Lady Diana sitting on a bench all alone and sad in front of the Taj Mahal. This photo went around the world exactly 30 years ago. The photographer, who took the iconic picture on February 11, 1992, recalled in an interview with People that the photo almost didn't exist. And that Diana knew exactly what she was doing as she sat down on the bench.
Diana is said to have been aware of what the photo will trigger
Princess Diana and Prince Charles visited India together in February 1992. That same year, their marriage was officially declared over. But in India, the first thing to do was to put on a good face at the bad game. The royal couple should have visited the Taj Mahal together. "Historically, the Taj Mahal is the eternal monument of a husband's love," photographer Anwar Hussein tells People about the mausoleum built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in honor of his wife. "I photographed Charles there just before when he got engaged. At that time he said to us: 'I would like to bring my girlfriend or future wife here one day,' recalls Anwar Hussein.
Couldn't Prince Charles remember it? Or wanted? Because he never went through with this romantic plan. In 1992, the heir to the British throne preferred to attend architecture school in Delhi rather than visit the Taj Mahal with his wife.
Diana came alone - and took her chance. Lonely and lost in thought, she had her picture taken. The photo became emblematic of the state of their already broken marriage. "We didn't know if she was coming. She made us wait a long time," recalls photographer Anwar Hussein, who is 83 today "Image". "It was very, very hot there. She looked sad and she knew exactly what message will be behind these pictures. She was very smart."
Diana's son sat on the same bench 24 years later
2016 Diana's son Prince William followed in his mother's footsteps. Together with his wife, Duchess Kate, he posed on the same bench on which his mother had sat so sadly 24 years earlier. It sure would have made Diana happy that at least her eldest got his happy ending.
