Princess Diana in NYC

Season four of The Crown has dropped on Netflix and much of the focus is on the doomed and beloved Princess Diana. She married Prince Charles in 1981, divorced him in the early 1990s, and then died tragically in 1997.

Dead for almost a quarter century, so famous that she's known simply by her first name, Diana still fascinates. 

Diana was more than just the Princess of Wales and future Queen of the United Kingdom. She was an icon for compassion, for humanity, for the fragility of the human condition -- she was the princess of the world, the "princess of people's hearts" as she called herself, the "people's princess" as Prime Minister Tony Blair called her right after her death. The warmth and compassion Diana emanated made the world love her and she loved the world back -- her only problem was that the one person who didn't love her was her husband.

During her time as Princess of Wales and afterwards, Diana travelled the world constantly, meeting everyone and shaking lots of hands -- including those of AIDS patients which was something that a lot of people, let alone royals, didn't dare do back in the 1980s. And when she visited the USA, she often visited the most destitute and most vulnerable of our citizens, including those in NYC -- something that a lot of our own "royals" never did.

Diana came to NYC quite a lot during her life and it was always a big deal when she did. The city embraced her, she was always its most honored guest. One of the many tragedies of her early death and is that she was denied years and years of getting to come back her, to enjoy and watch the city change. Who knows, she might have even moved here at once point.

Of all her relationships, Diana and NYC made for a most glamorous pair.

Update from Momma NYC: "Dear [Mr NYC] - enjoyed your Diana piece but I must be pedantic. A lot of articles and news stories referred to "Princess Diana" but the real title is "Diana, Princess of Wales"--she took her title from her husband. Only the children or royals can be princesses, etc. It is rather complicated and I don't pretend to know the details but it is definitely not "Princess Diana"--thought I don't suppose it takes any difference now. Love your pedantic [mommy]"