This summer marks the 25th anniversary of Princess Diana Spencer‘s tragic death in 1997. To commemorate her life, HBO and director Ed Perkins team up for “The Princess,” a new documentary about Diana’s life and death and the legacy she left behind.
Here’s the film’s official synopsis, courtesy of HBO:
The relationship of Diana and Charles, the Prince and Princess of Wales, was tabloid fodder for nearly two decades, the subject of almost daily headlines in the 24-hour news cycle. THE PRINCESS draws solely from contemporaneous archival audio and video footage to take audiences back to key events in Diana’s life as they happened, including their seemingly fairy-tale public courtship and wedding, the birth of their two sons, their bitter divorce, and Diana’s tragic and untimely death on August 31, 1997.
Intensely emotional, THE PRINCESS is a visceral submersion into Diana’s life in the constant and often intrusive glare of the media spotlight. The film unfolds as if it were in the present, allowing viewers to experience the overwhelming adoration, but also intense scrutiny of Diana’s every move and the constant judgement of her character. Through archival material, the film is also a reflection of society at the time, revealing the public’s own preoccupations, fears, aspirations, and desires.
Princess Diana’s tragic death, caused in part by a high-speed pursuit by paparazzi, was a moment for reflection by both the public and the media machine it feeds. However, after nearly 25 years since Princess Diana’s death, has anything really changed?
“The Princess” is Perkin’s first film since his 2019 Netflix doc “Tell Me Who I Am.” Siblings Jonathon and Simon Chinn co-produce through their company, Lightbox. The Chinns bring award-winning pedigree to the movie, with Simon winning an Oscar for “Man On Wire” and “Searching For Sugarman” and Jonathan winning an Emmy for “LA 92” and “American High.” “The Princess” had its debut at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival earlier this year.
Catch up with Princess Diana when “The Princess” premieres on HBO and HBO Max on August 13. Watch the trailer for the film below.