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Diana, Princess of Wales, is to be celebrated with a blue plaque in what would have been her 60th birthday year.English Heritage on Thursday announced its 2021 plaques for six women, who also include the anti-slavery campaigner Ellen Craft; Caroline Norton, who helped change Britain’s divorce laws; and the fashion d...

Caught between a hate-filled media and a terrified royal family, the surprise is not that the couple struck out on their own. It’s that they didn’t escape much soonerA seldom remembered fact about the royal family is that, before the death of Princess Diana, it was not normal to be interested in them. Tabloids were fascinated, but it was more of a convention than...

In a highly competitive field, the American actor has perfected the put-upon princess look for Spencer, the latest royal biopicSome films have to work harder than others to get bums on seats. Some can charm audiences with big stars, or the lure of a continuing franchise, or the promise of a scene where King Kong takes a swing at Godzilla like he’s half-cut in...

Former French president who brought in socially liberal reforms but whose grand style ultimately proved offputting to votersAs Valéry Giscard d’Estaing became the Grand Old Man of French politics – a position he held for at least two decades – it became harder to recall the intellectually brilliant and reforming politician who in 1974 became the Fifth Republic’s youngest president.Giscard, who has died aged...

Ironic take on corporate attire reboots yuppie look in age of The Crown and new Gossip GirlIn the ultimate moment of fashion revival, the 80s yuppie look is back – but with a difference. The “yindies” (young ironic nostalgic dresser), is bringing back the suited, Wall Street look but with a touch of knowing self-reference and elements of preppy style too.The first cast photograph...

Royal hails appointment of ex-judge to look into Martin Bashir’s tactics as ‘step in right direction’Prince William has welcomed the BBC’s decision to appoint a former supreme court judge to investigate how Martin Bashir obtained an interview with Princess Diana in 1995.Lord Dyson has been asked to investigate whether the BBC swept Bashir’s use of fake bank documents under the carpet when its original...

Matt Wiessler says agreeing to mock-up a bank statement for Martin Bashir ended his career with broadcasterThe graphic designer who said he mocked-up fake bank statements at the request of Martin Bashir in order to obtain an interview with Diana, Princess of Wales, has claimed that his career in the media was derailed when top BBC managers secretly banned him from working for the...

Diana’s brother Earl Spencer claims journalist produced fake documents to win trust of familyThe BBC has pledged to hold a full independent investigation into how Martin Bashir obtained his career-defining interview with Princess Diana in 1995, following fresh claims that he produced fake documents and used other deceitful tactics to win the trust of her family.Tim Davie, the corporation’s director general, confirmed that the...

Diana’s revelations to Panorama 25 years ago rocked the royal family. Now the BBC is being accused of setting her upConfidence is crucial. It has to be established to entice a big name to give a candid TV interview. It is also, of course, the basis of many a scam. Pulling off a confidence trick commonly involves first offering your “mark”, or target, something...

Story of BBC journalist Martin Bashir’s dealings with Princess of Wales is of searing public interestIt was just six days before transmission that Buckingham Palace learned that the BBC’s Panorama programme was to broadcast Martin Bashir’s compelling, explosive – and now highly controversial – interview with Diana, Princess of Wales.In the palace press office, there was dismay and resignation. “Then everybody looked at each...

Charles Spencer says BBC used ‘sheer dishonesty’ to secure interview with princessPrincess Diana’s brother has accused the BBC of a “whitewash” over faked bank statements that allegedly helped to secure a historic Panorama interview with his sister, and called on the corporation to carry out a formal inquiry.Charles Spencer said the BBC had used “sheer dishonesty” to win the trust of Diana, Princess of...

Money to be divided between princes’ favoured causes as part of separation of their charitable activitiesThe Duke of Cambridge and Duke of Sussex have agreed to divide the future proceeds of their mother’s memorial fund between them as part of the separation of the brothers’ charitable activities.According to financial documents, an agreement was signed in December last year between the Royal Foundation of the...

Duke of Sussex reveals emotional toll of following in footsteps of Diana, Princess of Wales The Duke of Sussex has described the emotional impact of walking in his mother’s footsteps, and how dealing with her death is a “wound that festers”, in a new ITV documentary.In an interview with ITV News at Ten anchor Tom Bradby, Prince Harry was asked how he felt retracing...

As Prince Harry visits the country to build on the anti-landmine work begun by his mother, Princess Diana, the Observer joins a group of women while they clear one village of explosivesFrom Benguela, a city on the west coast of Angola, it takes four hours to reach the village of Cabio by car, first on potholed highways and then on unmarked sandy tracks that...

Photographer Antonio Olmos visited the village of Cabio in Benguela Province to document the work of the women of the Halo Trust who are clearing the anti-personnel mines left over from the Angolan civil war.Read Rachel Cooke’s dispatch from Cabio. Continue reading...