Watch: Princess Diana's Time Capsule Opened 34 Years Later: Here's What's InsideThe breakdown of Princess Diana and then-Prince Charles' marriage-including the divorce neither wanted but which Queen Elizabeth II quietly insisted they get-wasn't an obvious precursor to the most tragic of outcomes. In actuality, despite her persistent feeling that the royal family had thrown her out with yesterday's tabloids, the world still could have been Diana's oyster after her divorce. She retained a residence at Kensington Palace and the title of Princess of Wales. She agreed to a $22.5 million settlement, plus $600,000 a year to run her office. And, more important than anything else, she has sons Prince William and Prince Harry to look after half the time. But after she died on Aug. 31, 1997, at the age of 36, it became impossible to view the last months of Diana's life through anything but doom-tinted glasses, the outcome so undeniably tragic. Yet there was joy and romance in her final days, as she pondered her future and the world speculated about what she'd do next-and with whom.readPrincess Diana's Time Capsule Opened 34 Years Later: Here's What's Inside"I have learned much over the last years," Diana said after a June 1997 auction of her iconic gowns at Christie's raised $5 million for charity, per biographer Andrew Morton. "From now on I am going to own myself and be true to myself. I no longer want to live someone else's idea of what and who I should be. I am going to be me."What was Princess Diana planning to do after her divorce from Prince Charles? "I've been in a privileged position for 15 years," Diana said on the BBC's Panorama in November 1995, three years after her and Charles' separation. "I've got tremendous knowledge about people and how to communicate and I want to use it."Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty ImagesHer divorce from Charles-hastened in no small part by that explosive interview-was finalized Aug. 28, 1996. That December, the charity United Cerebral Palsy honored Diana as Humanitarian of the Year at a ceremony in New York. The following month, she took her famous walk through a minefield in Angola on behalf of the Halo Trust to draw attention to the devastation caused by landmines in war-torn regions. British Prime Minister Tony Blair and wife Cherie Blair hosted her at the P.M.'s official country estate, Chequers, in May 1997, to discuss possible outreach collaborations. Tim Graham Picture Library/Getty ImagesDiana hoped to parlay her already sizable platform into an ambassadorship, even if an unofficial one. At the end of May, she went to Pakistan to fundraise for a hospital built by cricket star (and future Pakistani prime minister) Imran Khan. In June, her engagements included meeting the dancers after a performance of Swan Lake at Royal Albert Hall and visiting with then-first lady Hillary Clinton at the White House, a few days before she bid her glittering designer ensembles farewell at Christie's in New York. "Diana Reborn" was the title of the July 1997 Vanity Fair cover story that was meant to serve as a symbolic fresh start. "There is a kind of serenity," her friend Gianni Versace told the publication. "I had a fitting with her last week for new suits and clothing for spring, and she is so serene. It is a moment in her life, I think, when she's found herself-the way she wants to live." (Needless to say, the eeriness is enhanced by Versace's July 15, 1997, murder, the Italian designer gunned down outside his Miami Beach home by spree killer Andrew Cunanan.)photosFact vs. Fiction: The Crown Season 6How did Princess Diana's romance with Dodi Fayed begin? After attending a 36th birthday soiree thrown in her honor at London's Tate Gallery on July 1, Diana wanted to put some distance between herself and the 50th birthday party the future King Charles III was throwing for his longtime girlfriend Camilla Parker-Bowles (now Queen Camilla) at his Highgrove estate. The princess was also said to still be nursing a broken heart following her split from cardiothoracic surgeon Hasnat Khan, who was willing to hide in the boot of Diana's butler's car to discreetly visit her at Kensington Palace but ultimately wasn't willing to make it a lifestyle.
Michel Dufour/WireImageSo, Diana took her friend, Egyptian business magnate and Harrods owner Mohamed Al-Fayed, up on his longstanding invitation to host her, along with William and Harry, at his vacation home in Saint-Tropez. Dodi Fayed, Mohamed's eldest son, showed up on July 14, a few days into the princess' stay, docking his boat near his father's yacht, the Jonikal. The 42-year-old movie producer was accompanied by his model fiancée Kelly Fisher, though Dodi would later deny that they were engaged. Mohamed, who used to arrange private shopping excursions for the princess at his famed London department store after it had closed for the evening, was excited by the prospect of a love connection between Diana and his son. Kelly left for work on July 18