Life and death of Princess Diana. I will be seeking hopefully a more private life. She transcended fame. The adulation was absolutely extraordinary. From ingenue to icon she was a powerful pioneer. She stood up to this huge institution of the british monarchy now, 20 years after her death, new details about that fateful night in paris. What did you see as you entered the tunnel . Tonight, french investigators speak out for the first time on American Television. Is there anything that still bothers you to this day . Revealing stories from Close Friends. She called me on the last night of her life and secret confidants. She was pretty sure her phone phones were being listened to. She was desperate to ensure that people knew the truth a riveting new look at the ultimate royal rebel. We only knew half the story. Im lester holt and this is dateline. Heres Andrea Canning with the life and death of Princess Diana. Reporter it was getting late in the city of light that last saturday in august 1997. But sidewalk cafes in paris were still bustling. The moulin rouge was aglow. Riverboats along the seine were teeming with tourists. And the paparazzi were out, in full force, because a special visitor was in town. In fact the most famous woman in the world Princess Diana. For years cameras had tailed her like sharks follow blood. And now on this late august night the hunt was still on. As diana and her new lover dodi al fayed sped away from the paparazzi who were in hot pursuit. Suddenly, the driver made an unexpected turn into the tunnel the pont de l alma tunnel. Breaking News CoveragePrincess Diana has been seriously injured pursued by paparazzi. Indeed Princess Diana has died tonight. Reporter its been nearly two decades since that fateful night, yet Princess Diana remains as famous in death as she was in life. Being a princess doesnt always have a fairytale ending. She would probably be the first to agree with that. Reporter tonight we go behind the palace gates and reveal that behind every iconic image of diana, there is a story, often a secret. Diana and dodi didnt have this fullfledge romance that people think. Definitely not. Reporter secrets she shared with only a select few. I had to protect her. Our relationship was a very private one. It was a secret one. Reporter she was beautiful, magnetic, but also misunderstood. Diana wasnt paranoid. She wasnt damaged goods. She was very unhappy with the state of her marriage. Reporter even now, questions still swirl about her marriage. Her battles with the monarchy. Her secret love affairs, and what really caused that horrible crash in paris. We had to look at whether there was a real reason why someone would want to murder Princess Diana that night. Reporter over the next two hours, well hear from Close Friends, confidantes insiders people who worked for her and covered her who offer intriguing new insights about the woman who will always be remembered as the peoples princess. Diana Francis Spencer was born into aristocracy in 1961. The daughter of an earl, she was raised at this Country Estate called althorp. We got a rare look inside dianas stunning childhood home which few have ever seen. Her brother charles and his wife gave nbcs Cynthia Mcfadden a tour. This is a room that i associate really with diana tap dancing and as a sort of teenager she did endless tapdancing in here and thats my main connection in this house of her. Reporter inside the grand house. It was not always warm and friendly. The parents divorced, and her mother lost custody of the children. But their father remarried a woman named raine spencer. Diana and her brother called her acid raine, and she kept them at arms length in one of the giant estates smallest rooms. We were put up in the attics and for a house like this i would say very, very, very modest rooms. But you know its just the way it was. Reporter dianas unhappy childhood, would later manifest itself in a big way. She was very, very needy. Reporter penny junor has written extensively about the royals, including books on both Prince Charles and diana. She was constantly looking for love. The love that she felt she had never had from her mother. And that actually tainted her entire life. Reporter during her teen years diana started to blossom James Colthurst, who is a dateline consultant, met her on a ski trip and snapped these rare shots. She just blended in with the whole group. She had a very good sense of humor. She was amusing. She got plenty of attention. Reporter in the late 1970s, at age 17, diana moved to london. And later worked at a Nursery School not exactly glamorous. In fact, it was her sister who was dating the future king of england, Prince Charles. But few knew that the worlds most eligible bachelor was on a mission, not entirely of his own choosing. It was time. He was under pressure. Reporter richard kay is the editor at large for the london daily mail. He later became Close Friends with diana and also covered Prince Charles. He felt pressure from his family, pressure from his friends, pressure from himself. He knew that his duty was to have a son. I mean to secure the house of windsor. That was his job. So he had to find someone with whom he could have a family. Reporter someone like Lady Diana Spencer. At that time it was absolutely imperative for the heir to the throne to marry an aristocrat who was not a Roman Catholic and who was a virgin. She was, on paper, absolutely, 100 perfect. Reporter so perfect that behind the scenes charles and dianas grandmothers were helping move things along. Dianas grandmother, was the queen mothers best friend. So the stars were in alignment, if you like. I mean, diana was almost plucked and chosen for charles. Reporter the two began dating in that royal kind of way. When she referred to him, she had to call him sir. It was a really different kind of dating that anyone else would do. Reporter the British Press was eager to discover just who Prince Charles might marry. Reporter and here is the very first public photo of diana back then. She was just 19. Reporter theres an intriguing story behind that historic shot. From Arthur Edwards the newspaper photographer who snapped it. We found edwards in london and he still remembers that day back in 1980 when he got a tip from someone attending charles polo match, who told him. Hes here today with a girl called Lady Diana Spencer. So i walked round the polo field and i saw this girl, and she was wearin a necklace. I said, scuse me, are you Lady Diana Spencer . She says, yeah. I said, may i take your photograph, please . She said, yeah. She posed up for me. Reporter this casual photograph is what introduced young Lady Diana Spencer to the world. There would be thousands more pictures to come of course. And dianas life would never be the same. Dianna flew into a complete rage, and she said, i cant go through with this. Get to kohls Super Saturday shop early birds for the perfect gift for mom and take an extra 20 off give her diamond earrings for just 39. 99 15. 99 sonoma pajamas and 7. 19 candles. Youll get kohls cash too its Super Saturday only at kohls bmilk and fresh cream,a. And only sustainably farmed vanilla. What is this . A vanilla bean . Mmm breyers the good vanilla. We use nongmo sourced ingredients in some of americas favorite flavors. Mmm so we know how to cover almost alanything. 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Charles was hesitant to propose to diana. So much so that his father, Prince Phillip, sent him a letter. Phillipp was saying to him, look, youve been seeing this girl. You cant lead her out in the garden path, so to speak. Either marry her or let her go. Otherwise, shes gonna be a very damaged young woman. Reporter charles, under pressure to fulfill his royal duties, and diana, just 19 years old decided to take the plunge into what was essentially an arranged marriage. She was very much in love with him. And i think he was not yet in love with her. He was bounced into asking diana to marry him before he was ready. Reporter charles was almost 13 years older than diana, more worldy, more educated. Even so, the two told the media they were the perfect match. What do you think weve got in common . Sense of humor. Um, every outdoor activity. Except for i dont ride. Shell remedy that. Lots of things, really. Reporter but in reality diana and charles didnt seem to have much in common. She didnt like horses and dogs. She hated all those kind of sporting activities that he went in for. And she was a young 19, 20yearold, who was into romantic fiction and shopping and lunching and mucking about with her mates. Reporter and right away, diana discovered someone who was important to charles, a person from his past. There was another woman in this dymanic. Camilla parker bowles. Yes. Parkerbowles was a confidante of Prince Charles and a lover of his before, long before he met diana. But she and charles remained good friends. There was this sense, i think, from almost the beginning that charles wasnt entirely dianas own. Reporter Camilla Tominey is the royal editor for the sunday express in london. Charles had insisted that his relationship with camilla had been platonic, but i think there was a sense that diana quickly realized that mentally charles wasnt completely with her 100 . Reporter most people have long believed that Camilla Parker bowles was the villian in this story. But camilla, early on, actually supported diana, advised her about charles and royal life. She liked diana and thought that she would be a lovely wife for him. So she was very friendly to her. And diana was very friendly to camilla. Reporter but diana, just 19, was insecure, says her friend richard kay. She was a naive young girl. Charles was her first proper man in her life. But he appeared to have someone else he was interested in, too. It wouldve made anyone question themselves. She was beautiful, gorgeous, fantastic to have on your arm, but maybe she struggled to have a rigorous conversation with him. Reporter so diana was giving charles more the beauty and camilla was giving him more the brains. I think thats it. Reporter then just weeks before the wedding, dianas concerns about camilla, suddenly exploded in an incident that wasnt reported at the time. She came across a present between charles and camilla. Reporter what was it . It was a bracelet with reporter inscription . And it had g f on it. G was the name gladys, which was the nickname that charles had for camilla. F stood for fred, which was camillas pet name for charles. Diana flew into a complete rage and stormed out of the room. Diana got it into her head that camilla and charles never stopped having an affair. And she became absolutely obsessed by ka micamilla. Charles realized during the engagement that there was something really badly wrong. And he didnt have the courage to call a halt to it. Reporter thrust into the royal spotlight and now concerned about camilla, the pressure on diana, according to author penny junor, was beginning to take its toll. Diana changed literally overnight. Having been this sunny, easy, happygolucky, smiley girl. She turned into this dark, at times, girl, who went into rages, absolute rages, temper tantrums, tears, jealousies, kicking furniture. And he just didnt know how to cope. Reporter by now the wedding was just weeks away. At every turn, she was sort of trapped in a different way. Reporter Sarah Ellison is a special correspondent for vanity fair magazine, who has written about Princess Diana and her relationships. Diana later said that she actually wanted to get out of getting married to charles. No one has ever called off a Royal Wedding. They were never not going to be married. Lady diana is regarded here as just about the perfect bride. Diana had lunch with her sisters. And she said, you know, i cant go through with this. I want out. I dont wanna do this. And her sisters, jokingly said, too late. Your face is on the tea towels. And, of course, you know, that was the problem. It was too late. More than 60 Bbc Television cameras will produce pictures for a worldwide audience of about 700 million. Reporter the Royal Wedding would indeed go on, whether the bride and groom wanted it or not. Diana managed to spot Camilla Parker bowles. And few more on the honeymoon. Charles open ed up the diary and there is a photo of camilla in it. I mean, how stupid is that . When dateline continued. E. S. Irreplaceable monkey protection. Detergent alone doesnt kill bacteria, but adding new lysol laundry sanitizer kills 99. 9 of bacteria with 0 bleach. Daughter uh oh. Lysol. What it takes to protect. Living healthy is a balancing act. Thats why i love light fit greek nonfat yogurt. Each delicious cup contains 12 grams of protein and 80 calories. Its nutrition that fits my healthy life. Light fit. Do what fits you. Its theat olive gardenver introducing new giant stuffed pastas starting at 12. 99. Pastas so big you could share them, but so delicious, you wont want to. Giant stuffed pastas. 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The Royal Wedding was fantastic. It was british pomp and pageantry at its best. A lot of people could see the carriage procession in a glass coach like cinderella. I was nineyearsold. I set my alarm at 4 00 a. M. And got up to watch the wedding. I was one of 750 Million People watching that wedding. Yeah. It was like a fairytale. And diana sort of fulfilled all our childhood notions of what a fairytale princess should look like. But there was Something Else going on at the wedding, a story no one knew. See the crowd in the church . Diana just happened to spot one particular face. Diana managed to spot Camilla Parkerbowles, and she saw her as she was going up the aisle. Did she ever talk to you about that moment . She just said, i knew from that moment that this woman was never gonna go away. So long as you both shall live. I will. I will. But th