Diana and the public

After her marriage, The Princess of Wales became very busy in the official duties of the Royal family. On her first tour with The Prince, she went on a three day visit to Wales in October 1981. Then in 1983 The Prince did a tour of Australia and New Zealand in which she accompanied him, and they took infant Prince William with them.

When The Prince and Princess did a tour of Italy in 1985, Prince William and Prince Harry joined The Prince and Princess at the end of their tour. Other official overseas visits undertaken with The Prince included Australia in 1988 for the bicentenary celebrations, Brazil, India, Canada, Nigeria, Cameroon, Indonesia, Spain, Italy, France, Portugal and Japan, for the enthronement of Emperor Akihito. In 1992 was their last joint overseas visit to South Korea in 1992.

In September 1982 on her own The Princess made her first official visit overseas, when she represented The Queen at the state funeral of Princess Grace of Monaco. The Princess then took her first official solo tour in February 1984, when she travelled to Norway to attend a performance of Carmen by the London City Ballet, of which she was patron. The Princess visited many other countries including Germany, the United States, Pakistan, Switzerland, Hungary, Egypt, Belgium, France, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Nepal.

Despite the Princess being renowned for her style and so closely linked with the fashion world, patronising and raising the profile of younger British designers, she was also best known for her charitable work too.

During her marriage, the Princess was president or patron of over 100 charities. The Princess did much to publicise work on behalf of homeless and also disabled people, children and people with HIV/Aids. The Princess in December 1993 announced that she would be reducing the extent of her public life so that she could combine a meaningful public role with a more private life.

After The Princess and The Prince separated, the Princess still appeared with the Royal family on major national occasions, such as the commemorations of the 50th anniversary of VE, Victory in Europe and VJ, Victory over Japan Days in 1995.

The Princess resigned most of her charity and other patronages, and all her Service appointments with the military units following her divorce. The Princess remained the patron of Centrepoint, a homeless charity, English National Ballet, Leprosy Mission and National Aids Trust, and as President of the Hospital for Sick Children, Great Ormond Street and of the Royal Marsden Hospital.

It was in June 1997, when the Princess attended receptions in London and New York as previews for the sale of a number of dresses and suits that she worn on her official engagements, with the proceeds going to charity.

On 1st July 1997 The Princess spent her 36th and her last birthday attending the Tate Gallery's 100th Anniversary celebrations. 21st July was Diana’s last official engagement in Britain, when she visited Northwick Park Hospital, London, the children's accident and emergency unit.

The Princess was an active campaigner for the ban, on the manufacture and use of landmines in the year before her death. In January 1997, she visited Angola as part of her campaign. In June The Princess spoke at the landmines conference that was held at the Royal Geographical Society in London, this was followed by a visit to Washington DC in the United States on 17/18 June to promote the American Red Cross landmines campaign, where she also separately, she met Mother Teresa in The Bronx.

On the 7th to 10th August when she visited Bosnia which was the last public engagement by The Princess, when she visited landmine projects in Travnic, Sarajevo and Zenezica.

On the day of her funeral in recognition for Diana’s work with her charities that representatives from those charities were invited to walk behind her coffin with her family from St James's Palace to Westminster Abbey.