Princess Diana's life and legacy: How old she was when she died, how old she'd be in 2023

Known affectionately as the “people’s princess,” Princess Diana left an impactful legacy after her death in 1997. She was celebrated for her humanitarian efforts, including advocating for a ban on landmines and raising awareness for leprosy.

In 1987, she intentionally shook hands with an AIDS patient without gloves on to dispel the myth that it could spread through touch. Because of her ongoing activism, Diana is regarded as an icon in the LGBTQ+ community. She’s also celebrated widely for her fashion.

She changed the perception of the British monarchy by being more accessible to the public, Harper's Bazaar reported.

How old was Princess Diana when she died?

Princess Diana was 36 years old when she died on Aug. 31, 1997. King Charles III, her husband for 15 years, was 48 when she died. The two separated in 1992 and divorced in 1996. At the time of her death, her two sons were barely teenagers. Prince William was 15 and Prince Harry was 12.

In a 60 Minutes interview following the release of his memoir "Spare," Prince Harry said for many years he didn't believe Princess Diana was gone and thought it was part of a plan to disappear from the royal family and public eye.

Now a parent himself, he said he understands his mother more now than ever.

"I'm starting to comprehend the position that she was as a mother, a single parent, looking after two boys with this intense media harassment," he said. "It wasn’t online then. It was very much physical. She was being chased."

How did Princess Diana die?

Princess Diana died in a car crash along with two other passengers. She was traveling with her boyfriend, Egyptian filmmaker Dodi Al-Fayed. After dining at the Ritz Hotel in Paris, she and Fayed left the hotel, hounded by paparazzi and accompanied by French driver Henri Paul and Diana’s bodyguard, Trevor Rees-Jones.

At 12:19 a.m., the Mercedes that Princess Diana was in crashed into another car and a pillar of the Pont de l'Alma tunnel. Later reports found the car she was in may have been traveling over 60 mph through the narrow streets, History.com says. Investigations also found that the driver’s blood-alcohol levels were over three times the legal limit in France, exacerbated by the antidepressants he was taking.

Fayed and Paul died at the scene, and Diana died several hours later in the hospital as a result of crash-related injuries, History.com writes. The only survivor of the crash was Rees-Jones.

French police also detained several photographers and press motorcyclists who had been following them and who'd taken pictures immediately after the crash. They were later released and cleared of manslaughter charges.

In 2008, 11 years after the crash, a jury concluded that the three deaths were due to a combination of reckless driving, the following paparazzi vehicles and the fact that the passengers were not wearing seatbelts.

How old would Princess Diana be today?

Princess Diana’s birthday was July 1, 1961. She would have turned 62 in July 2023.

As of April 2023, Prince Harry is 38 years old, married to American actor Meghan Markle, whose official title is now Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. They have two children: Lilibet, who is 2, and Archie, 4.

Prince William is 41 years old and has three children with Kate Middleton: Prince George, aged 10; Princess Charlotte, 8; and Prince Louis, 5.

King Charles III will turn 75 in November 2023.

How old was Princess Diana when she got married?

Princess Diana married King Charles III on July 29, 1981, just after she turned 20. King Charles III was 33 years old. Dubbed “the wedding of the century,” the broadcast was watched by 750 million people, History.com reports.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How old was Princess Diana when she died? Inside the fatal car crash.