ENDURING ICON DIANA IN HER OWN WORDS A FAIRY TALE FOR ALL TIME TOP FILM-MAKER TELLS HER STORY WITH PREVIOUSLY UNHEARD TAPES

Emmy Award-winning film-maker Tom Jennings produced the 2017 National Geographic/Netflix documentary Diana: In Her Own Words, which used audio tapes that Diana secretly recorded for author Andrew Morton to tell her story like never before.

- TRACY SCHAVERIEN

As he makes a second film based on a further six hours of tapes, Tom tells hello! why the world is still fascinated by the late Princess.

Why the continued interest in Diana, Tom? 

“For me, Princess Diana is the true definition of an outlier. She came out of nowhere and was thrust upon the world stage in a way that few, if any, ever have been. We are all raised on fairy tales of kings and queens, princes and princesses, and now the world had that real-life story playing out in the international media.

“Because her life was cut so short, she is frozen in time, like others who have died too young. Additionally, when a major, beloved figure tragically dies, it is difficult for people to believe that something like a car accident was the cause: hence the ongoing conspiracy theories. The force that ended such a live-outloud life must be greater than Diana herself.

“Also, the fact that Charles recently became King and Camilla Queen reignited memories of how Diana’s marriage ended.

“Her story is one that appeals to people who remember and to new generations who discover her story – a narrative so Shakespearean that young people have a difficult time believing it was true.”