Princess Diana's Final Year: From Her Famous Landmine Walk to Summer in St. Tropez

The last eight months of Princess Diana's life were full of history-making moments, including meetings with Hillary Clinton and Nelson Mandela

While Princess Diana's life was cut tragically short in August 1997, her final year was full of historic moments and private family time with her two sons, Prince William and Prince Harry.

After her divorce from then-Prince Charles was finalized in 1996, Diana began the new year by walking through an active landmine in Angola to call for an international ban on landmines. (Her son Prince Harry recreated this famous moment 25 years later by marching through the same area).

Aside from Angola, the Princess of Wales visited Pakistan, New York City and South Africa throughout the first half of 1997. She also celebrated her final birthday on July 1 by attending a gala held in honor of the Tate Gallery's Centenary in London.

Later that month, Princess Diana and her two sons vacationed with Egyptian billionaire Mohamed Al-Fayed in the south of France, spending time aboard his yacht, the Jonikal, and at his villa in St. Tropez. It was during this fateful vacation that she became reacquainted with Mohamed's son, Dodi Fayed, whom she had met over a decade earlier. The two would go on to enjoy a brief romance until their untimely deaths on Aug. 31.

Both Princess Diana and Dodi, along with their chauffeur Henri Paul, died in a car accident in Paris. The late princess' funeral was held six days later in London, and she was laid to rest at her family’s home in Althorp, England.

Now over 26 years after her death, Diana's last year of life is featured in season 6 of Netflix's The Crown. The first four episodes — which premiered on Nov. 16 — see actress Elizabeth Debicki step into the shoes of Diana, reliving the late royal's summer romance with Dodi and her final days.

“All of the scenes in the lead-up to the end of this season were in a cumulative way, very difficult," Debicki told PEOPLE of filming the series' final season. "We shot them over a number of weeks. I think shooting the sequences where the two characters [Diana and Dodi] are being really pursued by the paparazzi was just a really horrible experience. It's very physical."

Ahead, look back at Princess Diana's most notable moments from her final year, from her historic landmine walk to time spent with her sons.

January 15, 1997: Princess Diana makes her famous landmine walk in Angola

In January, Diana visited Angola, where she walked across an active minefield in an effort to bring attention to the need for an international ban on landmines. The issue was of enormous importance to the late Princess of Wales in the final year of her life.

Princess Diana was already working with the British Red Cross when the organization sponsored her trip to the Huambo province. The mines in Angola were the result of the 25-year-long civil war in the region, and the organization HALO Trust spent years working to clear the country of the weapons.

She also met children who were victims of landmines while in the country.

"As soon as Princess Diana made her walk, it became a front of mind issue," HALO USA's executive director Chris Whatley told PEOPLE in 2022. "It took the convening power of Princess Diana to do that, to put it on the world stage to create that public momentum that allows for the political support, the rallying that continues to this day."

February 12, 1997: Princess Diana attends the premiere of In Love and War with Richard Attenborough

A month later, Diana was at the premiere of Richard Attenborough’s In Love and War. The event had been put on to benefit the British Red Cross Anti-personnel Mines Campaign, and Attenborough was a close friend of the princess.

Diana’s older son, Prince William, has worked closely with Attenborough’s older brother David, the famed naturalist and TV host, on environmental causes over the years.

March 9, 1997: Princess Diana attends Prince William’s confirmation in the Church of England

In early March, Diana joined several members of the royal family to witness Prince William’s confirmation in the Church of England, including Queen Elizabeth, King Charles and Prince Harry. King Constantine of Greece, Lady Susan Hussey, Princess Alexandra, the Duchess of Westminster and Lord Romsey were also in attendance.

March 17, 1997: Princess Diana visits Nelson Mandela at his home in South Africa

Princess Diana visited Nelson Mandela at his home in South Africa days later.

While speaking at the United Nations in July 2022 on Nelson Mandela International Day, Prince Harry spoke about the impact the photos of his mother from that visit had on him. “When I first looked at the photo, straight away what jumped out was the joy on my mother’s face ... Then I looked at Mandela," he said. "Here was a man with the weight of the world on his shoulders, asked to heal his country from the wreckage of its past and transform it for the future."

May 22, 1997: Princess Diana travels to Lahore, Pakistan

Diana traveled to Pakistan for the final time in May 1997. Upon arrival, Diana was greeted by screenwriter Jemima Khan, wife of the cricket player Imran Khan, and her baby. The princess had traveled to the country to raise money for a hospital that Imran helped build.

June 3, 1997: Princess Diana meets cast members of Swan Lake at Royal Albert Hall

In early June, Diana attended a performance of Swan Lake and met with the ballet’s cast members at the Royal Albert Hall. Diana's appearance at the ballet was one of her final public engagements, and she wore an ice blue Jacques Azagury and now-famous pearl-and-diamond necklace for the evening.

June 18, 1997: Princess Diana visits the White House

Princess Diana visited Washington D.C. in June on behalf of the Red Cross. There, she met with then-First Lady Hillary Clinton at the White House.

June 22, 1997: Princess Diana auctions some of her most memorable gowns at Christie’s

Diana was still in the city a few days later when several of her dresses and gowns were auctioned off through Christie’s to benefit AIDS and cancer charities. The New York Times reported that the auction was enormously successful, and the dress Diana wore while dancing with John Travolta at the White House went for a record-breaking $225,000.

June 30, 1997: Princess Diana graces the cover of Vanity Fair

Later that month, Diana appeared on the cover of Vanity Fair. The corresponding interview, which covered a wide range of topics including her divorce, made it clear that she was moving into a new chapter of her life.

As her friend Rosa Monckton told the magazine, “She's living her life as she wants to live it. And she's free of the restrictions that she had before. Certainly, in the way she looks, you can see that. She's much happier with herself.”

July 1, 1997: Princess Diana celebrates her 36th birthday at Tate’s Gallery

Princess Diana celebrated her 36th birthday on July 1 by attending an event in honor of London’s Tate’s Gallery. For her final birthday, the Princess of Wales wore a black beaded gown by Jacques Azagury, which was a gift from the designer himself. She also took time to greet well-wishers who had gathered outside the gallery, accepting cards, flowers and a small pink balloon featuring a cartoon bear.

July 17, 1997: Princess Diana vacations with her sons in St. Tropez, France

Diana was photographed in St. Tropez, France, in mid-July. She stayed at Mohamed Al-Fayed’s home in the area with her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, and spent time on the billionaire's yacht.

July 22, 1997: Princess Diana attends the memorial service for Gianni Versace

Days after her vacation in St. Tropez, Diana was spotted alongside Elton John and Naomi Campbell in Milan at the funeral of her good friend Gianni Versace, who was murdered earlier that month.

In 2017, Campbell spoke about seeing the princess at the funeral during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live, telling host Andy Cohen, “The last time I ever saw her was her telling me at Gianni Versace’s funeral how much she loved me and how sad she knew I was. [She died later that year] in August.”

August 10, 1997: Princess Diana travels to Sarajevo, Bosnia, for a private trip with victims of landmines

In early August, Diana met with landmine victims in Bosnia. The visit to the country was her last-ever official engagement.

Late August 1997: Princess Diana is photographed with Dodi Fayed in the south of France, Sardinia and Paris

Diana returned to the south of France to spend time with Dodi toward the end of August. The pair were frequently photographed in the region as well as in Paris and Sardinia.

August 31, 1997: Princess Diana dies during a car crash in Paris

Diana and Dodi left Sardinia for Paris on Aug. 30, where they stayed at the Ritz together. After shopping and spending time in the city, the two had dinner in the hotel before departing for Dodi's apartment.

Photographers chased them from the beginning of their journey, and their vehicle ultimately slammed into a support column. Dodi and the driver died instantly, while Diana was rushed to hospital La Pitie-Salpetriere and proclaimed dead around 5 a.m.

September 6, 1997: Princess Diana's funeral is held in London, and she is buried in Althorp

On Sept. 6, 1997, the royal family gathered at Westminster Abbey for Princess Diana's funeral while thousands of mourners lined the streets. Prince William, Prince Harry, the future King Charles, Prince Philip and Diana's brother Charles Spencer walked behind Diana's coffin. William and Harry, then 15 and 12, respectively, later revealed it was a "collective family decision" for them to participate in the walk.

"It was one of the hardest things I've ever done," Prince William said in the 2017 BBC documentary Diana, 7 Days. "But we were overwhelmed by how many people turned out, it was just incredible. There was that balance between duty and family, and that's what we had to do."

Following the funeral, Diana was buried at her family’s home in Althorp, England.

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