According to Deadline, HBO and ITV have confirmed that they will be releasing a feature-length documentary about Princess Diana, centered around the memories of her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry. In additions to the princes, many other people close to Diana in her later years will provide interviews for this landmark documentary. The documentary will cover Diana’s life, marriage to Prince Charles, and her unexpected death in 1997. It will be released later this year will mark the 20th anniversary of her death.
The documentary will cover Diana’s life including her marriage to Prince Charles and her unexpected death in 1997. Born in 1961, Diana was born into a family of British nobility, but could never have anticipated that in 1981, at the age of 20, she would marry the prince of England. Following her marriage, she would become an international fashion icon, and would use her fame to make herself a passionate advocate for causes such as HIV/AIDS, landmines, cancer, homelessness and children. She received further publicity when in 1996, she officially divorced Prince Charles, after already living apart for some time. On August 31, 1997, while traveling in Paris with her then current boyfriend Dodi Fayed, son of Egyptian billionaire Mohamed Al-Fayed, she and the other passengers were killed in a car crash while in an underground tunnel.
Ashley Gething will serve as directer/producer for the tv documentary. Last year, she directed the successful documentary Our Queen at Ninety for ITV. She has previously directed documentaries covering life events of famous individuals, including Richard III, British speed racer Donald Campbell, British journalist Ian Hislop, and American president Barack Obama.
Oxford Film and Television, the production company that produced of ITV’s Our Queen at Ninety last year, will produce the documentary, with Nick Kent of Oxford serving as executive producer. The documentary was commissioned for ITV by Jo Clinton-Davis, Controller of Factual for ITV, and Sue Murphy, Head of Factual Entertainment for ITV.
Jo Clinton-Davis, Controller of Factual for ITV, said the following about the upcoming documentary:
This new ITV film will offer viewers a fresh and revealing insight into Princess Diana through the personal and intimate reflections of her two sons and of her friends and family, many of whom have never spoken before, to bring together a definitive portrait of a unique person who touched the lives of millions.
Nick Kent, Creative Director and Co-Founder of Oxford Film and Television, added the following, saying “This film will show Princess Diana in a way she has never seen before, through the eyes of two people who know her best,” confirming that the princes’ stories will play a large part in the documentary.
The life of Princess Diana has inspired many documentaries and television movies over the last two decades. Diana: Last Days of a Princess and The Murder of Princess Diana were both tv movies released in 2007, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of her death. Diana, a feature film starring Naomi Watts as Princess Diana, was released in 2013. The Queen, which won Helen Mirren an Oscar for her role as Queen Elizabeth II, also alluded to Princess Diana’s tragic death.
The documentary will air on HBO in the US, and on ITV in the UK. Stay tuned for more updates.