Crowds flock to Diana photographs

12 April 2012

Hundreds of people flocked to London's National Portrait Gallery to view a new exhibition of photographs of Diana, Princess of Wales.

The display, which coincides with the 10th anniversary of her death, looks at her life as a royal wife, mother, high-profile charity worker and international fashion icon.

A gallery spokesman said the exhibition had been "incredibly busy".

"The display shows the evolution of Diana, Princess of Wales, from her engagement right through to her charity work," he said. "It's been incredibly busy, and we've had a lot of people asking questions about it."

From the time that she fell in love with the Prince of Wales, leading to their wedding in 1981 at St Paul's Cathedral, Diana was at the centre of intense media attention.

Over the next 16 years, her life was closely followed through the lenses of the paparazzi and, in more formal settings, those of the world's leading portrait photographers - among them Lord Lichfield, Lord Snowdon, Terence Donovan, David Bailey and Mario Testino.

While she often made reference to feeling hunted by the press, Diana also recognised the benefits of the attention in relation to her role as a human rights ambassador. "Where I go," she said, "the world's press follows".

The display of photographs shows the public side of the 'People's Princess' but also more private moments, including a portrait by John Swannell of Diana and her two sons, and also a shot from the Mario Testino shoot of 1997.

Taken on a single day, Testino's photographs of the Princess created a sensation, with their completely relaxed informality.

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