Since her tragic passing in 1997, Princess Diana‘s legacy and influence has dominantly lived on in photographs, with so many moments capturing the late Princess of Wales style, tenderness, and even isolation. One such photo, featuring Diana at the Taj Mahal in 1992, has an incredibly deep meaning and reveals so much about how Diana was feeling at this point in her life. But more than two decades after the princess took a seat on a bench in front of the monument, her eldest son, Prince William, and his wife, Kate Middleton, chose to recreate the photo — but the picture almost didn’t happen.
The image, captured by royal photographers Samir and Zak Hussein, along with their father Anwar Hussein’s original photograph of Diana, are currently on display for the Princess Diana Exhibition: Accredited Access in Los Angeles and Chicago. The Hussein brothers spoke with Us Weekly about how William and Kate’s photo came together, and why it was the royal couple’s call on whether or not they’d pose for the picture. “The photo of William and Kate, we didn’t actually know if they were gonna do it or not. We were told that they might do it, but, you know, it was ultimately up to them,” Zak Hussein explained to the outlet.
“They weren’t asked to do it by anyone and it was a case of them making a decision at the the last minute, whether they were gonna sit on that bench. I was there, poised up ready to take the picture, but not knowing if it was gonna happen, but of course they did and it was — it was just a really special moment.”
Hussein went on to reiterate just how “special” it was to capture William and Kate in front of the Taj Mahal in 2016, especially considering the photograph his father took more than 20 years prior. We’ve seen over the years just how much William and Kate and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle want to preserve Princess Diana’s memory. While Kate and William may have been hesitant at first to pose for the photo in front of the Taj Mahal, the picture has truly become a testament to the life Kate and William are building together and the example they’re setting, while honoring and keeping Diana’s memory in their hearts and minds.
Before you go, click here to see the best photos from Prince Charles and Princess Diana’s marriage.
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