PRINCESS DIANA
Princess Diana in Japan: A Moment of Grace Amidst the Headlines
In the autumn of 1990, I was commissioned to photograph HRH Princess Diana and Prince Charles during their official visit to Japan. They were representing Her Majesty The Queen at the enthronement ceremony of Emperor Akihito, an occasion steeped in ancient ritual and imperial pageantry. But behind the grandeur and diplomatic formality, another story was unfolding—one that every photographer, journalist, and royal watcher knew was simmering beneath the surface.
Earlier that year, whispers of trouble in the royal marriage had become more than just tabloid gossip. Charles and Diana had all but confirmed their intention to separate. The world was watching, and the cameras were ready. My assignment, officially speaking, was to document the royal visit. Unofficially? I was expected to capture a moment—however fleeting—that might hint at the strain between them.
But Buckingham Palace had anticipated this all too well.
A Choice Behind the Lens
In a strategic move that showed how tightly the Palace managed their public image, it was announced that the Prince and Princess would make separate public appearances for much of the Japan tour. No candid glances, no awkward body language for the photographers to dissect. This wasn’t going to be a simple point-and-shoot assignment. It meant I had a choice to make: photograph HRH Prince Charles.. or HRH Princess Diana.
For me, it was an easy decision.
Diana had already captured the hearts of people across the globe. Her elegance, vulnerability, and unguarded empathy had made her one of the most photographed and admired women in the world. More than that, she had a rare ability to light up in moments of human connection—especially with children. I chose to follow her.
And that choice led me to a photograph I still consider one of the most poignant of my career.
A Visit to Remember
The image was taken at a children’s hospital on the outskirts of Tokyo. It wasn’t one of the more publicised stops on the tour—no grand ballroom, no formal dinner, no ceremonial attire. Just a quiet visit to lift the spirits of young patients and their families. It was the kind of engagement Diana truly excelled in, where the focus wasn’t on her title, but on her humanity.
That day, I was fortunate. I had made a request through the Buckingham Palace press office to be given a good vantage point, and to my surprise, it was granted. I’m ‘not’ a paparazzi. I wasn’t hiding in the bushes or chasing cars. I was there as a working photographer with a deep respect for the subject. And perhaps because of that, I was allowed the space to observe.
As she stepped out of the hospital, Diana turned and looked back at the children waving through the windows. She smiled—a genuine, radiant smile—and lifted her hand in a soft, elegant wave. In that instant, I pressed the shutter.
That’s the image. That’s the moment.
The Light Within
Most photographs of Diana during that 1990 visit showed her looking solemn, or tired, or simply distant. The emotional weight of her disintegrating marriage was visible, even behind her polished public façade. But not in this photograph.
Here, she was unmistakably happy. Not in the forced, performative way that public figures often display, but with a lightness that came from being fully present in a moment of care and kindness. It reminded me of something that was often said about Diana: she came alive in the company of children.
It was as though their innocence, their vulnerability, reflected her own. She responded to them not as a royal, but as a mother, as a woman who understood what it meant to feel misunderstood or unseen. And when she smiled at those children that day, the heaviness that often shadowed her seemed to lift—if only briefly.
There was no entourage crowding the frame. No Charles by her side. No political agenda. Just Diana, standing in the soft afternoon light of Tokyo, offering her warmth to those who needed it most.
More Than a Royal Portrait
I’ve taken many portraits over the course of my career—of actors, artists, and musicians. But this image remains one of the most significant. Not because it shows royalty, but because it captures something true. An unguarded moment. A flash of emotion in a life too often choreographed for public consumption.
Diana was famously uncomfortable with the press. She had every reason to be. Hounded by photographers, speculated on by tabloids, her every move was scrutinised in a way that few of us can imagine. And yet, when she was with people—really with them—she seemed to forget the cameras altogether.
That day in Tokyo, she didn’t look through me. She didn’t pose or freeze or turn away. She simply was. That’s what made her so magnetic. So unforgettable.
Legacy in a Smile
Decades have passed since that moment. Diana’s legacy has become legend. She redefined what it meant to be a royal in the modern world—not through political power or protocol, but through empathy, vulnerability, and emotional authenticity.
In a world where public figures often guard their image with ruthless precision, Diana did something radical: she allowed people to see her. The good and the flawed. The brave and the broken. She made compassion fashionable. She made it powerful.
And for one afternoon in Tokyo, far from the courtrooms of Westminster and the marble halls of Buckingham Palace, I saw all of that in a single smile.
A Privilege Remembered
I’ve always considered myself extremely privileged to have photographed Princess Diana at such close quarters. The assignment may have begun as an effort to capture a rift between two royals, but what I captured instead was something real. A fleeting, heartfelt exchange between a woman and a group of children. A wave, a smile, and a rare glimpse of peace.
That photograph hangs in my archive not just as a memory of the shoot, but as a tribute—to grace under pressure, to dignity in distress, and to a woman who gave the world far more than just beautiful pictures.
She gave us herself. And the world has never forgotten.
Let's work together
Whether you’re hosting a corporate event, gallery, university, or photography society, David’s talks offer a rare chance to hear from one of Britain’s most accomplished photographers. Audiences leave inspired, informed, and entertained.