The world recently paid tribute to Diana Frances Spencer, the Princess of Wales on her 20th death anniversary. Numerous television shows, documentaries and publications featured Diana to commemorate the illustrious yet scandalous life of the princess who was mother of the future heir to the throne. Her untimely death on August 31, 1997 left her admirers heartbroken and the world saw a tragic end to her celebrated life as a royal. Despite the controversies that surrounded Diana both, during her marriage and divorce to Prince Charles, she was deemed as one of the most iconic figures of the world as well as the “queen of people's hearts”, which she always wanted to be.

Diana’s public life has been undeniably glorious, for she represented the royals when meeting commoners. People loved her for not just being a princess but one with a heart of gold. Diana was vigorously involved in philanthropic work, especially after her divorce. She visited the most impoverished countries with hopes to make life better for them in any way she could. Her philanthropic efforts were in the public eye and there wasn’t a cause she wouldn’t want to support. Hence, she eventually decided to visit Pakistan aiming to contribute towards the cause of fighting cancer in the country.

She visited Pakistan twice, first in 1996 and later in 1997, to raise funds for Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital, founded by ex-cricketer and politician Imran Khan.

In an interview to BBC, her brother Earl Spencer said how Diana felt about Pakistan.

“Diana adored Pakistan. It was this strange spiritual connection this very English girl had with such a different culture and I think America and Pakistan were the two places where she felt most at home.”

Her visit was one of the most high-profile visits Pakistan witnessed since its creation. Throughout her solo visit to Pakistan, Diana exuded elegance, especially when she gracefully paraded in a number of traditional shalwar kameez. It was rumoured that she was, at that time, dating a London-based Pakistani heart and lung surgeon Hasnat Khan, who served at the Royal Brompton Hospital in London from 1995 to 1996, whose family resided in Lahore.

Princess Diana is not one to be forgotten, for her charity efforts, social activism, love for the poor and oppressed, and knowledge of global issues always kept her in the spotlight. Her compassionate energy along with her charm, charisma, beauty and inimitable fashion sense made her one of the most celebrated individuals in history.