By Rollo Ross
SANTA MONICA, Calif. (Reuters) – A new exhibition featuring photographs of the late Princess Diana will be on display in three U.S. cities starting in December.
“Princess Diana Exhibition: Accredited Access” gives a candid view of Diana through the eyes of Anwar Hussein, the longest-serving British royal photographer, and his two sons Zak and Samir Hussein, also photographers. Anwar Hussein took photos of Diana from when she became a public figure until her death in 1997.
“You get to walk through and see a proper journey of how Diana progressed throughout her life from being just a shy, innocent girl to then moving on to being a fashion icon and a humanitarian,” said Zak Hussein, promoting the exhibition in Santa Monica, California.
Visitors are given a phone and headphones so they can read and hear commentary about the significance of each image.
“You get to hear from myself and my brother the stories behind the pictures,” said Zak. “It’s not your regular exhibition of just looking at pictures on the wall … It’s got that more documentary feel about it.”
Zak hopes to educate people about the ways Princess Diana changed the royals. For example, Diana rarely wore gloves.
“Beforehand, it was quite normal for the royals to wear gloves when touching members of the public and it’s something that Diana didn’t do. She wanted to really feel the person and that emotions come across through touch,” said Zak.
Anwar Hussein is widely credited with conveying a more candid view of the royals. Zak said his father excelled at capturing authentic glimpses of the subject’s personality, and advised him to do the same.
“People like to see more candid, more relaxed images of the royals and it’s something that again you can see in this exhibition,” Zak said.
The exhibition by the Husseins goes on display in Los Angeles, Chicago and New York from Dec. 1.
(Reporting by Rollo Ross; Editing by Karishma Singh and Cynthia Osterman)
