Diana would have defended her Clown Prince Harry like a lion ...but worried over his boozy antics

Princess's official biographer on what she would have done today

Legacy ... Princess Diana died 15 years ago

IT is 15 years today since Princess Diana died in a Paris underpass.

Her charity work and campaigns on issues such as landmines left a huge legacy – but she also lives on through her sons, Princes William and Harry.
Here her official biographer imagines what she would be doing today.
IF Diana were alive, what would she be tweeting, I wonder? Probably using her 140 characters to add her voice to the discussion of the Paralympics, a festival of endeavour over adversity that would have struck a powerful chord with her own humanitarian interests.

Andrew Morton ... official biographer

Rex

There is no doubt she would have embraced new media with both thumbs, becoming one of the new “Twitterocracy” of celebrities, politicians and businessmen who use social media to make a quick, provocative statement about an issue.
Her battle was always to get her message to the people, over the heads of the Palace.
There are, though, two characters, not 140, upon whom she would have been focusing — William and Harry.
Much as she would have hated to admit it, she would have been concerned about the direction Harry is taking.
She always considered him the one who would have an easy passage through life, the Clown Prince to William’s sober king. He had the Spencer gene — reckless, fun-loving and devil-may-care, but a survivor.
Yet the pictures of Harry naked in front of about 25 strangers at an impromptu party in his Las Vegas hotel suite would have given her pause for thought.
She would have defended him like a lioness with her cub — after all, she was photographed topless on a Spanish holiday — but would have worried he is drinking far too much. For Harry, booze equals trouble, just as it did for Diana’s elder sister Sarah when she was younger.
She may have wondered if it is time for him to step away from the cocktail bar, if not the cocktail waitresses. Doubtless he would tell her to pour herself a drink, keep calm and keep tweeting.
If the Olympics was Britain’s finest sporting hour, Diana’s sons were at the heart of the action, cheering on Team GB and congratulating a new generation of sporting heroes. This was the Olympics of youth and the young royals did us proud.

Jolly ... Prince Harry takes time out from army to party in Las Vegas this month

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The delight of these games was that they were open to all, and Diana’s sons and the woman who would have been her daughter-in-law, Kate Middleton, played their parts to perfection. Harry even managed to keep his trousers on when he presided over the closing ceremony.
Diana would have been thrilled to read the opinion polls showing William and Kate are hugely popular, far more so than her ex-husband Charles, and Camilla.
They are the torch bearers of the future and, try as they might, Charles and Camilla cannot hold a candle to their bright light.
Indeed, any discussion of Diana’s legacy begins and ends with her children. She deliberately raised them differently from previous royal generations. Her idea of royal upbringing was not to leave her children “upstairs with the governess” but to introduce them to their future kingdom in all its grimy glory, be it visiting the homeless, sick or dispossessed.
Of course, there were trips to burger bars, theme parks — not quite what Harry has in mind these days — and sun-and-sand holidays.
In the years since Diana’s death, both princes have spoken about how her guidance made them the men they are.

Proud ... Wills and Harry celebrate at London 2012

Rex

The reserve that characterises most of the Royal Family is missing — although even Diana would appreciate a little more reserve from Harry.
He and William have made themselves an amusing double act, going down especially well on American television.
Diana always thought Harry would make an ideal wingman for William, watching his back and supporting him on his difficult journey towards becoming king. They are the best of friends, with a bond that no one, even Kate, can appreciate fully.
As much as they acknowledge what their mother has done for them, where William would disagree with Diana is over his father. She said time and again that the Crown should skip a generation and go straight to William. Put simply, she didn’t think Prince Charles was up to “the top job” as she called it.
This is the last thing William wants. He has strived for much of his life to be normal, an ordinary bloke doing an extraordinary job. He was certainly the first future monarch to attend a photocall in ripped jeans and sweater.
William is grappling with a dilemma about the other love of his life — working as a pilot.

Tragic ... Pont de l’Alma tunnel where Diana died in a car crash in 1997

SIMON JONES

In December he must decide whether to sign on for another three-year tour of duty as an RAF search-and-rescue pilot.
The alternative is for the 30-year-old to become a full-time board member of the royal Firm and give up flying.
How Prince William must envy his younger brother sometimes. The only decisions Harry has to make are whether to dress for dinner — and his choice of dessert, blonde or brunette. While Harry ponders his dish of the day, William grapples with an indigestible problem that is giving him heartache, if not heartburn.
To make matters worse, he and Kate move into Kensington Palace next year and the Royal Family are keen to hear a noisy nursery.
The pair are already flying in the face of royal tradition by not producing an heir within a couple of years of marriage. When that time comes it will be hard for William to leave Kate holding the baby.
Diana would be steadfast in advising that he should now take his seat in the boardroom of the Firm. She would point out that it isn’t fair to expect his wife, who, after all, is a commoner, to undertake more royal duties than the future king. He is now at an age where royals in all the European houses, not just Britain, are expected to pitch in.

Holiday ... with boyfriend Dodi Fayed days before her death

Who knows what the future may hold? In five years he could be Prince of Wales and his father King Charles III.
Certainly, the older generation need a hand, especially given Prince Philip’s failing health.
Diana would also remind William that to have such privilege and influence is a gift he should use to affect change for good. While a search-and-rescue pilot can help save individual lives — William’s crew this month rescued two teenage girls swept out to sea off the Anglesey coast — his royal role touches millions.
Look no further than Diana’s landmine campaign, which has slowed since her death. Her humanitarian mission changed millions of lives and she would be telling her son it is time to put his shoulder to the wheel full-time.
Of course, there would have been personal reasons behind her argument.
She would have enjoyed seeing Charles overshadowed — and would have loved being a grandmother.
She always wanted a daughter — if she had married again, doubtless she would have had more children — but a grandchild is a special delight. Fun to play with but you can also hand them back.
By now, Diana would have remarried, probably to a US billionaire who could have provided all the toys — a private jet and residences in numerous countries — so she could pursue her work for an international agency such as the Red Cross.
She would certainly have given celebrity humanitarian Angelina Jolie a run for her money.

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By PAUL HESLOP, The Halo Trust, landmine charity
JUST over 15 years ago, I took Princess Diana along a cleared path running through a minefield in Angola.
The first time I entered a minefield I was a little more nervous than she seemed – and I didn’t have 70 journalists screaming for the right shot or half a billion people watching me on TV.
The Princess raised the profile of the fight against landmines so governments now feel under pressure from public opinion. She contributed to the signature of the Ottawa Treaty, banning mines.
But it gave a lot of people, including donors, a sense the job was nearly done – yet there is much more to do. At least 11 people a day were killed or injured by landmines last year.
Diana was a courageous woman. When she died, I had a feeling of loneliness. We lost our best ally.

Fans meet at shrine

Heartfelt ... Princess Diana tribute at 'memorial' statue

SIMON JONES

By MARTIN PHILLIPS, in Paris
IN Paris, a flame still burns brightly for the People’s Princess.
The Flame of Liberty statue, near the Pont de l’Alma tunnel where Diana died in a car crash, has become the city’s unofficial memorial to her – plastered with iconic photos and messages.
Now 15th-anniversary tributes and flowers adorn the plinth on which the gilded copper flame stands.
As traffic thundered past yesterday, tourists paid homage and many were shocked to be reminded the tragedy was so long ago. They remember it like it was yesterday.
South American Rosi Mesa, 49, from Chilean capital Santiago, looked at tributes proclaiming “Already 15 years” and “Unforgettable Diana” and recalled: “I was devastated when it happened. It still matters to me. I still care. Now my partner is working in Paris and I wanted to be here for the anniversary.”
Brazilian Paula Nanvarro, 45, now living in Portugal, said: “I noticed the crowd at the statue then remembered it is the anniversary. Diana was such a wonderful person, a good person who died too early. I remember it like yesterday and, standing here, I still feel her energy. I’m sad she did not live to see her sons grow up, to see William marry. But her spirit is still with us.”
Brit Denise Ramshaw, 58, from Newcastle, said: “We were in Paris when we heard about the statue and the anniversary so we made a special trip here.”
On a parapet adjoining the tunnel, graffiti in English, French, German, Italian and Japanese proclaims “RIP Princess Diana”, “You will be loved for ever” and “Beautiful Diana, you will always be in our hearts”.
Rachel Mermell, 44, from Los Angeles, said: “I can’t believe it is 15 years. I stayed up until 3am to watch Diana’s wedding. When she died I was sat at home with a newborn, crying.”
Karen Lesley, 51, from Perth, Australia, said: “We wanted to come and see the memorial. When Diana died I cried for two days. It makes me choke up just thinking about it.”
As the mourners told their stories, the bustle of Paris continued and the golden Flame of Liberty shone brightly against the grey city.
As will Diana’s memory.