Diana and Mario Testino

     In Spring of 1997, Diana, Princess of Wales was starting a new chapter in her life. It was a very new year for her, so, she thought too, it might be time for some new portraits of herself. She had long admired the work of the famed Photographer Mario Testino, they met and she had a photo shoot set up where Mr. Testino was to take over 200 shots of her. The setting was her Kensington Palace apartment. They are the last "official" photos of the princess and some of the most beautiful and most relaxed. Mario still remembers the princess as  "very relaxed and more beautiful than any photograph could ever do her justice." He also says "Diana will always be my favorite subject I've ever photographed." Mr. Testinos photographs, just months before Diana's death, are some of the most valuable ones of her. These images will forever remind us of the hope and promise that Diana's new life offered her that she sadly never got to finish. These photo capture not only her incredible beauty but her hope for her new found happiness, ultimately proving that 1997 was Diana's happiest year.