Remembering Princess Diana: How She Spent Her Final Summer

Princess Diana’s final summer included a trip to the United States, a momentous charity auction and more.

Diana died on Aug. 31, 1997, in a Paris car crash when she was only 36. The tragedy also took the lives of her boyfriend, Dodi Al Fayed, and the vehicle’s driver, Henri Paul.

JUNE 23

Royal biographer Ingrid Seward, who knew Diana personally, told PEOPLE, “There are very few moments like those in history. I remember where I was in every tiny detail when I heard about Diana. It affected everybody.”

Diana was starting a new chapter as her divorce from the future King Charles had been finalized just the year before her death.

Take a look back at how Princess Diana spent the final months of her life.

JUNE 3

JUNE 3

John Stillwell/UK Press/Getty

In an ice blue Jacques Azagury dress, Princess Diana stunned during a visit to the Royal Albert Hall for a performance of Swan Lake. After the performance, Diana – who was a patron of the English National Ballet – greeted dancers backstage.

JUNE 6

JUNE 6

Anwar Hussein/Getty

During a visit to the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Hindu Temple in London (the largest Hindu Temple outside of India), she ditched her shoes (and wore a white Catherine Walker dress).

JUNE 6

JUNE 6

Anwar Hussein/Getty

Diana was known for championing many charitable causes, but her work with children just may be her best remembered. During her visit to the temple, she spoke with a young girl.

JUNE 17

JUNE 17

Tim Graham/Getty

A lavender-and-pearls-clad Diana arrived at the Red Cross Headquarters in Washington, D.C., to make a speech against landmines, one of the many causes she championed during her lifetime. During her visit, both she and U.S. politician Elizabeth Dole called for the end of land mine use worldwide.

JUNE 17

JUNE 17

Jamal Wilson/AFP/Getty

Later that evening, a red-carpet-ready Princess Diana gave a speech at a Red Cross-hosted gala for victims of land mines.

JUNE 18

JUNE 18

Reuters/Landov

Diana chatted with then-First Lady Hillary Clinton while in Washington, D.C., on behalf of the Red Cross.

JUNE 23

JUNE 23

Tim Graham/Getty

At Christie’s in New York City, Princess Diana looked at one of her dresses on display before it was sold at auction to raise money for some of her charities. In total, the auction raised more than $3 million.

JUNE 23

JUNE 23

Tim Graham/Getty

She was the center of attention everywhere she went – and at an auction of her own clothes, even more so.

JULY 1

JULY 1

Tim Graham/Getty

Diana celebrated her final birthday (her 36th) at a gala held in honor of the Tate Gallery’s Centenary in London. The “People’s Princess” greeted her adoring fans outside.

JULY 17

JULY 17

ichel Dufour/Wireimage

A little more than a month before she made her way to Paris, the eventual site of the car crash that claimed her life, Diana and her then-boyfriend Dodi Al Fayed vacationed in St. Tropez.

JULY 17

JULY 17

Anwar Hussein/Getty

Her young sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, joined her on the trip, which included a jet ski ride in the Mediterranean.

JULY 21

JULY 21

Tim Graham/Getty

One of her final charitable engagements at home, Princess Diana visited a hospital just outside London to lay the foundation stone for a new children’s ambulatory care center.

AUGUST 10

AUGUST 10

Stefan Rousseau/UK Press/Getty

While in Bosnia to work with the Land Mine Campaign, Diana posed with a group of French soldiers. The visit to the country, where she met with victims of land mines, was her last-ever official engagement.

AUGUST

AUGUST

Michel Dufour/Wireimage

After their much-captured trip to St. Tropez, Dodi and Diana’s romance quickly evolved into one of the world’s most talked about. On August 30, the two arrived in Paris after spending nine days together vacationing in the French and Italian Rivera. It was just a few hours later that both Diana and Dodi were killed in a car crash in the Pont de l’Alma road tunnel, driving from the Hotel Ritz Paris to another apartment in the city.

AUGUST 31

Dave Gaywood/AFP/Getty

On the day of Diana’s death, a Canadian tourist is seen with a copy of News of the World with a “Diana Dead” headline taking up the bulk of the front page. Behind her is St. Paul’s Cathedral, the site of Diana’s wedding to Prince Charles.

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