Diana - Princess of Wales by Mario Testino

“Mario Testino: British Royal Portraits” showcases images of the royal family, from Diana, Princess of Wales, and Prince Charles, to their sons, William and Harry. It was the first of many photographs Testino has taken of members of the House of Windsor during the course of his significant career. Shortly after the photographer went to England from his native Peru in 1976, he took his first photograph of British royalty, an impromptu shot of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother and her grandson, Prince Edward, as they passed by crowds gathered in London’s streets to celebrate the marriage of HRH the Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer. Testino is no stranger to the British Royal family.

It will contain a selection of self-curated images and include several photos of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. I adore how playful and mischievous the princess looks in these shots, how fun loving she clearly was.An exhibition titled, British Royal Portraits by Mario Testino, at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston is set to open in October. When Diana showed the photographs to her butler Paul Burrell, she asked, ‘Don’t you think I look a little like Marilyn Monroe?’ I actually think there’s hints of Audrey Hepburn, Jackie Onassis and, most particularly, Princess Grace of Monaco here as well. Later, she was to recall that the shoot with Mario Testino, an eminently skilled photographer whose flattering and seductive eye is to modern celebrity photography what Madame Vigée Lebrun was to Marie Antoinette and the luminaries of her court, as ‘One of the happiest days of my entire life’. They were destined to act as publicity for the upcoming sale of some of Diana’s dresses at Christies but now have a greater significance as the final formal photographs taken of the princess. This set of photographs was taken in an old school in Battersea in 1997, just five months before the princess’ tragic death.

How beautiful are these stunning photographs of Diana, Princess of Wales by Mario Testino? I defy anyone (okay, almost everyone, I try not to think about the fact that there’s a tough crowd out there) not to look at these images and think ‘Oh, wow, she really WAS a beauty.’

Diana - Princess of Wales by Mario Testino