 20 years later, seems a fitting tribute to my beautiful, fabulous, sister.”
The photographs were originally shot for Vanity Fair and turned out to be the last official portraits taken of the princess who died in a car crash in Paris on August 31, 1997.
Photographer Testino added that the images have become “symbolic of her kindness and beauty. I’m very happy to see them at Earl Spencer’s home, which brings her back to her family estate.”
They were previously shown at Kensington Palace in 2005, and now form part of the permanent exhibition at MATE — “Museo Mario Testino” — in Lima, Peru.
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Visitors to the Althorp will be able to see the images in the exhibition space at the estate’s historic stables and they’ll be shown alongside a tribute of Diana’s legacy and charitable works.
As friends and admirers of the Princess prepare to commemorate her life this summer (on the 20th anniversary of her death), Spencer has already committed to marking the anniversary by hosting an exhibit of young people who are continuing her legacy, through the Diana Award charity, called ‘In Her Shoes.’