Diana portrait exhibit shows enduring appeal of late princess

Hundreds of people flocked to London's National Portrait Gallery on the weekend to view a new exhibition of photographs of Diana, the late Princess of Wales.

Diana, one of the most photographed women of all time, continues to be an object of fascination 10 years after her death.

From before her 1981 marriage to Prince Charles to her tragic death in a car crash in 1997, Diana was at the centre of intense media attention.

The display, which follows tribute concerts organized by her sons, Princes William and Harry, on July 1, looks at her life as a royal wife, mother, high-profile charity worker and international fashion icon.

Although some of the portraits are well known and were widely reproduced, crowds are coming back for the longer view of Diana's years in the spotlight.

"The display shows the evolution of Diana, Princess of Wales, from her engagement right through to her charity work," said a spokesman for the National Portrait Gallery.

"It's been incredibly busy, and we've had a lot of people asking questions about it."

The photographs, drawn from the gallery's collection, include works by Lord Snowdon, David Bailey and Mario Testino.

The portraits show her initially as a shy teenager, reduced to tears by the photographers camped outside her Earl's Court flat.

They include official portraits of her fairy-tale wedding to Charles and cover her evolution into a glamorous woman who did her best to use media attention to enhance her own image and advance the causes she believed in.

She appears in a striking black cocktail dress on the day Charles admitted infidelity on television.

The exhibit concludes with one of her final charity appearances.

Photographs ofDiana are still provoking controversy. In June, a British TV channel showed a documentary that featured photographs of her as shewas lyingfatally injured, despite pleas from Diana's sons to keep the photos private.