The many faces of Diana, Princess of Wales

Diana personified life, with all its richness, variety and flaws. It was inconceivable that the woman we had seen progress from vulnerable ingenue to global superstar was no longer part of our lives, writes Ian Lloyd

Her perfect pedigree masked an insecure personality, dating back to her parent’s divorce when she was seven years old (Getty Images)

It’s often said there was only one Diana. Arguably, there were more than half a dozen versions of the woman who blazed through our lives like a comet from the first sighting of her in the summer of 1980 until her untimely end, just seventeen years later.

Firstly there was “shy Di”, the earl’s daughter, who giggled and blushed her way into everyone’s hearts when she started dating the heir to the throne. With her pie crust collars, frilly dresses and pearls she epitomised the Sloane ranger look and, for the first time, found herself a fashion influencer.

In theory she was the ideal choice for a royal bride. Both her grandmothers – Ruth Fermoy and Cynthia Spencer – had been appointed ladies in waiting to the Queen Mother. Her father John “Johnny” Spencer had been an equerry to the Queen at the start of her reign.