She was an activist. She was known for her charm, and style. And, Princess Diana brought a sense of humanity to British royalty. People around the world loved her. Her status as a global icon has only grown since her death nearly three decades ago.
Now, her life and legacy are being celebrated with a new museum exhibition in Ventura County, at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.
"We're standing in 'Diana Love Life Legacy-A Life of Giving,' a 10,000 square foot exhibition dedicated to Diana, Princess of Wales. There are over 750 artifacts on display, including 740 which have never been publicly seen before," said Melissa Giller, who is is Chief Marketing and Cultural Programming Officer for the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation.
"There are dresses, jewelry, shoes, and bags. You can see some of her iconic clothing," said Giller. "There are also hundreds of letters, correspondence, and notes. We also tell the story of Princess Diana with Ronald and Nancy Reagan. We added a handful of items from our own collection to tell that story. One of the most famous photos in the Reagan Library collection is the picture of Princess Diana dacing with John Travolta at the 1985 State Dinner. We have Mrs. Reagan's dress from the dinner, along with the dress Princess Diana wore."
The new exhibition is kicking off a five year long worldwide tour, with its first stop at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley.
Virtually everything in the collection belongs to a woman who as a little girl met Princess Diana, and was taken with her grace and beauty.
"I was fortunate to have met Princess Diana as a 12-year-old child. I lived in Australia, and went on a field trip, and Diana shook my hand that day," said Renae Plant. "She looked me in the eyes, and I couldn't speak. After that, I ran under the barricade, and I was walking behind her, and she dropped something in the dirt. It was a tiny clay platypus. I ran over, and tried to get the courage to return it to her. I gave it to a policeman, and said 'Lady Di dropped this.' He looked at me and looked at her, and he closed my hand over it, and said 'She must have dropped it to give it to you.' That happened as a 12-year-old. I'm 55 now, and I just felt compelled a decade ago to start preserving her life, and legacy."
She started buying Diana’s memorabilia from auction houses and private collectors. To share it with the world, Plant established the online Princess Diana Museum.
"We have 2700 pieces in the Princess Diana Museum," said Plant. "I created a 3-D virtual museum that anyone can access anywhere around the world, at princessdianamuseum.org." But, there's her first in-person exhibition. "What we're premiering here is more than 64 pieces of clothing on display, archives from fashion designers and letters she wrote. It's a really in-depth look at Diana's life. And, it's not just about the fashion she wore, it's also about the charities she championed," said Plant.
Kathy Lazo is the Exhibit’s designer. She said it wasn’t easy for them to go through the more than 2,000 items in Plant’s collection to decide what should be shown. Lazo is standing with us near the heart of the exhibition.
"Right now we are standing in what we call the fashion icon area. This is where we have have a huge wall of her accessories, her hats, her purses, her shoes from different times in her life, and images of her actually wearing them," said Lazo. "And, we also have her outfits. They are chronological so they start in the 80's and move into the 90's. You can see the evolution of her style as she gets older."
Plant said she’s thrilled people will be able to see hundreds of items from her collection for the first time.
"I'm excited. I cry a lot. It's been a long journey for me. It's been over a decade." said Plant. "It's just such a dream come true to see this unfold."
She loves being able to commemorate the life of someone who meant so much to so many people. "She had the gift to make people feel truly seen and heard," said Plant. "She gave people hugs. She was open. She shared the struggles in her life, That was the first time anyone of that stature had opened up about the struggles of what they were going though, and that's what people really, really related to."
The Diana: Love-Life-Legacy — A Life of Giving exhibition runs through May 31 of next year.
With ticket demand expected to be high, the museum is using timed tickets, and is suggesting you get advance tickets through the museum’s website.
Plant says after the exhibition’s tour, she is hoping to establish a permanent Princes Diana museum in Britain.
