How World Leaders Reacted to Princess Diana’s Death and Who Called Her ‘The People’s Princess’ First
On a summer morning nearly three decades ago, the world seemed to stop as people from every corner of the globe learned about the death of Princess Diana.
On Aug. 30, 1997, the princess and her boyfriend, Dodi Fayed, dined at the Ritz Hotel in Paris around 10 pm. Just after midnight, the pair left the Imperial Suite. They exited the rear of the building in an attempt to escape the paparazzi, but to no avail.
They were chased by photographers as they drove off in a Mercedes S-280 limousine driven by Ritz security head Henri Paul, who was traveling at a high rate of speed in an effort to lose the paps. The Mercedes ended up crashing into a pillar in the Pont de l’Alma tunnel.
Paul and Fayed died instantly, but the princess was still alive. She was suffering from multiple injuries, including a severed pulmonary vein, and was transported to La Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital. Doctors worked to save her life, but Diana was pronounced dead at 4 am local time on Aug. 31, 1997.
As news of her death spread, politicians and world leaders reacted. One person even called Diana a name no one will ever forget.
From Washington, D.C. to Australia, world leaders react to the princess’s death
Then-President of the United States, Bill Clinton, was one of the first world leaders to pay tribute to Princess Diana.
In a statement, the president said, “Hillary and I knew Princess Diana, and we were very fond of her. We are profoundly saddened by this tragic event.”
Australia’s then-Prime Minister John Howard called Diana’s death “tragic” and “shocking.”
He also put out a statement that read: “It has ended, at a young age, the life of a person who held a particular fascination for many people around the world.”
South Africa’s president at the time, Nelson Mandela, was friends with the princess. He said she captured the imagination of people across the region when she visited Angola in her campaign against anti-personnel landmines.
Diana was not called the ‘People’s Princess’ when she was alive
Princess Diana has often been referred to as “The People’s Princess,” but she did not receive that moniker while alive. Politician Tony Blair gave her that name during his remarks following her death.
The then-U.K. prime minister spoke to reporters just hours after news broke that the princess died. Blair expressed his sadness and offered his condolences to Diana’s family.
He then gave her such an appropriate name that no one to this day has forgotten it. Blair stated, “We are today a nation in a state of shock, in mourning, in grief that is so deeply painful for us. She touched the lives of so many others in Britain and throughout the world with joy and with comfort.
“You know how difficult things were for her from time to time, I’m sure we could only guess at, but the people everywhere — not just here in Britain, everywhere — they kept faith with Princess Diana. They liked her, they loved her, they regarded her as one of the people. She was the ‘People’s Princess.’ And that’s how she will stay, how she will remain, in our hearts and in our memories, forever.”
