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Princess Diana and the Queen were closer than is widely believed, royal expert Victoria Arbiter said. The Princess of Wales, who would have turned 59 this week, broke away from the Royal Family one year before tragically dying in a car crash in Paris. 

However, Ms Arbiter added, she never stopped respecting the institution of monarchy.

In an article for Australian publication Honey Nine, the expert said: “Contrary to popular belief, Diana had a deep-rooted respect for the Monarchy and she was especially fond of the Queen but, liberated from the constraints of royal life, she was no longer required to live by its unwritten rules.”

Ms Arbiter said the late Princess of Wales found new confidence and drive after her divorce with Prince Charles and the loss of her royal title.

The expert said: “Since marrying into the Royal Family, Diana had injected a much-needed dose of sparkle into what was becoming a rather stale and stuffy institution, but almost 12 months on from her divorce her sparkle had intensified dramatically. 

“Free from the cloud of sadness that had dominated the preceding years, she exuded a newfound sense of confidence and according to friends she was excited and hopeful for the future.”

In the few months that passed between her royal divorce and her untimely death, Princess Diana carried out many important engagements with a long-lasting impact.

In January 1997, Diana famously travelled to Angola and walked through a minefield, in a desperate appeal to world leaders to ban landmines.

Three months before her death, the Princess of Wales travelled to Washington to give an anti-landmine speech on behalf of The American Red Cross.

Diana also continued to be involved in causes she had been involved during her marriage with the Prince of Wales such as homelessness, mental health, drug and alcohol abuse and HIV.

Both her sons, Prince Harry and Prince William, marked Diana’s 59th birthday this year with a public message.

The Duke of Sussex recorded a raw and poignant message for the 2020 Diana Award ceremony in which he also denounced the “endemic” institutional racism.

He said: “I am so incredibly proud to be part of these awards, as they honour the legacy of my mother and bring out the very best in people like you.

“You all are doing such incredible work, and at a time of great uncertainty, you have found the power and inspiration inside of you to make a positive mark on the world.

“And I love that The Diana Award is able to help you do it.    

“I know that my mother has been an inspiration to many of you, and I can assure you she would have been fighting in your corner.

“Like many of you, she never took the easy route or the popular one or the comfortable one.

“But she stood for something, and she stood up for people who needed it. 

“Right now, we are seeing situations around the world where division, isolation, and anger are dominating, as pain and trauma come to the surface.

“But I see the greatest hope in people like you, and I’m confident about the world’s future and its ability to heal, because it is in your hands.”

Kensington Palace shared an extract of this speech on Twitter, adding: “The Duke of Cambridge and The Duke of Sussex are proud to congratulate the incredible changemakers that are the recipients of the #2020DianaAwards”.  

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