'Diana, Princess of Wales with her sons'
1 portrait of Diana, Princess of Wales
'Diana, Princess of Wales with her sons'
by John Swannell
Iris print, 1994
15 1/2 in. x 19 in. (394 mm x 482 mm)
Given by the photographer, John Swannell, 1998
Primary Collection
NPG P717(16)
Sittersback to top
- Diana, Princess of Wales (1961-1997), Princess of Wales. Sitter in 56 portraits. Identify
- Prince Henry, Duke of Sussex (1984-), Duke of Sussex; son of King Charles III. Sitter in 16 portraits. Identify
- William, Prince of Wales (1982-), Prince of Wales; son of King Charles III. Sitter in 20 portraits. Identify
Artistback to top
- John Swannell (1946-), Photographer. Artist or producer of 128 portraits, Sitter in 2 portraits.
This portraitback to top
Princess Diana and her sons were captured in this informal pose during a relaxed moment between sittings for an official Christmas card.
Linked publicationsback to top
- Alison Smith, Charles III: The Making of a King, 2023, p. 96
- Cooper, John, Great Britons: The Great Debate, 2002, p. 159 Read entry
During her marriage, Diana found it hard to reconcile the demands of her royal duties with the spontaneous giving of maternal love. The Windsors' concept of monarchical duty has not permitted them to develop a child-centred view of upbringing. Diana's own family was similar, and she was determined to provide warmth, stability, and normal fun for her boys to balance the country sports encouraged by their father. Some expressed surprise that they were permitted to wear baseball caps, eat hamburgers and visit theme parks, and there was much tut-tutting when she took them, under-age, to a certificate 15 film.
- Edited by Lucy Peltz & Louise Stewart, Love Stories: Art, Passion & Tragedy, 2020, p. 213
- Tinker, Christopher, Speak its Name! - Quotations by and about Gay Men and Women, 2016, p. 315
Events of 1994back to top
Current affairs
The Queen opens the Channel Tunnel. After seven years of digging, various financial hold-ups and technical difficulties, a long-awaited rail link is created between Britain and France. The tunnel is 31 miles long with 24 miles under the sea, the longest under-sea tunnel in the world.Art and science
Trevor Bayliss starts production of his clockwork radio. The innovation is a fantastic example of simple environmentally friendly design and has been found particularly useful in areas where there is no electricity supply, such as remote communities in Africa.Blur release their classic Britpop album depicting London life, Parklife.
International
Violence breaks out in Rwanda. An estimated 800,000 people were massacred in the Rwandan Genocide, most of them Tutsis, murdered by extremist Hutu militia groups.South Africa holds its first democratic elections in which full enfranchisement is granted. The African National Congress led by Nelson Mandela won the majority of the vote, and Mandela became the country's first black State President.
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