Not since the heyday of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis has there been an international icon to match Diana, the Princess of Wales. Her picture on the cover of magazines was enough to guarantee phenomenal sales worldwide. No personality in history was ever the subject of more unremitting attention on the part of the paparazzi. In an age when stars seem to have become drabber and more ordinary, Diana achieved unrivalled glamour and respect. She developed from a relatively unprepossessing kindergarten teacher into a stylish and beautiful young woman, always well dressed, and beloved for her gentle and loving nature. Her warmth and kindness found many outlets, particularly in regard to those struck down with the HIV virus. She was spontaneous in manner, happily ignoring royal protocol to bestow a kiss on a child in a crowd, and writing letters to members of the public signed "love Diana." Almost from the day she emerged into public life, the British public took her to their hearts. She brought to the Royal Family not only her particularly English beauty, but the zestful enthusiasm of youth combined with an innate dignity and a good-natured sense of humor. She possessed a canny and straightforward form of common sense. She listened and she learned. She relished her role as Princess of Wales. -- From Diana's "Times of London" obituary